Oh, Spring … Oh, Spring … Wherefore art thou, Spring?
Yes, it is with Shakespearean-style longing that we await sunny days in South Louisiana! With the reappearance of cool weather this week, we need to address the effect of a delayed Spring on our swimming pools.
The best thing you can do for your pool and equipment is get a free water analysis to make sure your water is balanced. We’ll ask you what the water looks like for more clues to a prescription for healthy pool water. We want to make sure that when the good weather hits, your pool water is ready.
For salt pools or traditional chlorine systems, the keys to clear, sparkling blue water are circulation and filtration. Without swimmers, circulation is mechanical-only right now, so some extra wall and surface brushing may be in order. Proper filtration allows chemicals and equipment to work efficiently, to chemically clean your filter (and change the sand if it is 2 or 3 years old), then backwash to waste.
If yours were among the bolder, braver kids and teens who jumped in last week and came out with blue lips, let them know that this too shall pass … and let’s all keep our fingers crossed for a nice, sunny and warm Easter break!
Heavy rains wreak havoc on your beautiful clear blue pool water. Don’t delay treating it, and you can prevent a small problem from turning into a big issue. Here are steps for getting swimming pools back into pristine shape:
1. If the pool is operational after heavy rain, remove any excess water from the pool by backwashing or wasting through the filter.
2. Test the pool water’s pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness ( or take about a pint of pool water to your local Sabine Pools for a quick computerized water analysis). Make adjustments as needed.
3. For chlorinated pools, apply a double dosage of a chlorinating shock product such as BioGuard’s Burn Out3® or Smart Shock®. Circulate pool for 24 hours. Monitor the chlorine level for the next 24 hours to ensure you can maintain a 1 – 3ppm level. Add chlorinating shock as needed to maintain levels. If Mineral Springs or Salt is applied in the pool, check those levels and add as necessary.
4. If using a non-chlorine, biguanide system such as BioGuard’s SoftSwim®, add both sanitizer and a double dosage of the shock product. Circulate pool for 24 hours. Monitor sanitizer level (holding 40ppm) and shock levels (maintaining 40ppm – 60ppm) for 24 hours. Add products as needed to maintain proper levels.
5. After water is balanced and sanitizer levels are stable, you can resume use of the pool.