swimming pool repair

Swimming Pool Equipment

How to Select the Best Pool PUMP – Buying Guide

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Without a pool pump, an algal bloom can overtake your pool in as little as a day. However, getting a quality pool water pump for your pool that’s reliable and effective isn’t rocket science. You just need to know a few basic things about how pumps work and how to choose one that can handle a pool as big as yours. The primary considerations are the size of the pump and its energy efficiency. This article will help you understand both.  The Anatomy of a Pool Pump A fuel pump’s job is to circulate the water in your pool through a filtration system. Pool pumps aren’t very complicated, but they rely primarily on three components. Those components include a motor, an impeller, and the housing. Every pool pump has an electric motor whose job is to power the impeller. The strength of the motor has a substantial impact on the pump’s functionality, but we’ll get to that a little further down the road. You can think of an impeller as the opposite of a propeller. Instead of pushing fluid away,  an impeller increases the inward flow of a fluid. Impellers can, and do, wear out or break, but they can be replaced so you won’t have to replace an entire swimming pool pump just over an impeller failure. Finally, the housing has a basket with a clear lid and pre-filters any large debris from the water before it enters the filtration system. The typical clear lid is there, so you can see when debris needs to be emptied out.   Features of a Pool Pump Now that you know what the parts are, you should know how they translate into performance. The first thing to figure out is the flow rate that you need, the amount of water over time that the pump can effectively move.  Flow Rate The entire water volume of your pool should circulate through the filtration system at least once per day. You can get away with a little less than that, but it’s a good rule of thumb. Pool pumps will typically be rated by the Gallons Per Minute (GPM) they can circulate. To calculate the GPM that you need, take your total pool volume in gallons and divide it by eight – since pool pumps run, on average, about eight hours a day. Then, divide that number by 60 minutes. So for a 20,000-gallon pool, you would divide by eight to get 2,500 gallons per hour and divide that by 60. So your ideal pool pump should circulate, at a minimum, 42 GPM. If you don’t know your pool’s total volume, you can use a pool volume chart or find an online pool pump size calculator. You don’t need to know the precise amount to the last microliter, a ballpark estimate will work fine.  Energy Efficiency The next step is to choose a pump that can efficiently move that volume. Fuel pumps can run for many hours every day. That can take a toll on your electrical bill over time, so it’s a good idea to buy a pump that is both sufficient and efficient. There is a direct link between how powerful a pump’s motor is and the pump’s efficiency. So, the more horsepower it has, the more energy it consumes.  That’s why it’s essential to find a pump that has an adequate flow rate for your pool without exceeding it by much. Pumps break down into categories based on how many speed settings they have. Single-Speed Pumps Using a motor with the right speed capabilities is an excellent way to improve efficiency. Single-speed motors are the most basic type, and they are, essentially, either on or off. If they’re running, they’re going at the full speed allowed by their horsepower. It’s worth noting that Florida energy laws require pool pumps exceeding one horsepower to have at least two speeds. In some states, such as California, prohibit the installation of single-speed pumps altogether.  Dual-Speed Pumps True to their name, dual-speed pumps have two-speed settings. At the high-speed setting, dual-speed pumps run at their max speed. On the low setting, they run at a fraction of the speed. The low setting is far more energy-efficient. So, most pool owners with dual-speed pumps run them on the low setting continuously or for a good portion of the time. When you’re scrubbing the pool, or during periods when the pool isn’t used very much at all, the high speed can bring the circulation up as needed. A dual-speed pump carries a slightly larger initial investment, but it makes up for it pretty quickly. Using a dual-speed pump will save you between 50 and 70% on energy costs as compared to a single-speed pump. A dual-speed pump is a step in the right direction, but you can do even better.  Variable-Speed Pumps Variable speed pumps are the upper echelon of pool pumps. They use a different type of swimming pools pumps motor altogether called a permanent magnet motor. This particular motor allows users to regulate the flow rate to the desired setting that matches their needs. Slower circulation is better overall as it tends to be more energy-efficient. In addition to being more energy-efficient, variable-speed pumps tend to run much quieter than their non-variable counterparts. They typically last longer since they’re digitally controlled to adjust the flow rate as needed. Compared to single-speed types, variable-speed pumps can use up to 90% less energy and significantly reduce their operating costs. Variable-speed pumps are more expensive than their single-speed counterparts, but the efficiency improvement means they pay for themselves quickly. Some people also advocate using these pumps because they can be set to run around the clock. Keeping a pump going all the time could result in cleaner water as it never allows algae to start forming. Tips to Increase Your Pool Pump’s Efficiency Even if you have the most efficient pool pump in the world, you’ll still need to do some basic maintenance on your pool. Think of

Repair Tips, Swimming Pool Repair

Swimming Pool Repair Tips

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Built correctly, a swimming pool will last a lifetime. However, it’s not uncommon for swimming pools to need minor, or even major, repairs frequently. If your pool shell is chipping, cracking, or fading, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll learn what kind of damage to a pool you can quickly fix yourself and how to do that. And, you’ll learn the types of renovation and swimming pool repair that is best left to the professionals.  Find the Damage First Before you roll up your sleeves, it’s a good idea to know exactly what you’re dealing with. If your pool water level is dropping, that could be a sign of a leak, or it could be simple evaporation. Florida gets intense sunlight over the summer. During especially dry and hot days, your pool might lose up to a quarter-inch of water to evaporation over 24 hours. A quick and easy way to see if you’re losing water due to a leak or evaporation is the so-called “bucket test.”  First, mark a waterline inside a bucket and on your pool. Fill the bucket with water from your pool up to the line you marked and let it float in the pool. Don’t use the pool for a few days, and then check the water lines. If the water in your pool and the bucket are both reduced the same amount from the marked lines, your pool has no leaks. If the pool water is significantly lower from the mark than the bucket, you’ve got a problem. If the water levels are extremely disparate, you should consider getting a professional opinion on how to proceed. Repairing Cracks in the Concrete Whether you have a leak or not, it’s a good idea to repair any cracks on the shell of your pool. Small cracks in the concrete usually aren’t alarming as the soil around the pool will naturally settle after it’s built. If the crack is longer than two feet and wider than about a quarter-inch, it can be repaired without much hassle. Otherwise, doing a quick fix might lead to bigger problems down the line. First, drain your pool to expose the crack. It’s a good idea to drain the entire pool if the crack needs extensive work as debris is likely to end up in the water. Then, widen the crack with a chisel or flathead screwdriver and use a wire brush to clean the surface of loose bits of concrete. Mix a patching compound with portland cement and work it onto the crack with a trowel. Make sure the area in and around the crack is damp so the concrete will adhere properly. Then, smooth it so it’s flush with the rest of the pool surface and coat it with a layer of epoxy paint so it’s indistinguishable. If pool crack repairs become a commonplace occurrence, even if they’re small. Repairing Vinyl Pool Liners A tear in the vinyl lining of an above-ground pool can result in its complete collapse. If your above-ground vinyl pool suffers damage, immediately drain the water from it at least to below the level of the damage. To be safe, you might want to drain it entirely. A quick fix if you’re dealing with an accident is duct tape. As soon as a tear happens, stick a piece of duct tape on it underwater and rub it in well. It won’t hold for long, but it will give you time to decide what to do. Then tear is three inches long or shorter, it can be repaired easily with a patch kit. Anything longer than that is risking it. Vinyl pool patching kits work a lot like a bicycle tire patch kit.  You’ll receive a piece of material to glue over the tear and an adhesive to do so. The best thing to do is work on a dry tear, but some kits can be used underwater as well. Follow the instructions on the kit for the best results. Patches aren’t a perfect fix, so make a habit of checking them frequently to see if a leak develops. It’s also worth considering if your vinyl liner is worth repairing. The lifespan of a pool liner depends on things like sun exposure and how well it’s taken care of. However, you can expect the typical liner to last about five to ten years. If your liner is older than that, and tears start to crop up, a complete replacement might be a better option. If you’re unsure about how to proceed, consult a professional in your area.  Repairing Plaster Coating Pool crack repairs sometimes don’t affect the concrete itself, but the plaster layer on top of it. The plaster layer will also degrade over time, creating a rough surface that’s unpleasant to the touch. It’s not uncommon to address small chips and cracks on the plaster. Eventually, though, your pool will need a new layer of plaster; somewhere around the seven- to ten-year mark. Patching small cracks is not a complicated process than it may seem. For larger swimming pool crack repair, you can use the same method described above for cracks in the concrete. Replace the portland cement with a plaster patching compound and once you work it into the crack, smooth it out with a wet sponge. There are also patching kits that allow you to work underwater. However, they should be reserved for small cracks.  Fiberglass Swimming Pool Repairs Fiberglass pools are usually a good investment, but they need recoating every so often to stay in good shape. If the surface gel coat is scratched or chipped, you can make a small repair fairly easily. Drain the pool entirely or up to the damaged area and use 200-grit sandpaper to smooth out the area that you want to recoat. Once it’s sanded, wipe the entire area around the damage clean with an acetone-soaked rag. This will prime it to receive a new layer of gel coat. Then, mix a

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