Swimming Pool Blog - Tips, Care, and Installation

If you add a salt system to an above ground or inground pool it should not void the warranty however some pool manufacturers may elect to not cover damage caused by misuse of a salt system by excluding it’s use in their written warranty. If you test the water of an older pool that has been using chlorine for many years you will find a slight salt level in the water. If you add a salt system to the pool’s equipment the slightly salinated water then passes through the electrolytic cell to produce chlorinated water, which prevents algae and purifies the pool. As the chlorinated water kills bacteria and burns up it converts back to salinated water and the process starts over again. If the salt system setting is turned up to high it could produce a very high level of chlorine which could cause corrosion. If you test your pool chemicals on a weekly basis and maintain a 1.0-3.0 chlorine level and pH level of 7.4-7.6 corrosion will not be a problem for your pool.

Different settings and their uses on your sand filter:

A sand filter uses a multi-port valve to operate the filter which removes dirt, algae and visible contaminants that enter a swimming pool. You must operate the filter system at least eight to twelve hours per day in order to remove wastes effectively.

The functions are as follows:

Filter: Use for normal filtration or vacuuming the pool.

Backwash: Is used to clean filter sand. Turn pump off, set multi-port valve to backwash, restart pump for several minutes or until site glass shows clear water. Then rinse filter.(see Rinse below).

Rinse: To clean water inside filter tank. Turn pump off, set multi-port valve to rinse, restart pump and run clean water through the  system for one minute. This process should also be done every time filter sand is added or replaced.

Waste: Use for vacuuming heavy concentrations of dirt directly to waste. This action bypasses the filter bed. It also can be used to lower the water level or drain the pool to the bottom of the skimmer.

Closed: Use for shutting off the flow to the filter and pool. Make sure your pump is off when using this function.

Winter: Used when closing a pool in areas especially where water can freeze. Be sure to remove all drain plugs from pump and filter system. Winter plugs can be stored in pump basket for safe keeping until spring. Pump and filter must be completely drained as expanding water can cause damage and is not covered under warranty

Re-circulate: Use for bypassing the filter tank. It is useful during extended periods away from the pool. This function permits automatic chlorinating systems to maintain proper chlorine levels while eliminating concern over pressure build-up in the filter. This also works well if your sand filter tank is leaking or has cracked.

Building Codes & Permits. Advance knowledge concerning State and Local Swimming Pool Codes will prevent fines and work stoppage orders. Most ordinances vary considerably from one community to another and nothing should be assumed or implied. It may be necessary for the homeowner / pool builder to present dig specs and engineering specs to the local building department. You should also obtain a copy of the local swimming pool code for your area. Be sure that you understand all code requirements directly and indirectly associated with your swimming pool. Take special note of sewer, drainage, fencing, lot line, power lines, fire, and electrical requirements. Obtain the required permits before starting your swimming pool installation.

Utilities Required
 Water - for construction and filling of pool
 Electrical - for temporary supply during construction and a permanent supply for the pump and pool lighting
 Sewer - for adequate drainage
 Fuel for heater - Natural Gas or Propane

Selecting the Pool Site. Obstructions must be considered before selecting a final pool site. These could include underground wires, gas lines, septic tanks, dry-well systems, plumbing, trees, and overhead power lines. Underground obstruction and utilities should be located before excavation begins. Utility companies will usually locate underground pipes and cables that are located on your property for no charge to you. If various obstructions are unavoidable, a compromise must be reached, keep in mind labor and material costs of moving or replacing obstructions. Choose an avenue of least resistance for the sake of practicality and economy.

Sun and Shade can be an important factor when determining the pool site. Excessive shaded areas from trees and other buildings could result in uncomfortable swimming conditions during marginal weather months. In addition, it could considerably increase heating costs. Excessive sun can be unbearable during excessively hot periods. Proper pool orientation will take advantage of sunny days for comfortable swimming condition and decrease heating costs.

Existing Landscape Removal. The subject of tree removal is dependent on individual preference. The decision should be made on the amount of landscape to be sacrificed for a low maintenance pool. Still, it should be noted that a certain amount of removal might be tolerated without disturbing the natural atmosphere of the backyard. This can be done by careful use of planters, shrubs, and flowers. Of course, remove any trees and shrubs located directly inside the pool layout. When it becomes necessary to remove trees, the entire root system should be excavated. This prevents any possibility of settling of pool walls, sand / vermiculite pool bottom, or the surrounding concrete deck. An effective method of preventing continued root growth is to apply copper sulphate to the root system.

Ease of Excavation. Try to locate the pool to provide the best access and most ideal working conditions. Placing the pool a few feet one way or the other, may permit improved excavation conditions, easier dirt removal and concrete placement.

Convenient Access to changing facilities and house exits also requires some thought. Supervision of the swimming area from inside the house through windows should also be considered. As you select your pool site, make a rough layout where you think the pool should be located. Then consider decking and walk way by staking out their approximate positions.

The location of the pool in relation to other buildings should be both an aesthetic and practical consideration. Some alternatives to be considered are whether the pool should be laid out parallel, perpendicular, of at a 45-degree angle to an existing house or building, or a building line, hedgerow, fence or another dominant object.

Advanced Knowledge of Unknown Subsoil Conditions can be helpful in determining the placement of the pool. It is advisable under certain circumstances to probe the sub-grade by boring a series of test holes. The results would suggest the best position and grade of the pool. Problems such as a rocky substrate, high water table, excessive clay, should be located before construction. They can be simply eliminated by moving the pool, thus keeping the construction process as smooth and economical as possible.

Check the Selected Location for Grade or Elevation of the Pool. The pool walls must rest on undisturbed soil. Keep the top surface of the pool (pool deck) at least three to four (3-4) inches above highest grade in the area. This will avoid any surface drainage back into the pool. Other terms used to describe the top of the pool coping are pool grade, final elevation or “top surface.”

The Equipment Location. The following points should be included in your considerations:

1. Locate filter on a concrete slab. Be sure to make the slab large enough for all equipment, usually 3’ X 4’ or 3’ X 7’ with a heater. Also, consider at this time whether an enclosure will be built over the equipment and plan the slab size accordingly.
2. Keep the filter within 20’ of the pool to maintain optimum pump performance.
3. If possible never locate the filter and pump more than six inches above or six inches below pool grade. Otherwise, pump priming or overflow problems may result.
4. Never locate the filter and pump in a basement. The possibility does exist that a malfunction in plumbing could flood the basement.
5. Consider where the backwash water will drain. Is there adequate drainage? Check for local codes requiring special methods to dispose backwash water.
6. Location of the filter is also important from an aesthetic point of view. When making the rough layout of the pool, visualize placement of the filter and plan for future landscaping or enclosures. Out of sight of the immediate pool area is preferred.

These are my hypothetical plans for adding a swimming pool in my backyard. However, because of power lines going across my entire yard, I cannot put in a pool at this house. The drawing I have provided is not to scale and would need to be adjusted so the pool placement meets all Code rules.

Using Royal Swimming Pools, Inc. easy to use check out form, I chose the following for my pool kit:

16′ x 38′ Lazy-L Pool Kit   (Hand-curve: Right)

• Pool Type:                    Steel-foam_2R
• Brace System:              Adjustable_A-Frame
• Coping:                      Cantilever-forms-steps
• Shallow End Steps:      8-Gray_Sit-n-Steps
• Deep End Entry:          Bench-Lounger
• Pump System:             1-5hp_Hayward
• Filter System:               sand-filter
• Skimmer System:         1skm-2md-3ret
• Maintenance Kit:        Aqua Rite Salt-Plus
• Accent Lights:             perimeter-fiber-optic-step
• Diving Board:              6-stand
• Pool Slide:                   G-Force
• Chemicals:                  Start-up
• Step Location:            Center-end
• Pool Depth:                Standard-8ft
• Non Stock Liner:          Hampshire-28
• I would also like to add a Heater to the swimming pool, maybe in the future.

When choosing a swimming pool shape and size, I considered:

• HOW BIG MY BACKYARD IS
  I didn’t want to use my entire available space for the swimming pool because I wanted our dog and children to be able to run around in the backyard.
  
• THE SHAPE OF MY BACKYARD
  The Lazy-L allows us to get a little bit more pool in our yard without taking up too much more space.
  
• THE BEST USE MY FAMILY CAN GET
  Having a family of four, two members being children, the shallow end of the Lazy-L allows for our youngest, he is still a baby, to play. There is plenty of space in the deep end for our oldest, who is seven, to dive in and splash around.
  
• CURRENT ITEMS IN MY BACKYARD
  I allowed the dog house and patio furniture to have enough distance away from the swimming pool.
  
• FUTURE POTENTIAL HOMEBUYERS
  (for when we want to sell our house)
  What will future potential home buyers think of our swimming pool selection? Will they think it fits nicely in the backyard?

Cantilever coping comes two ways

Option 1: Cantilever for bricks or stones

Option 2: Cantilever with foam forms for concrete

With both options you can just install over the pool or pool and step. If you choice to install over the pool and step make sure the step is a cantilever step. If you choose the cantilever with foam forms you will need to complete the concrete deck before installing the vinyl liner because the form will connect in the liner track until the concrete completely dries and then remove the forms. Don’t throw the forms away because they are reusable. When choosing the cantilever for bricks or stones option you can install the liner first.

TOP 10 REASONS TO GET A POOL

10.  Simple Maintenance - When you take care of your pool on a regular basis, like taking care of your lawn, pool maintenance is quick and easy.

9.  More Desirable – Adding a swimming pool to you yard will increase the number of interested buyers when it comes time to sell your home.

8.  The Talk of The Town – Your family, friends, and neighbors will be impressed with how great your backyard looks with a swimming pool.

7.  Fun – Swimming pools are very fun and enjoyable.

6.  Party – Having a swimming pool makes having a party or social gathering more enjoyable whether you are in the swimming pool or just looking at it.

5.  Time Flies – Adding a swimming pool to your family’s activities will help fill those long, hot summer days.

4.  Refreshment – On those hot summer days, your family will be cooled and refreshed in the swimming pool.

3.  Accomplishment – If you build the swimming pool yourself, you will be proud of the great job you did to make your backyard more enjoyable.

2.  Exercise – It will get your family and friends off the couch for some fun exercise.

1.  Relaxation – Swimming Pools are very relaxing to sit beside as the sun goes down or even at night!

Two new above ground pool kits have been added to our website. They are both Mighty Sun Pools. The first above ground swimming pool kit is the Belize, it is available in 48″ or 52″ walls. It has 6″ top seats and offers a 25 year warranty. The Belize is available in 8 different pool sizes. The second above ground pool kit is the Zanzibar which has a 54″ wall height.  The Zanzibar has a 50 year warranty with an 8″ resin coated top seat. It has 11 different sizes to choose from.

I was recently asked if termites can damage a vinyl liner in a swimming pool. It doesn’t happen very often, but yes termites can eat through a swimming pool liner. We assume that they gravitate toward the dampness in the ground. Termites can create small pin-like holes in the swimming pool liner, usually starting just above the waterline on your in-ground swimming pool, on an above-ground pool the damage usually starts in the cove area. If your swimming pool liner has suspected termite damage, you can try pulling the vinyl swimming pool liner away from the pool wall to see if you can see any noticeable termite trails or tunnels.

You may try contacting a local pest control company to see if they can treat your yard for termites, or you can put down a layer of  plastic underneath the swimming pool liner.

  We have added a full line of new inground and above ground robotic pool cleaners to our website. Brands include Aquabot, Aqua Max, Dolphin, Dolphin commercial, Jetmax commercial, Nitro, Pentair, and Hayward TigerShark for inground swimming pools. For above ground swimming pool we have added four robotic pool cleaners the Pool Rover, Pool Rover Junior, Dolphin Robo-Kleen and the RoboKleen Plus. We added the smart ring drain cover that prevents the robotic cleaner from getting stuck on the main drains. We also added a universal carry caddy to transport almost any inground robotic pool cleaner or above ground robotic pool cleaner. We will add the brand new Polaris 9300 Sport coming spring 2010.

Robotic Swimming Pool Cleaner

Foam Pad

Yes, because Gorilla Pad provides the liner protection from stones, roots or other debris that could damage and cause a leak. Gorilla Pad, Happy Bottom and Foam Pad also gives the Above Ground Pool Liner some extra cushioning, lessens the occurrence of foot prints in the sand under the pad and also can lengthen the liners life. There are many different types of padding on the market today some of the common is Foam Pad, Gorilla Pad and Happy Bottom just to name a few. They all have there benefits what makes them different? Foam pad and Happy Bottom have been used for many years and vary in size, however they will need to be cut and taped to fit your pool. Gorilla Pad is made to the shape and size of your pool so the installation is quick and easy especially for the do-it-yourself jobs.  Whichever padding you choose to use we still recommend using sand as your base. Foam Cove helps cushion the liner from the pool’s sidewall and will also help with heat loss. You can use sand for your cove however the cove is quicker and easier to use and may provide better liner protection.