Poolguy

Goo Rat Thanks for the question The Stickon borders are not a permenant solution but they will make the liner look well for a few more years. Its down to the quality of the adhesive, but the problem is that most liners are 75/100 weight and the borders are a very stiff 150/100 and so they do not behave the same way with expansion and contraction or going around corners. The Ceramic will give more life but a more than twice the price and more difficult to install. I have made some more progress with the solvent for the Suntan cream stains... what I need is to get more information about the particular creams, so if any suffering pool owners could PM me with the brand of cream which is causing the problem then I can get some more progress. Problem is I can get the stain off but the solvent I found most effective is so nasty I would not bring it any where near a pool. I need to get something more targeted so I need to contact the technical section of the manufacturers to get thier help. Andrew

Simon You were not specific on what Auto Doser you have. (using vlaves or pumps to inject. Certainly, I prefer to use Sulpuric acid exclusively, the reason for that: is safer because there are little or no fumes(nasty) Also because it is also purer- there is a lot of residue in hydrochloric acid, the processing is very cheap as is the price. and because if you have certain types of injection then the residue from the hydrochloric can build up and create a blockage, its just another problem to watch for which can be avoided by using a better quality of acid. If there is any choice for you I would suggest either stick to Sulphuric acid, or use sodium bisulphate(dissolved and strained), and only as a last resort or for emergencies then Hydrochloric acid(heavily diluted say 5:1). All that being said, there is little chemical reason why hydrochloric cannot be used except that it seem to be more copatable with salt electrolysers and actually helps the production of chlorine, but you will have no difficulty to manage the pH using this product. At the same time, make sure that you keep your Total Alkalynity and Calcium hardness under control other wise the whole system will go a little mental. Contact me if you need any help or for any supply difficulties (chemical and/or testers.) Andrew

Yes its a toughie...   My recommendation would be first to contact a structural engineer to give you a recommendation on the excavation and retention issues. And then a Pool builder to put a pool in it... with that slope an infinity pool (dissappearing edge) would look nice.   Contact me if I can help you   Andrew

Ali No your not doing anything wrong, you should keep up your regime but I fear that, as a consequence of the persistant rain that you cyanuric acid levels have dropped or dropped out altogether. In which case you will need to check the levels and top up if required. Alternatively if its too high then chlorine is being blocked so you will need to dilute. I am presuming that you have not put anything other than javel and chlor lent in the water in the last year. Have you? Contact me directly if you are unsure or need more help. Andrew

Yes I have to concur with my friends above who either choose an aspiration robot that Mickey sugested - cheap and good. or an electric robot which is dearer but goes everywhere and doesn't need any plumbing. Steer clear with all your strength from the Polaris range (or any other brand using a pressure line) which, even though very popular will give no end of trouble - its not the polaris robot itself but rather the system concept of a pressure line that is the problem. I have a long list of clients who have suffered un reasonably from owning a polaris and the remedy is usally more than the cost of the entire system again. I'll help you if I can Andrew

I have made some progress but the news is not particularly good ads the only solvent so far able to even make an impression on the Yellow also takes the colour from the PVC, so I now have to go to the manufacturer of the Sun Lotion in Quistion for a technical bunfight, and assuming that they will divulge the substance in question then we might be able to target the pigment only and leave the PVC alone.   All of the does not auger well for water quality, as the solvents which are successful are particularly nasty and I not for domestic use, they definately cannot get any in the water. But at the moment I can get the Bright yellow down to a faint shadow. Andrew

Currently it is the Gendarmes who are responsible for checking the compliance of swimming pool security. I have heard confirmed reports of checks made throughout Dordogne and Lot but not any other departments There has be unconfirmed reports of 3 prosecutions in the Lot. We are checking this information and trying to get an overview of the situation with respect to Official opinion on the Law but its hard as there is no one agency responsible and those that are involved are not really that enthusiastic about the job. Andrew

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha I just love this stuff........... Its better than the tele anyway   a chuckle for bedtime. Thanks guys Andrew

Londoneye Thanks for your contact. I am sure with that water level drop that you do not have a leak. 1-2 cm per week is normal and I would expect to see up to 5 cm if there is a heavy bather load. An enhancment to the 'bucket trick' is the place the buck on the steps of the pool submerged so the rim is at the water level, weigh the bucket down with a brick (or two) and then wait. If the two water levels are the same, inside and outside the bucket then it is conclusive and your resident 'mole' can hang up his magnifying glass- there is definately no leak. If there is a vast difference then you have more testing to do before you get into a flap. If suggest you then contact me for more technical help and about Auto dosing and control. Andrew

Chocolate Sorry that I cannot be of more help to you, but good luck in your endeavours anyway and good season.   Andrew

[quote user="Chocolate"]Thank you for the replies and especially to Poolguy. The advice he gives to all freely is much valued. However, I was looking for a closer supplier than one in the Charante Maritime if possible. Is zeolite specially imported and/or only sold by Poolguy's company? It sounds just like a generic substance and hopefully should be available from a number of sources. A 'pool' shop? A specialist grit or gravel supplier? A builder's merchants ( just like building sand or cement) ?  Information from a non-customer of Poolguy (my apologies Poolguy. Nothing personal) who lives in the Midi Pyranees  would be helpful. Many thanks in advance. [/quote] I do not take your post personally Chocolate but you must know that I do find it bizzare that you are happy to read, benefit from my advise and improvment options (which is given freely) but not contact me because I live in another department. I thought it may also help you to know that ZEL EAU is my own brand and I am the importer (into europe) from a mineral deposit in the outback of Australia - as its a prticualy high grade of Zeolite. There are some other people marketing the same mineral sourced from different places, but there is no comparison in the quality and consequently the results and I believe that the price is higher. I do have distributors throughout France and other countries and the closest one to you is in the Aude. So if you would like him to offer you service then I propose that you send me your details so that it may be passed on. Or I can ship it to you directly as I do for people across France. I fear that you will wait a long time for a someone else to post on the subject having used another supplier, as none of the places you list, including France's impressive collection of 'Pool Shops' with their so called 'experts' will have ever heard of it much less be able to source it. If they can chances are that it will be from me anyway. Its up to you.If I can help then I will. Andrew My thanks to Mikey and JJ for their endorsements and help also... thanks chaps.

Quillian There are some fundamental errors in your methodology, I am sorry to say that If youare aciting on the advice of your 'Professional' guest then all I can say is that I don't agree at all. Pools such as yours and Sharksters are no more difficult to manage than a bigger, below ground pool, having said that, they are no easier or cheaper to run either just because the structure is cheaper - vis its the same body of water and the same regimes are required. Hence, If you want to learn what are the cheapest, healthiest and easiest methods to manage a pool then contact me via PM and I will help you. Andrew

[quote user="Chocolate"]We are unsure of the age of the sand in our filter so we think that next year we should change it. It looks as if zeolite could be a sensible option according to the posts we have read on this site.   What have other people asked for, (zeolite presumably?), in what type of suppliers do we get it and what is the probable cost please?  We prefer to support local businesses if possible. [/quote] Chocolate Send me you email address, phone number and pics of your filter with the spec lable clearly visiable so that I can estimate the quality of zeolite for your filter or conversly multiply the sand content by 60% and thats the amount you will need in Kg.  I'll help you with all the other info you need including an information sheet. You're in luck, as I am a Local business. Andrew

Thanks Mickey for your kind words once again, glad that the 'monster' is doing it job well. Londoneye If you PM me your details I'll give you all the data you need on Water testing using Scuba + reactive photometer and Auto Dosing systems. Andrew  

Londoneye Do not despair!! There are safer and simplier ways to sanitise your pool. What you ask...? Well I've been talking about it for ages, Direct injection with Liquid Chlorine (sodium hypochloride(javel)) and pH moins (sulphiric acid)- these are the most basic, least toxic and by far the cheapest water treatment chemicals to be found on the market today. There is nothing really for you to do as the computer does it for you, and might I say much better, as it is continually test to 1 part per billion (very very small) and the control is very accurate. Those who have it, talk of release from toil and confidence, and a result that cannot be matched by other systems. However there are some little things to remember, and I urge caution to all, avoid systems which use peristaltic pumps to inject the liquids as they are unsafe in my opinion. For if one of the feed tubes were to come off (not uncommon) with these systems then the pump will distribute javel or acid or both around the pump room with very expensive consequences. I prefer and recommend to anyone who is considering this option that systems which employ vacuum to inject the liquids be prefered as this is perfectly safe from the above problem. If you have been using treatments like the Copper oxide in the Waterair offer, then it is imperative to a comprehensive test of the water to determine the saturation levels of these and other counpounds in order to decide what to do about returing to a clean water system. The same applies to hydrogen peroxide, ozone, UV, bromine or salt. In many cases (but by no means all) a complete change of water is required . If you need some specific help on this then PM me. Andrew

Yes David and Jim I'll email you directly about the waterline borders.   Andrew

Auxadrets Thanks for your excellent and informative post. Certainly I am not familiar with the waterair product - Easypool 2 but if it contains Copper oxides as you say, then I would council pool owners to use a great deal of caution using this product especially for long periods unless a comprehensive testing regime is in place to track the build up of copper. Its not only very hard to control the water quality but also, as you say highly toxic to humans in high concentrations. It can be evidenced by black for brown spots appearing on the liner that do not appear to respond to choc treatment or scrubbing.The only way to remove it is to use sequestering agents or to renew the water. But caution again - for it is against the law to evecuate that contaminated water into the environment. Stabilizer (cyanuric acid) is safe for humans up to a limit of about 50ppm which is the health department recommendation, above that and you are running into difficulties again and as has been reported above the only remedy is to dilute by renewing water in the pool. But some stabilizer is essential to fix the chlorine in the water (as the name suggests), against UV light burning off. All of these levels are easily controlable by an accurate tester such as the Cool Pool tester or the Scuba Plus. On the use of Calcium hyprochloite, as I understand it, there is no real effective stabilzer, and so like Bromine is most suitable for indoor pool where UV is less of a problem. In addition I would be cautous about using it in areas of hard water as the water is already loaded with Calcuim and will therefore be hard to keep free for scale, especilly if the pool owner employs a heat pump or a salt eletrolyzer. These devices are particularly prone to problems as a result of the build up of scale. For the upper limit I understand that 10ppm is about the maximum acceptable but I fear that might be hard to maintain in an out door pool. That being said, it would therefore not be a problem but in fact a benefit in areas with particulaly soft water.   Andrew  

Londoneye   If your doing it yourself then it might be OK to do that - use a dry 'lean' mix but I would NEVER do that. The difference is that I cannot afford to take the chance that ground will move or settle and therefor create a crack or a ridge in the terrace. Hence, we would always make a raft slab with structural concrete on a compact base, then use resin glue (colle) to stick the tiles and the joints. For in our experience this is the oly way to guarantee that there will be no problems in the future. Anything less and your in the hands of the Gods I fear.   Andrew

Yes Its true In general you can bet on a relatively lack luster performance from heating systems unless you have a cover on your pool - a good one. That means a little more than the bubble covers that are popular but really provide minimal insulation -as the heat loss will be quite marked over the night especially if there is any wind about. I am not surprise to hear of 4+ degrees of heat loss I would have expected more and there will certainly be more as nighttime temperature decend during September, and onward. This is especially tragic if your pouring electricilty into heating the pool during the day only to loose it again through the night. The Floating security cover contains 24mm (thichness) of air which is trapped inside the plastic extrusion. This provides very good insulation which is bettered only by the abri which will give that and better as it shelters the wind off the water all through the day and night. Hence by way of recommendation, I would always recommend to pool owners that before you consider any sort of heathing solution, whether its a heat pump or a solar system that you should invest in a pool cover with good insulation properties, and in the process gain a compliant security device as a benefit. Andrew

Yes A few of my clients have recently experienced the same problem with Yellow deposits from tanning lotion and its really hard to shift with our biodegradable cleaner. So we are running some tests to find out what this new breed of non-soluble tanning lotion is  and how to shift it without destroying water quality - as its really a menace.  Yellow lines... yuk Stay with us and we'll be back on this one.   Andrew  

Sharkster You have not been specific concerninfg the pool you have. I am guessing that it is a small blow up pool which you bought from a Brico or some such place. You may not be surprised to find out that the requirments for keeping you pool water clean are the same as the person who paid 100k for their inground watery wonder only you only have a less than basic kit at your disposal to do so. Hence, if you want to protecty your family and maintain clean weater for them to enjoy their summer then you will have to invest some mony in a system that will clean the water. The supermarket system just do not cut it and they never will no matter how much chemistry you introduce. If you need specific help then PM me and I'll do my best.   Andrew

Do you still need help with your leaking sand filter. I live not too far from your and I will help if I can. PLease send Pic of the filter and your address and Phone number if you want help. Andrew

[quote user="Domp80"]Ok - apologies everyone. I am of course more than happy to hear other people's experiences and thoughts but I am hoping the Poolguy can help too. We have been looking after a salt pool for 18 months and have experienced many different problems.  This one is bugging us though ..... The pool hasn't been generating enough chlorine for some time. As a result we have (several times) given the chlorine cellule a thorough clean, after which the chlorine generation seems to pick up for several days but then slows or halts again after that. We have enough salt (have tested) so I am happy to make the assumption that we need a new cellule (well - not that happy because I gather they are expensive!). Now the problem - - I have rung Bio Pool who are the makers of the electrolyse de sel but they have advised me that I cannot buy direct from them (needs to go through a pool supplier). I have spoken to our local-ish Desjoyaux who are not helpful as whilst the piscine is Dejoyaux, the various elements (pump etc) are various makes. In addition, I am wondering once I get the cellule, how I fit it as there are of course various wires involved. Pleeeeeeease can you help ? For info we are in the North (80). Clare.[/quote]   I thought that this was an old thread, tht had been answered a while ago. Clare  do you still need some help. Andrew          

Simon The answer to your question is Yes you should condition your pool to 50ppm level of cyanuric acid and maintain that level always and no more in order that the Chlorine will be resistant to UV burnoff. Although I would have thought that the person you bought the Dosing controller off would have told you that or it would have been in the instructions as it is a basic part of the startup to 'condition' the water. One point of warning on the unit you have bought which uses peristaltic pumps to inject these liquids (javel, acid) - both these liquids are extremely corrosive and somewhat dangerous,  so watch and check that your feed tubes are always in good condition and secure, for if they come off for any reason then you will have these chemicals all over your pump room and hence all the equipment will rust out within days. For this very reason, I do not favour peristaltic pumps for this purpose but rather vacuum valves, for if the same thing happens then all of the chemicals will stay harmlessly in the bidon. All Pool Controllers are not the same but they are all better than salt electrolysers. Andrew

Hi Hibou Yes if you email me with your address then I will send you a PDF Its quite simple and will take you about 1 hour, depending on the size of your filter. Most who have made the change will swear by it and never go back to sand. Andrew