# Swimming Pool



## Paul&Kate (Nov 16, 2014)

Hi,

We complete on our home in Pinoso area in a few weeks and I would really appreciate any advice and guidance on pool care. We have never had a pool so any advice on regular care and getting it ready after the winter would be a great help.

Also any suggestions as to where I can get all the chemicals etc.

Thankyou


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Paul&Kate said:


> Hi,
> 
> We complete on our home in Pinoso area in a few weeks and I would really appreciate any advice and guidance on pool care. We have never had a pool so any advice on regular care and getting it ready after the winter would be a great help.
> 
> ...


Well, I look after our pool with help and advice from this Forum and occasionally our gardener so it surely isn't rocket science. There are a couple of threads with very helpful advice, much of it in reply to my dumb questions.

You can get the chemicals from most supermarkets as well as ferreterias and special pool stores and garden centres. You need chlorine, algicide and maybe that stuff that help dirt coagulate, can't remember what it's called. I get a massive container of liquid chlorine from our ferreteria which lasts most of the summer and is very cheap compared to granules or tablets.

You can get a maintenance company to look after it for you but around here the charge is 100 euros or so a month.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Paul&Kate said:


> Hi,
> 
> We complete on our home in Pinoso area in a few weeks and I would really appreciate any advice and guidance on pool care. We have never had a pool so any advice on regular care and getting it ready after the winter would be a great help.
> 
> ...


Hi Paul and Kate 

Congratulations on buying your new home in Pinoso !

Basic pool maintenance

1 , add chlorine tablets regularly to the skimmers .
2 , dont let the water level fall below the skimmers or the pump will suck in air 
3 , vacuum weekly then back wash the filter
4 , if the pool is exrta dirty at the bottom , vacuum the pool to waste ( you will loose water but will save the filter getting clogged )


There are other things you can do , if the water gets cloudy , a chemical can be added that binds the dirt together and makes it sink to the bottom , then you can vacuum it to waste .

Some people seem to make a real science of it , but I think its just basic common scene.

Any way looks like the weather is warming up , its beautiful here in Alicante today, so you should get plenty of use out of your pool over the summer 

Enjoy it !!

Tony Agost Alicante


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Paul&Kate said:


> Hi,
> 
> We complete on our home in Pinoso area in a few weeks and I would really appreciate any advice and guidance on pool care. We have never had a pool so any advice on regular care and getting it ready after the winter would be a great help.
> 
> ...


The stuff that makes dirt stick together is called floculante. Comes as liquid or granules.


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## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

Hi Have a read of this I found it very helpful when I first started taking care of my pool. Also check out the prices of the chemicals especially Chlorine tablets I tend to use the 5 in one. These can vary in our local supermarket (Mecerdonna) and many pool shops there around 25-30 e for 5 kg tub in our paint shop and local ferriteria its only 18e for the same tub.

http://www.mypoolguru.com/my-pool-guru/welcome-to-mypoolguru.html


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

tonymar said:


> Hi Paul and Kate
> 
> Congratulations on buying your new home in Pinoso !
> 
> ...




I agree with the above.

Regarding point 1 - I would use 4 in 1 tablets so that there should be little need for other chemicals. Liquid chlorine is a good bet to raise the pH after a heavy rain or similar - we get ours from the local co-op.

I would never put the tablets in the skimmers - here the concentrated chemicals drain into the pump and filter and do more damage than good. Far better to use a 'floater' to keep them in.


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## Paul&Kate (Nov 16, 2014)

Thanks for you advice, we really appreciate your help


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> The stuff that makes dirt stick together is called floculante. Comes as liquid or granules.


I have read in the swimming pool care column, that flocculante tablets in the skimmers are much better than liquid or tablets, you don't get the mess on the floor of the pool to hoover up.
Also 5 in 1 tablets are not a good idea, apparently
For one thing how can there be sufficient of the main ingredients, chlorine, algicida and flocculante In each tablet to do much good, plus these tablets can stain the bottom of the pool.
Far better to use pure chlorine tablets, then algicida and flocculante as required.
However, if your pool is sparkly, doing what you do, just do it!


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## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

Ive always found the 5 in one fine and just add some algicide at the beginning of the season and flocculante tablets every so often. All via the skimmer, touch wood never had a problem and a nice sparkling pool. I have a friend that had nothing but trouble with the 5 in one switched to 4 in one and fine now.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

snikpoh said:


> I agree with the above.
> 
> Regarding point 1 - I would use 4 in 1 tablets so that there should be little need for other chemicals. Liquid chlorine is a good bet to raise the pH after a heavy rain or similar - we get ours from the local co-op.
> 
> I would never put the tablets in the skimmers - here the concentrated chemicals drain into the pump and filter and do more damage than good. Far better to use a 'floater' to keep them in.


Hi Snikpoh

I guess every one has their own take , on pool maintenance, I must admit I have never seen a pump or filter failure due to concentrated chemicals.

Have changed many in the past , but none with that particular problem , have seen ageing of white plastic parts of the skimmers , but not sure if that is totally down to chemicals as sometimes the worst looking parts are above the water level so could be down to the sun ?

My friend swears by the liquid chlorine and he cleans pool professionally . he said its great for getting a green pool back to blue !


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

extranjero said:


> I have read in the swimming pool care column, that flocculante tablets in the skimmers are much better than liquid or tablets, you don't get the mess on the floor of the pool to hoover up.
> Also 5 in 1 tablets are not a good idea, apparently
> For one thing how can there be sufficient of the main ingredients, chlorine, algicida and flocculante In each tablet to do much good, plus these tablets can stain the bottom of the pool.
> Far better to use pure chlorine tablets, then algicida and flocculante as required.
> However, if your pool is sparkly, doing what you do, just do it!


I don't use the four or five in one. I use each separately with the required dosage.
Ferreteria is much better VFM than suemarkets or pool shops, at least that's the case with our village ferretaria or ferret shop, as we call it.


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## theiere (Mar 24, 2015)

Dear Paul & Kate,
The pool basics are easy but you should learn correctly first, if you then choose to do what ever that's up to you.
A decent water chemical tester should be on your shopping list, dip strips give an indication but are not very accurate, 5 drop liquid testers (OTO) are ok for pH but not any use for chlorine levels, accurate readings give a clear picture of the pools condition and will save you many euros on wasted chemicals and heart ache, sleepless nights etc.

Chlorine tablets contain chlorine and cyanuric acid chlorine stabiliser to protect the chlorine from being burned up too quickly by the sun. Then there are multi actions which also have anything from flocculent to algaecide in them. The algaecide is copper sulphate in the little blue flecks. If your pool has a vinyl liner it's ok but if you have a tiled or plaster finish best not to use them as the copper can build up and stain the surface.

Once the cyanuric acid (CYA) stabiliser has reached 30-50ppm (parts per million) then stop using them and switch to another type of chlorine, liquid is good but be careful with pool chemicals. Calcium hypochlorite doesn't contain stabiliser but does add more calcium so could be bad if you have hard water already.

Don't put chlorine tablets in the skimmer unless you are running the pump continuously, one is they dissolve too quickly as they are designed to go in floating dispensers. The other is when the pump is off the tablets are very acidic so the acid attacks plastic from the skimmer to the pipe work and the pump internals.

Algaecide isn't really much good, it is sold to millions and the first port of call when a pool turns green but chlorine is the fastest algae killer and cheaper than algaecide. Algaecide can kill algae if it's copper based but the staining issue can be a problem as stated earlier.

It's important to keep the pH of the water in the correct region 7.2-7.6 this makes the water comfortable for our eyes and is a band where chlorine works well. Chlorine is less effective at high pH. for this you need to add an acid (pH-) to lower the figure or pH+ (soda ash) to increase the pH.

Flocculents are often not needed if the rest of the system is working well but they are a good idea as they get the fine particles to cling together so they can be filtered out rather than passing through. The issue is the pool industry, they don't know how to use flocculent to maximum effectiveness. If you get the fine particles to join up (flocs) you won't then want those delicate flocs to go through the pump as it will smash them all up and return the fine particles back to the pool, some may make it but done correctly you would use bout 20% of the flocculent normally used. Sprinkling into the pool doesn't do much either as they have to be rapidly mixed with the water to work properly.


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## pnwheels (Mar 3, 2013)

Thanks theiere, a most useful post!


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