How Safe Is Your Pool?

Jun 22, 2014 | Articles

Is It Safe to Go Into the Water?

Do you really know if that crystal blue water in your pool is truly healthy to swim in? Are you assuming that the pool service is showing up when they say they are and that the chemical constituents and water quality are up to standards? Is your pool cover and equipment suffering long term damage and shortened lives simply because of improperly balanced water? How do you really know especially when you are not here all the time? We have a solution for you.

It’s All About Balance!

Improperly balanced pool and spa water can cause a number of health concerns while simultaneously damaging expensive pool surfaces and critical equipment. Chlorine needs to be constantly replenished daily to kill germs and keep pool water safe. Low stabilizer levels can result in significant chlorine loss in just a few hours in the hot sun resulting in no sanitizing effect to kill bacteria and viruses. Too much stabilizer can have a similar effect rendering the existing chlorine unable to effectively do its disinfecting  job. Critical levels of calcium are needed to prevent pool water from dissolving the essential calcium out of plaster, tile , stone and concrete surfaces and in some cases the calcium carbonate filler in the gelcoat of fiberglass pools. Proper calcium also helps fiberglass pools resist staining and cobalt spotting. Improper PH levels will cause a host of problems from making your eyes sting,  damage to metal parts and calcium scaling while also reducing the effectiveness of chlorine.

Salt water pools need certain minimum temperature and salt concentrations for the chlorine generators to even function and produce chlorine. Poor water quality will also shorten the life of expensive pool covers and other expensive equipment. The “rule of thumb” is if the water isn’t safe to swim in, then it isn’t safe to cover.

The Environment is Not Friendly to Your Pool!

Environmental factors also can have dramatic effects on pool water quality. Dirt, debris, leaves and other organic matter can contribute to rising phosphate levels, rapid chlorine consumption and support the growth of harmful algae. Rain will cause a rise in PH levels that need to be carefully monitored and reduced. The combination of both our hot sun and winds will easily result in 1/2″ or more of water loss per day due to evaporation. These water levels are critical for proper operation of pool skimmers, recirculating pumps and pool heaters. Too low of water and the pumps lose prime causing costly damage to pump seals and plumbing connections from overheating. Low water flows also result in heat pumps shutting off automatically so that when you do arrive to use your pool, pool water temperatures may not be suitable for comfortable swimming.

The three biggest challenges for any pool owner in maintaining high quality water is by properly controlling dirt, debris and chemicals. Chlorine levels, under full sun, can go from 5 ppm to 0.1 ppm in just a few hours, thereby offering no protection for swimmers. Those with vacation homes using a pool maintenance service still need to have a way to “inspect what they expect.” This is difficult to accomplish if this is your vacation home and not your primary residence.

Who Is Watching Your Pool?

One of the services that we perform at Lake Chelan HomeWatch is the visual inspection and water quality testing of your pools. We have specific digital measurement tools and chemical testing kits that allow us to routinely monitor and report on the conditions of your pool and equipment. We also utilize an outside service to cross check our results on a routine basis as a further safeguard.  We also check water levels and refill accordingly to compensate for the effects of evaporation. We provide detailed pictures and accessible online reports for each visit so you have a permanent record of the status of your pool.

We are your Advocate in “inspecting what you should be expecting” from your pool service providers. For more information on how we can protect your home and pool, please Contact Us by clicking here.