Living Frugal with ERIKA

Cleaning Swimming Pool Water and pH Maintenance

 Maintaining your pool means to maintain water pH and
security of you and your loved ones. For this reason, borax is used in the
above ground pools. It is a salt or chemical made of boric acid and is used in
cleaning purposes and maintain the pH of pools water. It can be purchased
affordably from a local shop and can be used as the best alternative to soda
ash.

When to Use the Borax

 Borax can reduce the algal growth in the pool water
and give a shiny and sparkling look to the pool water. Mainly it can be used
when there is a drop in the pH of the pool water. Borax is added to the pool
water to raise the pH of the water to the desired level. For this purpose, you
will need a kit for testing the pH of water, borax chemical, and hand safety
gloves. When you check the water of your pool has the pH in the range of
acidity, it is needed to raise the pH of the water. Usually, 7.4-7.6 pH is
considered safe and ideal for the pool water. This level of pH can be
maintained by addition of the borax to the water.

Technical Calculations for Borax

To increase 0.5 pH of the pool, 20 ounces of borax
is needed for 5,000 gallons of water. This amount of the borax can be added to your pool with the help of the pool pump for at least three days. After three
days the pH of the water should be check, and it must be in the ideal range
such as 7.4-7.6. If the desired pH is not yet maintained, extra borax can be
added to raise the pH of your pool water. In case the pH is higher than the
recommended ideal level, there is no need to worry as the pH goes down
naturally in a few days without treating the pool water with other chemicals.

Robotic Swimming Pool Cleaners

To clean your pool from debris, you can use any ofbu
the three types for the cleaning of your pool. These are suction side, the
pressure side, and robotic cleaners.

Robotic cleaners have an advantage over the suction
side and pressure side automatic cleaners, and it only needs a power source for its operation. While you don’t need to hook your robotic cleaner to your swimming pool as in case of suctions side and pressure side cleaners.

Features for Buying Robotic Cleaners

Robotic cleaners work on the ground-fault circuit
interrupter (GFCI) outlets. Some of the features while purchasing the robotic
cleaners should be kept in mind are

• Consider the weight of the robot for ease in handling and working operation (to get into the pool and out of the pool water). It should not be too much heavy ass to carry it to the pool become hard for you.
• High-quality hard brushes are needed in the robotic cleaner to clean the stubborn debris, dirt on every side of the pool
• Need a programmable timer to clean your pool as set instructions. Also, it can be cleaned easily.
• Your robot must have the ability to climb on the sides of the pool to get the
  cleaning done of the whole pool. Such as cleaning the water line, walls of the
  pool and stairs of the pool.
• Energy efficient robotic should be utilized for your pool cleaning. Small cleaners utilized 200 watts of power in one hour while larger units use more. Those robotic cleaner models should be avoided for cleaning purposes having the higher use of power above 1000 watt per hour as this will cost more to operate during the cleaning process.

Best Robot Pool Cleaners

Some of the best vinyl pool cleaner of 2018. They are:

• Dolphin Nautilus CC Plus
• Polaris F9550
• Hayward Poolvergnuen 896584000-013
• Polaris Vac-Sweep 360
• Hayward RC9740WCCUB

The best solar pool cover on the market doesn’t just keep dirt and debris out of your pool; it also heats the water. It collects the heat from the sun rays and takes it into your swimming pool to warm the water.

Depending on your area, this gear might not keep your facility as warm as an electricity or gas heater, but the cover saves you money by minimizing evaporation. With that said, there is one main question that all pool owners ask: to install solar pool covers bubbles up or down?

Bubbles Up or Bubbles Down

Does it make any difference to install the cover bubbles facing up or down? First, note that you should always install your pool cover bubbles facing down. Some people will argue that it’s better to have a cover with bubbles facing up than having no cover at all.

Why do we say bubbles down? Before we look at the reason for installing your pool cover bubbles facing down, ensure that you get the best pool algaecide for green algae for your pool to ensure it is free of these algae.

Back to the cover! A pool cover works by the rays from the sun heating the air inside the bubbles. The heat is transferred into your swimming pool and this why professional recommends the bubbles to face down when being installed.

As well, the cover works by trapping warmth in your swimming pool, so on chilly days; your swimming pool’s water will keep the heat that was gained during the hot warm days – the bubbles will come in handy when trapping this heat.

This cover employs a simple but effective mechanism that will allow you to dive into your pool comfortably during the cold days.

Bubbles Facing Up

If you install your cover with its bubbles facing up, the process of warming your pool will take longer and the sun might even destroy the bubbles. The reason behind this is that the bubbles are not facing your pool’s water directly.

They can easily overheat from the sun’s rays since they don’t have a place to take the trapped heat. This also means that the heat needs to travel through a third layer, the cover before it reaches the water.

To ensure that you cover lasts longer, always cover it with a sheet that reflects the rays when not in use or put it in a place with a shade like a shed or a garage. These gears retain a lot of heat and if not transferred to the water, they can easily “bake” themselves and reduce their life.

In Conclusion

If you didn’t know whether to install your solar pool covers bubbles up or down, you have now understood what to do. Think of your pool cover as a thermal sheet for your pool. As the rays from the sun heat your cover, it begins to warm the water under it and depending on the amount of time it remains in your pool, it will trap the heat even if the temperature drops.