Common Mistakes That Swimming Pool Owners Make

As a pool owner there is much to learn about and take in - which is why new pool owners are often very overwhelmed at first. While there is much to learn, there is also much that has been learned on your behalf so that you don't need to redesign the wheel of pool care yourself. Some of the subjects below are hard lessons that pool owners tend to learn - maybe by reading these you can hope to avoid some of these pitfalls!





Be Sure To Balance Your Pool & Cover It For The Winter













Check. What next, boss?







Inspect The Pool For Damage & Make Repairs As Needed



"I just want to get one more season out of it"



When your pool needs repairs, or when major integral components have reached the end of their service life, you need to attend to these items. Not having a budget set aside for pool repairs simply does not matter to the pool. If there is any deficiency in the pool you can count on that something much more expensive is sustaining damage while you save your pennies for a much needed pool repair. If you had a Bentley worth $100,000 would you ignore worn out brake components and drive it anyway until you can afford brakes? No, certainly not. If you did you would end up paying far more in repairs than what you would have if you just attended to the problem in a timely fashion...is any of this getting through? Hello, anybody home? Think McFly...think!





Stop Wasting Money On Energy Hog Pool Pumps



Speaking of back to the future why not update that Super Pump from 1987? If your pool pump requires a direct strike from lightning in order to energize the start capacitor you need to get the flux back to the future and buy a variable speed pump. If you enjoy such pastimes as "not pissing your money away" - and also "making poor financial choices in light of overwhelming scientific data" is one of your turn-offs, then you too might also enjoy the vast cost saving benefits that a variable speed pump can provide.





If you want to learn more about how a variable speed pool pump will cost between $4000 to $5000 less than a single speed pump you should read this article: 9 Items that every pool needs (maybe 8, because one is an alligator) and also these variable speed pool pumps reviews. If you want proof of the numbers then read this article that breaks down exactly how much money you will save over a seven year service life based on a real-world operation schedule and actual electrical rates from across the USA (and Canada): How much money variable speed pumps save.













Be Careful Around The Pool At All Times



We can't all repel water like Chuck Norris, or walk on water like our Lord and Savior, Chuck Norris, so you should take great care around your swimming pool at all times. Pool parties, like your bad self, are fabulous...but drinking around the pool can lead to all sorts of disasters so limit drinking and swimming activities and never bring glass into your pool. Even around the edge of the pool glass is a liability because if you break one good luck finding it all in your pool. Oh wait, there's a piece right there next to that growing cloud of bloody water!



In addition to having only plastic cups at your pool party and limiting drunk antics in the pool, you might want to throw some shock into the water at the end of the night. A pool party is going to introduce a crap-ton (2.5 stank-loads) of bacteria and organic debris into the pool, and substantially more if you are freaky. Give the pool a strong dose of non-chlorine shock, chlorine, or turn up your salt water generation cell to 100% (super chlorinate) for the night to cook those baddies right out of the water! By shutting down the bacteria before it has a chance to overcome your free chlorine count and multiply in the water you can save yourself from waking up to green pool water.







Learn How To Balance Your Pool Water



If you don't know how to properly balance the water in your pool it is going to end up costing you a lot of time, money, headaches and frustration. The reality is that you do not need to be a science geek to learn how to balance pool water - you just need a few basic tools to help get the job done correctly. The first and foremost of these is a high quality water test kit as well as find a water lab or local pool store where you can have your water professionally tested. It is not possible to test water by eye, and test strips while convenient lack the ability to test pH with much degree of accuracy so having a FAS - DPD test kit is a must have for every pool owner. If you want to increase your ability to adjust the chemicals and balance the water in your pool then consider spending ten minutes on the swimming pool water chemistry crash course. If you want to increase your ability to adjust the chemicals in your girlfriend then consider spending ten minutes on doing sit-ups.







Be Careful About Who You Take Pool Advice From



Don't listen to your neighbor Lawrence. Lawrence is an idiot. Everyone has an opinion when it comes to swimming pools and how to care for and maintain them. As a pool owner, and ultimately the person responsible for paying the bills when something goes wrong, you need to be very selective about who you take your swimming pool advice from. Mixing and matching bits of pool care tips from multiple sources is a sure way to find yourself having long term pool problems. It is important to take the time to find sources that you trust for learning how to care for your pool and learn to ignore ignorant, however well meaning, advice from Lawrence. If you would prefer an online resource as opposed to finding a pool store that you can work with in person, you can use the Swimming Pool Steve Pool Resources or another popular online resource for DIY pool owners is the Trouble Free Pool Forums







You Get What You Pay For In The Pool Industry



In the pool industry, more so than many other industries, you will get what you pay for. This is true for both swimming pool equipment as well as swimming pool workers. Since there is very little government regulation, licensing, inspections or perquisite qualifications in order to call yourself a pool builder in most areas in Canada and the U.S. this means that pool owners need to be careful about what (or who) they spend their money on. If you bought the cheapest new car on the market, at least it would still meet minimum safety, efficiency and quality standards established by a government regulatory commission.



If you buy the cheapest pool on the market there is literally no bounds as to how crappy and backwards your pool can end up being. If your pool builder can not spell quality or define longevity maybe you should consider some of the more expensive bids. Any person can give you a bid to work on your pool, whether they actually have the ability to do a good job or not, and you will have no way of knowing until it is too late. Ask for references and proof of licensing, liability insurance and previous projects similar to what you are hiring for. A legitimate company can provide that information to you almost instantly where someone less skilled or experienced will have trouble producing these additional references.





New Pools Owner Starter Guide



Swimming Pool Blog



How A Variable Speed Pump Saves You Money

















If you want to continue learning about pools and spas from an industry expert follow swimming pool Steve on acebook , and youtube or contact him through his Ontario Canada based contracting company at 1-888-818-7665











