Thankfully, swimming pools don’t need to be emptied very often, but during the initial filling, you could rack up some hefty water fees (hundreds of dollars, depending on where you live). Fortunately, there are some things you can do to avoid high fees.

First, you’ll want to check with your municipality as fees for large scale water usage can vary greatly from town to town. Before you simply turn on the hose and let it run, ask your local branch if there are any discounts available for swimming pool owners.

Some communities charge separately for water usage and sewer usage (water disposal). One thing you can do to avoid being double charged is install a diversion meter in the plumbing supply system (make sure your community allows this). Diversion meters measure your water usage and waste drainage separately and help ensure you are only charged once. Installation costs for these meters are often less than water disposal fees, so it can be a worthwhile addition.

Remember, once you have your swimming pool filled, you should use a pool cover in order to reduce evaporation that could require adding water on a daily basis.

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Congratulations, you bought a house with a swimming pool (or maybe you’re thinking of installing one). But what about the kids? Even if your children are good swimmers, they should have adult supervision because accidents can happen in the backyard pool. If your children had their way, they would probably be out there 12 hours a day throughout the summer. You might not mind supervising them for an hour or two, but you probably don’t have as much time to spend at the poolside (oh, to be young again…). One or more video surveillance cameras could be the solution to your problem.

A home surveillance camera can be set up so that you can watch the backyard and swimming pool from within your house. You’ll want to make sure and buy a camera that is rated for outdoor use (a.k.a. weather and waterproof) and that is equipped with night vision (if you think the kids will be out there after dark). A professional home systems installer (or a handy do-it-yourselfer) can set things up so the video camera is connected to your cable TV system. This allows you to tune into what’s going on outside from any TV in your home. That way you can be working in the kitchen or your home office and still keep an eye on the kids in the swimming pool.

Depending on the size of your swimming pool and the layout of your yard, you may need to install more than one surveillance camera. You want to make sure you have the whole area covered. You may even extend the coverage to include your entire yard (i.e. one camera watching the pool, another at your garage or back door, and another at any exterior gates leading into the yard from the street) so the system could be not only a way of watching your children but also a home security system for keeping an eye on potential intruders (sometimes, just seeing a camera can be a deterrent to a burglar because it suggests you may have a solid internal security system).

But back to the swimming pool. Now that you have a way of watching the children while you are at home, you should also consider a pool alarm that sounds a warning if somebody tries to enter unannounced. Fences with locks are also a good idea to keep out neighborhood children that might get in and into trouble while you are away. In some areas, pool alarms and locks are required (though they are a good idea everywhere).

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Starting up a swimming pool is an important and critical phase and revolves mainly around getting your water chemistry correct. Water chemistry in your swimming pool, if not maintained properly, can and will damage your costly investment, specifically, the interior finish.

Maintaining Proper PH In Your Swimming Pool
New pool start-ups need special attention and your swimming pool builder should take time and stress the importance of proper care. Probably the most important area to pay close attention to on start-ups is PH.

Think back to your science class as a student and recall the PH scale from 0 to 14. PH determines the acidity of your pool water. Neutral has a PH of 7. If your PH is below 7, your water is acidic, above 7 the water is basic, or alkaline. Proper PH range or balance for you swimming pool is 7.4. The further away from this number your water is, it will cause eye irritation, scaling, pitting of the interior finish, staining, cloudy water and chlorine inefficiency, just to name a few.

Manufacturers of interior finish products will not warranty their products due to owner neglect. High PH is controlled with Muriatic Acid and low PH with Soda Ash. CAUTION: never add water to muriatic acid as this may cause a violent reaction. always add acid to water. Also, acid is heavier than water so adding it directly to the pool will cause it to sit on the bottom, so be sure to always brush your pool after adding acid.

Most pools today are “salt” pools, meaning they have a chlorine generation system. These systems will produce a higher PH chlorine so this is another reason to be consistent about checking your PH. A good rule of thumb is to check your water chemistry three times a week until you learn the pools requirements for adjustments.

Total Alkalinity
Another area to monitor is Total Alkalinity, which is the water’s ability to resist (buffer) PH change. Proper alkalinity level should be between 80 and 150 ppm. Sodium bicarbonate is used to raise Total Alkalinity and Muriatic Acid will lower TA. Improper TA levels will cause eye irritation, corrosion and leaching or pitting of interior finishes.

Chlorine
Chlorine should not be introduced for several days after pool start-up as this will delay or slow the process of curing the new interior finish. If you use well water, once you are sure all metals are out of the water, then you can add a residual of chlorine. Salt should not be added on start-ups for at least 15 days. Pool cleaners that roam the bottom such as a Polaris, should not be installed for fifteen days.

Conclusion
Water chemistry in swimming pools is a science and a very complex and exhaustive subject. There are systems like the Langlier Index and the Hamilton Index for balancing water. However, regardless of the method used, applying chemicals in a manner inconsistent with label requirements is a violation of Federal Law. Remember that routine water maintenance is required as long as you own a pool. This will protect your investment and help you keep your swimming pool beautiful for many years.

Layout & Design
This phase is the design and layout of your new pool once you have a permit. Things to consider would be yard elevations, existing landscape, existing electrical and plumbing lines, set backs from your house and any property and easement lines.

Excavation & Concrete Shell Once layout is approved, construction begins with the excavation of the dirt and shaping the swimming pool to the specific design and depth. This formally begins the process and will cause your backyard to look as if a bomb went off! Once the dirt is excavated and inspected by your local building department, concrete will be shot into the hole forming the “shell” of the pool.

Plumbing, Tile & Electrical
After the concrete is poured, the tile you have chosen and the plumbing lines will be installed. It’s important to have a schematic of the plumbing lines kept on file for future reference. Next, a certified electrician will come in and run the necessary electrical conduit and wire.

Decking
Layout and form work begins on your decking after electrical has been completed. You may have chosen a concrete deck or a paver deck – installations are different for each and your contractor will explain those installation processes. Also, consider at this point if you need water or electrical lines run under your deck into any planters you may have.

Filtration Equipment
Once your deck is installed, the plumbing or filtration equipment will be installed and final wiring hook up by the electrician. If your house is under construction, have your electrician run conduit lines from where your pool equipment will set outside, to your breaker panel in the house. Also, have a line run from your equipment to a wall switch inside your home to control your pool light or for computer automation. These two things will save time, money and destruction later when you house is complete and the pool goes in.

Interior Finish
Lastly, the interior finish of the pool will be installed. All interior finishes are not created equal. Standard finishes are “exposed aggregate” materials and “marcite”. There are several types and some come with limited lifetime warranties. Be sure to ask your pool builder about these beautiful and higher quality finishes. This is also the time to ask about tile mosaics if want to use to dress up the interior. You can put all types of designs with mosaics such as dolphins, turtles and other water creatures that kids will like. Once the interior finish is complete your swimming pool is filled and ready for the start up process.

A 1,200-pound horse is safe after rescuers used a wrecker to pull the animal from a swimming pool at a Knoxville home. Mountain, an award-winning show horse, was pulled out a little more than two hours after owner Deborah Black found him shivering in the pool Tuesday.

The 27-year-old horse’s trainer, David Cunningham, said Mountain apparently wandered onto the property and fell into the tarp-covered swimming pool sometime Monday night.

Authorities say Mountain will be treated with antibiotics to stave off pneumonia and will be watched for signs of internal injuries.

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2. Verify the pool contractor’s insurance company by asking for the name and company of who they have insurance with.

3. Check the pool contractor’s references and client testimonials. Ask friends and neighbors if they have ever heard of that pool builder. Ask how problems were handled and how they were solved.

4. Check your local better business bureau website. Furthermore, check out the pool builder’s website. ‘Google’ the pool builders name; this will reveal both good and bad recommendations from all sorts of sources, i.e. blogs, personal websites, rip-off reports, forums, message boards, etc.

5. Get free pool quotes in writing from at least 3 to 5 Florida pool builders. Ensure that the estimates are for the same design and materials so you compare apples to apples.

“My goal is to simplify the pool-building process for consumers while acting as a resource for any questions that arise. Many of our clients come to us wondering:

· What are the costs of building a swimming pool? How does it range?

· In Florida, do you need a permit to install a pool?

· Do you recommend a Concrete (gunite) or Fiberglass pool?

· Are pool builders in the FreePoolQuotes.com Network Licensed and Insured?

· Do you recommend anyone for pool financing, swimming schools, baby gate installers or screen enclosure companies?

“We. live by our motto – when pool builders compete, you swim!”

FreePoolQuotes.com is Florida’s leading provider of free swimming pool quotes. It is also the leading resource in helping pool builders with their online search marketing efforts, connecting homeowners with reputable pool builders and contractors. FreePoolQuotes.com provides homeowners with an easy online form to complete. Within 24 hours, homeowners will be contacted by up to 5 local, licensed and insured pool builders, ready to answer any questions about your pool project and provide you with free pool quotes. For more information, please visit www.freepoolquotes.com.

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If you’ve noticed sand in your pool and you don’t live on the beach, there could be a problem. It’s probably coming from the filter (this is especially likely if the sand is under the inlets).

This problem can be caused by an over-sized swimming pool pump or from a cracked lateral in the filter. The problem could also be simpler too; it maybe simply be a case of too much sand in the filter. In this situation, you would be safest calling in an expert to take a look and give a diagnosis.

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Increasing the temperature can effect maintenance. At higher temperatures, evaporation rates are increased, which means a faster buildup of total dissolved solids. Higher temperatures also burn off sanitizer more quickly. Bacteria and algae grow faster at higher temperatures. More scale forms in the water, due to an increase in the “saturation index”. Warm water is also uncomfortable for exercising.

Even if you’re not adjusting the temperature, seasonal changes will typically affect your pool’s water. You may need to adjust the total alkalinity to compensate for changes to the saturation index. In cooler weather, increasing the total alkalinity will help keep the saturation index constant. In warmer weather, reducing the total alkalinity with acid should help to keep the saturation index constant.

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When you think about an above ground pool do you think of the inflatable toy baby pool? That’s what I thought and boy was I wrong. In fact, above ground pools are really nice quality and are sometimes the best solution for homeowners. Having the pool be less expensive is a nice quality also. Inground pools can take a long time to install and are very expensive to maintain as well. There are some problems with installing above ground pools if you don’t do them right. They are fantastic, but the installation is a big part of enjoying them to the max.

Some of the common problems regarding above ground pools are:

• Poor quality walls or liners of the pool (under $2500)

• Poor installation techniques

• Poor filtering media such as sand

• Inadequate pumps don’t match the filtering system

• Poor quality pool accessories

If you purchased an inexpensive “cheap” pool you can expect more problems. If you experience leaking, don’t bother to fix them. The problem will only get worse. As in most things you get what you pay for. These pools can be a waste of money and only if you plan on using them one summer should you even consider a purchase like this. A common problem is a mismatched filter and pump. You don’t want a filter that is too small with a pump that is too big. Bigger does not necessarily cost more. If your pieces don’t match, you will blow dirt into through the filter right into the pool. Get the properly matching systems from the very beginning and you will experience fewer problems. If your pump is a half horsepower, you should have the smallest sand filter of twenty one inches. Your sand must come in a bag that says it is filter sand. Don’t try and use sand from the local beach or sand that is labeled sandblast quality. That stuff is cheaper, but it won’t filter well. Y

you’d be surprised what a difference this can make to the filtering of your pool. Since bigger is not always better, you might waste electricity if you try to install a large system. When it comes to purchasing a pool cleaning system, the best thing to do is to get a money back guarantee. If the pool cleaner you have doesn’t do the job to your satisfaction, make sure the dealer will take it back. The best pool cleaners can be very finicky when it comes to above ground pools and some only work best in inground pools. Just know you can take it back and get something different if it doesn’t do the job. If you want to eliminate all of the problems that are possible with above ground pools, I don’t know if that is a one size fits all answer. Purchase a good quality name brand pool from the very beginning, one that has a warranty, repair kit, and buy the best matched equipment possible. Listen to your gut instead of the salesman and you will enjoy your pool all summer long.

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