So how does a chlorine generator work? Pool water moves through the electrified chlorine generator. By this process, the salt in the water is turned into simple chlorine. The chlorinated water returns to the pool and prevents algae, kills bacteria, and all the other things you’d expect chlorine to do. As the chlorine is working to keep your pool clean, it is being transformed back into salt. It is, ultimately, a perfect system—the chlorine generator turns salt into chlorine, which turns back into salt and is then sent back through the chlorine generator.
The salt system is a closed system. The salt is never consumed; it is simply changed. So, when the chlorine is transformed back into salt, there is the same amount of salt as there was when it started. Because of this, the salt rarely needs to be replenished. If your pool overflows or you backwash your filter, you will lose some salt. In normal use, though, you should only need to add salt once or twice a year.

The Pentair IntelliChlor is our personal favorite chlorine generator. It is easy to use, with simple push-button operation. Easy-to-read displays allow you to quickly see salt levels, cell cleanliness, sanitizer output, and water flow. An automatic shut-off feature protects the unit and prolongs cell life in low water temperature conditions. It cycles regularly to prevent calcium and scale build-up, maximizing cell life. It also has the ability to communicate with your Pentair automation system.
Whether you’re looking for a good investment for your swimming pool, for a way to decrease your maintenance costs, or simply for a way to decrease your maintenance time, a chlorine generator is a great idea!

Every day – but especially on this day (Thanksgiving) we are reminded to express our gratitude. Let’s make it habit every day – and if we sometimes forget, that’s okay too. Just remember to each and every chance you get – and that will change the world!

To patch your liner, you should purchase a repair kit (Shop Now) with a special vinyl underwater adhesive and piece of vinyl. If you have your original liner leftovers, perhaps the section that was cut out for the step, you can use this so the pattern will match. Sometimes you can contact a pool company who may have vinyl samples on hand from the manufacturer and be able to share this with you. If you are looking for a specific pattern in Michigan and your liner is a Kafko or TVP pattern, check with us, we may be able to help.

Once you get the kit, follow the directions. This typically includes making sure the area you are patching is clear of debris, cutting the vinyl into a circle to fit (circles have less edges and corners that can be lifted or disturbed once the patch is applied. It is a good shape to use for your patch, no matter what the shape of the hole or tear may be.) Then you will close the adhesive sides together on the patch by folding it in half. This will allow you to put the patch underwater and minimize the water that will displace the adhesive on the patch. Lower the patch to the section begin repaired, open the patch and immediately schmuck it onto the spot. Yes, I said schmuck, which may be the most technical pool term that you hear all day. In all seriousness, an alternative word would be put, as in put the patch on the spot. Hold it in place for a few seconds and you should be able to let it go, the patch staying where it is, and your hole or tear being repaired.

Some homeowners would like to lower the water level in their pool before patching a vinyl liner. This may be good in some cases, however, we don’t normally recommend it. As a liner ages, it becomes less flexible, more brittle, and is harder to work with. Depending on the age of the liner you are repairing, if you remove the water from the pool, the liner could become very sensitive to everything, and the stress of the stretching or ability to stretch can cause stress tears. Once those start in an older liner, you will have to replace the liner.

Another issue that can come from taking the water out of your pool is that the water pressure from the water in the pool can become less than the ground water pressure surrounding your pool and the liner can float. This will need to be professionally reset in most cases, if it is even possible short of replacing your liner.

If your pool was constructed with wood walls, it is also not a good idea to remove the water from your pool. Current vinyl liner construction practices are to use steel walls, with deck braces and deck supports that help to keep the walls in place, with or without water holding them. This may not be the case with your wooden walled pool, so when in doubt, leave it to the professionals to make that determination.

If you have additional questions about vinyl liner pools, repairs, tears, and leak detection, you can browse more articles here, or call with a question where we can troubleshoot quickly with you.

Your water could look like this if your cover has a hole while it's winterized

If you live in a seasonal climate where a swimming pool is only open for the summer months, sometimes a pool will not be opened for a summer for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the homeowner is traveling, away from the home for extended periods, or the pool just won’t get much use. Other times it may be too much time, money or hassle for an owner to open the pool, though they still want to make sure it is in good operating condition in the future. Here are a few tips for your Michigan Swimming Pool if you choose not to to open it for a season or more.

• Check the cover. Depending on what type you have, either the plastic with waterbags or the safety cover, you will have different issues. Check the plastic cover for holes and tears as well as make sure all of your waterbags are solid. If you have this type of cover on your pool, the water on top of the cover may become dirty with algae, leaves, debris and more. You may want to hire a pool company to drain the cover for you, and check the pool over while they are there. If the dirty water passes through your cover due to a pin hole, large hole, or a cover that falls in, your water underneath can become contaminated and cause staining and algae growth.  *You can use a pump to pump the cover off yourself, but be very careful. An unknowing homeowner has been known to pump out too much water, not realizing there was a hole in the cover. This can lead to MAJOR problems with vinyl liners floating, or fiberglass or gunite pools not having enough water in them to counter hydrostatic pressure in the ground.
• For pools with a safety cover, check the water underneath about 2x per season, and add chlorine if it seems like the water quality is diminished. You can also pump water off the top of the cover if needed. Sometimes, if a pool will be closed for more than one summer, you may want to pump some of the water out of the pool to make room for more. It may be a good idea to hire a professional to do this with you.
• Look over the equipment and make sure nothing looks broken or cracked.
• Add some chlorine and algaecide underneath your cover to the pool. Liquid chlorine can be added underneath a corner of the cover – make sure you know the proper amount to add. A vinyl liner can become bleached with too much chlorine, though staining and scale can occur with not enough. You can use granular shock or chlorine with a gunite (concrete) pool, and with fiberglass. You don’t want to use granular with a liner pool because if the chlorine settles to the bottom before it dissolves, it can cause bleaching and spots in the liner.
• You can also add algaecide, and even a product called a Winter Pill to inhibit stain and scale from forming.
  
• Pay attention to your yard and watch for any signs of water in the yard, areas that look suspicious, or anything that concerns you. A quick service call from your favorite service company can also put your concerns to rest and ensure when you do open the pool next it is ready to go.

If you are in need of a pump replacement or troubleshooting appointment, let us know. We are happy to help!

Recommended Products

Pentair WhisperFlo

The Pentair WhisperFlo is one of our favorite pumps. It’s a high performance pump that suits any pool. State-of-the-art parts work together to move water more efficiently than any other high performance pump. From a convenience standpoint, the oversized strainer basket extends the amount of time between cleanings and the lid is transparent and easy to remove, making inspection and cleaning simple and quick.

Pentair SuperFlo

Pentair’s SuperFlo is quiet, efficient and very versatile. It’s perfect for just about any pool. It moves water more efficiently for a lower cost thanks to innovative hydraulic engineering. SuperFlo will keep your pool clean and healthy without sending your energy bill soaring.

Hayward Super Pump

The Hayward Super Pump is built to provide you with years of service without the hassle. It was designed to produce more overall flow while using less electricity, giving you great service without the high costs. Its casing design cancels out most of the noise, making it one of the quietest pumps you’ll find.

If you’re new to the swimming pool world, you might be wondering what you’ll need to get started with your pool. What chemicals should you have on hand? What equipment will you need? Walking into or clicking around in a pool store, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of products you can choose. The list of things you’ll need on a regular basis, though, is pretty manageable. Here’s a basic list of supplies you should keep around:

• Vac head: There are two main types of vac heads; one for vinyl liner pools and one for gunite pools. You’ll use the vac head (attached to a pole and hose) to keep your pool clean and free of debris.
• Vac hose: The vac hose attaches to the vac head and provides the suction needed to actually vacuum your swimming pool.
• Pole: The adjustable-length pole attaches to your vac head, brush, and leaf skimmer interchangeably.  It is extendable to accommodate different pool depths and allow you to reach all areas of your pool without trouble.
• Brush: Attach the brush head to your pole to brush the sides of your pool and keep them clean.
• Leaf skimmer: The leaf skimmer attaches to the pole, as well, and allows you to skim leaves and debris (and bugs…gross!) from the surface of your pool.
• Test strips: Test strips will help you keep your water levels in check–they’ll tell you the levels of chlorine, pH and total alkalinity. This will let you know what chemicals you need to add to keep your pool clean, safe and swimmable.
• Stabilizer: Stabilizer is a chemical that helps prevent chlorine dissipation due to sunlight. Intense sunlight can make it hard to maintain proper chlorine levels, so if your swimming pool is in direct sunlight you may need to use a stabilizer.
• Alkalinity Plus: Alkalinity+ raises the total alkalinity of your pool. Alkalinity that is too low can cause your pH levels to fluctuate excessively.
• Calcium Plus: Calcium+ increases water hardness to prevent foaming, equipment corrosion, and scaling.
• pH Plus: pH+ raises the pH level of your pool water. The proper range will allow your sanitizer to work more effectively, reduce equipment corrosion, reduce eye irritation and reduce skin dryness.
• pH Minus: pH- lowers the pH of your pool water. It’s important to keep your water in the proper pH range (7.2-7.8) to optimize system performance, reduce corrosion and reduce eye and skin irritation.
• Algaecide: This non-foaming algaecide controls and prevents all types of pool algae.

You can find all these supplies and more when you shop with the pool guy: Shop Now

A major industry manufacturer has sold its decades-old pool and spa pump motors division.

Milwaukee-based A.O. Smith, which had been in the motors business for approximately 60 years, completed the sale to Regal Beloit Corp. in late August.

Read the rest of the article here.

Liner Job 2011 done by Pietila Pools Services

Here’s a before photo. Notice how the only option into the pool was to jump, or to use the ladder on the right hand side.

Swimming Pool Liner Replacement by Pietila Pools Services - The Before

Then look at the new steps going into this pool:

Swimming Pool Liner Replacement by Pietila Pools Services and the New Poured Concrete Steps

Swimming Pool Liner Replacement by Pietila Pools Services and the Liner during Installation

The steps were set first and screwed into place with rod pockets built into the back of the vinyl liner material. Then the rest of the liner was put into place per normal liner installation methods. The finished product looks great! (A PRail was installed at the middle of the shallow end to allow a hand rail/grab rail for bathers entering the pool.)

Liner Job 2011 done by Pietila Pools Services

This homeowner is a very satisfied customer. It’s funny…they had been used to looking at the same faded, really light blue almost white liner for so many years, they didn’t expect the pool to turn out so pretty with the new liner. Well it did! We would never let you settle for anything less than exceptional!

Should I vac my swimming pool before closing?

Why, yes, you should! Or, hire us to do it for you! Our crews do routine cleaning on a pool closing appointment. The exception is if you’ve recently had an entire tree’s worth of leaves fall into your pool. That would require a bit of extra time and attention, which you can do, or we can for a service fee…you do not want to leave leaves in the pool to decompose over the winter. Even if the chlorine helps to break them down, sometimes if a leaf settles to the bottom you will have a reminder brown, orange, or green spot the next year to remind you that a little vac in the fall would have made a difference. We do have remedies if this does accidentally happen to you. In the spring we can acid was a gunite pool. In a vinyl pool sometimes chlorine helps to do the trick of removing a stain, and there are special organic additives that you can add to your water to chemically treat your pool (you can find some of them here: Shop Now)

We are happy to consult on stains in your pool, now or later. Let’s address them sooner than later however. We don’t want them to become any more of a problem than they already are.

When in doubt: Ask the Pool Guy