Swimming Pool Blog - Tips, Care, and Installation

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.

When looking for qualified swimming pool help, whether it be for building your swimming pool or for swimming pool maintenance we have a few suggestions. 

We advise not rushing to choose a pool builder or maintenance company, if you know someone who has a swimming pool already, ask them about the companies they have used. We also recommend doing the following:

-check your local yellow pages

-call several companies to find out their prices, qualifications, and licenses

-check with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) you want to find a company that has a good rating with the BBB.

-after your research is done you might want to meet with a couple of different companies to see how knowledgeable the staff is

Building and maintaining a swimming pool is an important task for having years of family fun, and Royal Swimming Pools wants it to be enjoyable experience for you.

I have asked real estate agents that I have met in the past about the value of a pool with a house. I generally get the same answer. You will not get all your money back on a pool. But recently I have been watching a show on HGTV called Bang for your Buck. This show focuses on 3 houses in the same area with the same budget and the same type of renovation. In every episode, they get less than what they spent on the renovation. That being said, you will get some money back for what you spent on your pool and landscaping.

 I watch design shows frequently, especially ones that involve staging your home before selling it. I seldom see houses that are for sale that have pools so there is not much information on TV that relates to ’staging’ your pool or spa. I noted that some of the tips for making the inside of your home buyer ready can translate to the outdoor spaces also.

• The advice most given in staging your home is to get rid of clutter. Inside the house go ahead and pack up books, family photos and collections. Less is more. For the backyard, you will want to store pool toys, floats and inflatables.  Also, get rid of any left over boards or pavers that you didn’t use. If you don’t already have a storage unit for items that you aren’t using for inside the house, consider asking friends or family to store them for you.
• Like inside the house, take care of any unfinished project. Broken hinges on gates, loose boards, prune trees or shrubs.
• Clutter gone and projects finished it is now time to clean. Inside the house you will be waxing floors or having carpets cleaned that are in good condition. If the carpets have bad stains and is worn, you may want to consider replacing the carpet before putting on the market. Yes, it is an added expense, but you do not want to lose a potential buyer because the house is not move in ready. In the backyard, you will want to pressure wash your concrete deck, vinyl siding or stain a wooden deck. For vinyl liner pools, replacing the liner is a good idea if it shows wear or if it has white spots from over chlorination.
• Now it is time to stage. If you have patio furniture, add cushions and dress the table as if you were having friends over for lunch. Complete with place settings and a nice size candle in a hurricane lamp. You don’t have to spend much to get the buyers attention. Add an outdoor rug underneath and you have created the perception of an extended living area and extra square footage! Plant bright colored flowers in your beds and consider adding hanging plants, such as ferns to give the area a more tropical feel.
• Time for the open house! Just as you might set a bottle of wine & 2 glasses at a bistro table inside the house, carry that theme to the outside. Nothing is more inviting than a pitcher of lemonade on a warm day!

Remember to keep the house and the yard clean until that perfect buyer comes along!

First complete the steps for your pool kit assembly up to the liner installation step. You may need to install some of the top rails for stability of the pool wall, especially on a windy day. Next use the plastic coping strips to hold the overlap liner in place. The JBD liner has the plastic coping strip made into the liner so you will skip the next step of these instructions for a JBD liner.  Use this link for the UBD liner instructions.

For flat bottom pools and up to 5′ deep in the middle pools, measure 6″ to 12″ of liner to overlap the top of the pool wall. Cutting a piece of coping works great for measuring the liner evenly around the pool. For 6′ deep on one side pools, the liner will overlap more on the shallow end of the pool than on the deeper end of the pool.

Reinstall the pool top rails as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Then insert a shop-vac hose into the skimmer opening approximately 2′ down toward the bottom. The suction opening of the hose will be 6″ to 12″ above the cove area. Turn on the shop-vac watching the liner closely. All the air will begin to be sucked out from between the liner and the pool wall after the shop-vac runs a few minutes. If the liner is too loose you will have wrinkles in the liner. If the liner is too tight there will be too much space between the liner and the pool wall. If necessary turn off the shop-vac and make adjustments to the liner by removing the top rail and increasing or decreasing the liner overlap as needed. DO NOT ADD WATER UNTIL THE LINER FITS PROPERLY. Make sure the shop-vac hose is not too close to the sand cove because the vac will suck out the sand pool cove. Begin filling the pool with the shop-vac running. Do not turn off the shop-vac until the entire pool floor is covered with water.

Use this link for replacement above ground pool liners.

Now that your pool is closed for the winter here is a list of do’s and don’ts that will help make spring opening quick and easy.

Do pump excessive water off the winter cover. Excessive water on the cover can cause damage to the cover or can cause the cover to fall into the pool.

Don’t pump off all the water. Leave 1-3 inches of water on the cover to protect the cover from wind damage.

Do check the pool water level. Excessive rain can affect the pool level. Draining water from the cover can also drain water from the pool.

Don’t leave leaves on the cover. Use a deep leaf net to remove leaves from the cover.

Don’t move sheets of ice. Shifting ice can damage your pool liner. If the pool is properly winterized it will not be damaged from frozen water in the pool.

Do check pool chemicals early spring. Maintaining proper chlorine and algaecide levels will help keep your water crystal clear especially in warmer climates.