Tips to keep your summer pool safe and clean

SAN DIEGO (COUNTY NEWS CENTER) — The summer solstice, the first official day of summer, has arrived — which means it’s also the start of summer swimming pool season. So, it’s time to make sure if you have a pool that you’re doing everything you can to keep it safe and clean.

Safe because even though pools are fun, they can be dangerous places too. And clean so that none of your summer swimmers gets sick.

San Diego County’s Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has a few tips to help you do that. DEH doesn’t inspect homeowners’ private swimming pools. But it does inspect about 7,000 public pools and spas every year to make sure they’re safe and clean.

Here are 10 tips to help make sure your swimming season goes, well, swimmingly!

Stay Safe

1.    Watch the Kids! This is rule number one! Every year children get seriously hurt or even drown in residential pools all across the U.S. Whenever children are around the pool, or in it, always watch them. Remember that water wings, Styrofoam “noodles” and other toys are not safety devices and children wearing them should not be left unattended.

Teach your kids how to swim (and learn yourself if you don’t know how). If your house opens directly into a pool area, install a door alarm to alert you when a child opens it. If you don’t already have a fence between your house and pool, consider putting one up (Be sure to check local and state pool safety laws which may require certain features depending on when a pool is built or renovated). Kids wander around a lot and can find their way into the pool even if they’re out of sight for only a minute.

2.    Check the Fences: If you do have a fence and self-closing gate around your pool, make sure they’re safe. Check your fencing to make sure the spaces between each of its pickets and between the bottom rail and the ground are no more than 4 inches apart and that the fence is at least 5 feet tall so children and animals can’t squeeze through or climb over to get into an unattended pool. Keep bushes and outdoor furniture away from the gate to keep children or unwanted visitors from climbing on them to hop over your fence and into your pool.

3.    Make Sure Your Pool Drain Covers Are Visible And Intact: Let’s face it, if you can’t get a clear look at your pool’s drain covers, you won’t be able to see a distressed swimmer under the water or a person entrapped on a drain — and your pool water needs cleaning! If you can see the drain covers, make sure they’re not broken or chipped and remind children not to play near them so they can’t get sucked in and trapped.

4.    Have Two Pieces of Safety Equipment: Every pool should have two essential pieces of safety equipment: a life ring (life preserver) with a diameter of at least 17 inches that can be thrown to help struggling swimmers stay afloat, and a safety hook to pull people to safety. You should also consider keeping a phone at the pool while swimming so if you need to make an emergency call, you can do it quickly.

5.    Repair Any Damage to Decking, Equipment and Pool Area: Make sure pool ladders and pool railings are secure so people aren’t hurt when they rely on them to get in and out of the pool. Repair damage to decking to prevent people from tripping.

Keep it Clean

6.    Test Your Pool Water Routinely: Keeping your pool safe is more than protecting against drowning and physical accidents. You need to keep your pool water clean, too, so people don’t get sick swimming in dirty water.

Testing the chemical balance of the water in your pool is one of the most important things you can do to make sure it’s up to par. That’s because that balance — which keeps your water disinfected, clean and safe — can be easily thrown out of whack by heavy use, hot weather, rain and lots of other things. To keep your pool safe, test the chlorine and pH levels at least twice a week and daily if you can.

7.    Don’t Swim If You’re Sick: Chlorinating your pool only does so much. You need to keep germs out of the pool. Practice good hygiene. Don’t swim when you have diarrhea, which can introduce cryptosporidium, E.coli, norovirus and other germs into the water and make others sick for weeks. If there is an accident in your pool, be sure to clear the pool and follow guidelines for proper cleaning of the water. In the case of cryptosporidium, that typically requires hypochlorination — using extremely high levels of chlorine.

8.    Skim, Brush and Vacuum Your Pool Regularly: There’s a lot of stuff out there that can get into your pool. It will not only make your pool look like a mess, it could make it tougher for your chemicals to keep the water clean. Swimmers can carry in sunblock, oils and other items. There’s dust, sediment and leaves blowing in the air that can all make it a lot harder for your filtration system to keep things clean. So use a hand skimmer to clean your pool’s surface, brush the walls and vacuum its floor often. Don’t forget to remove any leaves and debris in the skimmer baskets.

9.    Keep Your Deck Clean: It only stands to reason — the less mess there is on the  deck surrounding your pool, the less stuff that can be blown or carried into it. A good sweeping will go a long way to keeping your pool looking pristine.

10. Keep your Pool Filter Clean: If you have a cartridge-based filter, make sure to check, clean or replace your filters when they’re dirty. If you’re using a sand filter, make sure to backwash and clean your filter screens when they need it.

Original Source: http://www.cbs8.com/story/38480999/tips-to-keep-your-summer-pool-safe-and-clean

Original Date: Jun 21 2018

 

Kenco Pools: How To Choose a swimming pool builder

When you decide to construct a swimming pool, you are probably making the second-largest purchase (next to your home) that you will ever make.

So, it makes sense to choose a pool builder that can provide you with the pool that you have always dreamed of. Here are just a few tips to help you get organized:

Look at pool-related websites, magazines and books to help you determine what kind of pool you want. A wide variety of pools is available — with an extensive assortment of features and a wide range of prices — but some will do a better job of meeting your needs than others.

Some of the different types of pools available include in-ground, above ground, poured concrete and masonry block pools and gunite pools. Pools that are built on the ground and stand out are aboveground pools. A stylish pool built into the ground that blends well with the backdrop of your landscape is the in-ground pool. Gunite pools can be found in different finishes — such as aggregate, tile, plaster and fiberglass. Masonry pools are similar to gunite, and they have walls made of concrete blocks.

Check to see if there is an experienced pool builder nearby who can construct your project. Kenco Pools of Marshall, for example, has been involved with many area pool projects.

Before you visit any pool builder that you are considering, find out if he has a web site so you can learn more about his capabilities.

After you have found a pool builder to consider, set up an appointment at his business to discuss your project plans. Ask how long the builder has been in business because it is a good idea to select an experienced contractor. You also should talk to employees at the office to see if they seem knowledgeable and professional. Ask the builder if he provides any services to help keep your pool in good shape after the sale — such as pool chemicals or water testing or cleaning services.

Get a list of the builder’s references and former clients. Call one or two clients in your area, and ask them how they feel about the pool-building process, both before and after the sale. You also should make arrangements, if possible, to see some of the pools constructed by all contractors you are interested in.

Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been turn in regarding the builder.

Make sure that any pool builder you are considering is properly insured.

Get pool quotes in writing from at least three to five pool companies. These companies should come to your home to give you the quote. You also should make sure that estimates are for the same design and materials.

Some contractors will propose changes for your project. You need to listen to a contractor’s suggestions because some of them could be beneficial to you.

While you should be concerned about the price, you shouldn’t make a decision to hire a contractor based solely on a low price. You also should make sure that you feel comfortable that the contractor can provide you with a high-quality project.

Read all written materials that are provided to you. Don’t sign any proposals or contracts until you are sure about the deal.

Beware of any swimming pool contractor who requires a substantial cash down payment up front.

Do not select a contractor on the basis of price alone. Make sure that you feel comfortable that any contractor you hire can provide you with a high-quality project.

Original source: https://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/kenco-pools-how-to-choose-a-swimming-pool-builder/article_2195fc4c-7384-11e8-abd5-9b16b2f5281c.html

Written By:  Caleb Brabham

Written Date:  Jun 30 2018

Is Your Pool ‘s Plaster Ready for Summer Fun?

Owning a home with an inground pool presents a unique challenge in itself in that you are responsible for all of its upkeep. It is far different from any other type of backyard pool that you might have had in the past. Unlike an above ground pool which has a plastic liner that actually holds the water inside, an in-ground pool is made of plaster, concrete or one-piece fiberglass.

 

The plaster surface is prepared is for the water to be added and the chemicals are added to be sure that it is ready to be opened up for the summers use. Even if the installation job was done perfectly there is always going to be a chance that damage will occur and there are several ways to determine if there is, in fact, a leak or superficial damage to the plaster on your pool.

 

What to look for when inspecting your pool?

 

There is actually a debate going on among pool owners regarding whether or not you should even have to regularly inspect the plaster or concrete surfaces of the inside of their pool. However, if you are one of those pool owners who regularly check your pool, do you know what you are looking for? Here are some things that you should consider paying close attention to:

 

Signs of delamination: Delamination is when layers of a composite material begin to separate which can cause a number of issues including water leaking out of your pool and looks terrible. Depending on where on the walls of the pool that you find them will depend on how much water you will have to drain.

 

Plaster Blisters: Finding bubbles or blisters in the plaster surface usually means that water got underneath the plaster layer that is applied over the concrete shell. These more than likely superficial and not a huge problem.

 

Deep cracks in the walls: Superficial cracks that only appear to be in the plaster can easily be covered over and water can be added back into the pool after letting it dry. However, if the cracks are deep enough and end up into the concrete shell underneath you will need to call in local professional.

 

Water seeping around the pool area: If you constantly are finding water in the area around the pool you might want to consult a pool professional.

 

How often should you inspect the pool?

 

There really is not any set in the stone schedule for how and when you should inspect all of the surfaces of your pool and all of the pool equipment. However, you should consider that your pool is a huge investment and major repairs and be extremely costly. So, if you were to set aside a few hours every year to give your pool an extensive look over in hopes to catch anything that is potentially problematic.

 

Learn more about Pound Pool Plastering and their numerous pool plastering options including: pool resurfacing, plaster surfacing, commercial pool plaster, residential pool plaster, plastering swimming pools, tiling swimming pools, coping swimming pools, and more at www.pound-pool-plastering.com.  To contact our pool plastering specialists call 248.476.4544 today.