Poolguy

Piddy This is probably the hottest part of the year (with the exception of this weekend which isn't). This means that chlorine is evaporating from your pool water at the highest rate. Getting your pool water balanced should be a daily or every other day style exercise when in use. However if its not in use and covered then the rate of 'consumption' of chlorine is far less. I do not recommend however that you 'stock up' on tablets as this will not help you. The extra chlorine will evaporate along with the regular dose leaving you with next to nothing at the end. (green pool). But that's not the worst of it - you have added extra doses of cyanuric acid (stabiliser) to your water which will not disperse and eventually leave you with pool water which cannot support active chlorine even though the total chlorine levels might be normal.(disaster) You need to add chlorine gradually 'as needs', so failing any other method being available, ask a voisin to add another tablet after about 6 days if its really hot or 10 days if its overcast and cooler. (and repeat) Naturally if you can show your voisin how to test for chlorine and ph that would be better. He/she can then add if its low and leave it if its normal. These are very crude estimations and do not represent best practice, but rather a 'getting by' type of idea. By far the better plan is to install an automatic chlorine/ph controller and your pool water will be free of stabiliser and further you will always have hygienic water whether you are there or not. Andrew

Hello Happy Retired People (Thanks for the thumbs up Mickey) Certainly I will help you as much as I can, certainly I'm in the same department so it shouldn't be difficult. It sounds to me like you have dome a lot (some) research already and if you have a number of quotes you are aware of some of the systems on offer. I could understand if you have arrived at planet 'confusion' in the solar system 'indecision' after reading some of the claims made by manufacturers and installers. I like to keep things as simple as possible - by simple I mean easy. Is anything in the pool business easy? Well it can be but you do have to make some definite choices. You have asked some rather open ended questions and the answers and subsequent debate could go on for a time here as they have done in the past (see previous threads). However, one question that can be 'nailed' quite quickly is the 'look after the pool when I'm not here' question. I have to say the answer is an automatic pool controller (chlorine/ph) along with a robotic vac and a good security cover. With this combination, long periods of unattendence, winterising, summerising, intensive use, hot weather, cold weather, none of these matter at all as the system is smart enough to cope, and more accurate and reliable than any maintenance man/woman. If I can help you with specific question feel free to email or PM, I am here to help and if you want me to call out, then I will and have done for other members. Andrew

Hi Piddy Yes there are two answers that occur to me amongst the multitude of possibilities. The first and best is to install and Automatic chlorinator/ph controller. Then you can go away for as long as you like or as often as you like without a thought for the health of the pool. The second, and I am presuming that you are unable to engage someone to look after it in the usual way, is to put it in a mini hibernation. That is, pool cover on, chlorine and PH topped up, pump on 2hr in the morning and 2 hours at night. Hope that the water balance can cope. The later is going to be a 50/50 bet that you'll get caught with a green pool on the return. However, I have seen some ideas for time release of chlorine tabs for those who cannot be in attendance. On of the simplest ideas was a medium bucket with a very small hole in it floating in the pool. Inside the bucket is a chlorine tab or two perched up around the top. The bucket naturally sank over a period of a week and released its precious load. I like the first solution best. Where are you incidentally. Perhaps I can help you more. Andrew

What sort of quantity are you looking for? Just one load or a regular delivery of how much and what type? Prices will vary but generally speaking is cheaper.   Variety available is far greater I would say.   Andrew

Hi Fran Sorry to be a bit picky, but are you sure its ANFOR complaint. I only say because I observe from their website that: The alarm must be removed when winterising the pool, otherwise this will void the warrantee.The alarm has an On Off switchI cannot see where the alarm is solidly fixed to the pool.None of these features would be acceptable under the standard. Unless I have got it wrong, or there are European versions where the have different features there it seems a little strange to me. Andrew  

Fantine You problem is not unusual. Balancing the water chemistry depends upon a lot of factors. Without a thorough test of all the parameters its difficult to be precise about the cause of the problem. Its sure that your water is hard and requires acid dose to bring it back to neutral again, this is normal, but the amount you specify is strange. I wonder about the concentration of the acid you have been supplied. The solution might be very simple but without testing I would not like to speculate. I will be in Dordogne Wednesday to friday next week. If you want I could call in, test and give you an opinion. I don't think that the solution would take long or be difficult to find. Andrew

Paul I have sent you a PM I'll try to get to you next week.   Andrew

LePaul Where are you? If your on my route I can call in an give you a hand to get it working. I'm on the road a lot and cover a very wide area. Your problem is something very simple but you just have to be methodical and trace everything back to its source. Pools are not mysterious, but they can be frustrating at times. Let know here or PM and I'll help you if I can.   Andrew

Thanks for that Andy I certainly knew of the treatment regime for CCA having worked in the industry for 12 years. I've always referred to the process as vacuum/heat treatment as nearly all of the practitioners I have had dealings with use both to make the process faster. There are Autoclave ovens in use in many industries which do not use vacuum, hence my comment. But this is not useful to the poster who probably doesn't care about the difference. All of the element in CCA are naturally occurring in fact, there is trace elements of arsenic in our gardens and therefore sometimes in the water. Its the concentration which becomes scary. the same with Chromium and Copper.  In fact some of the pool clarification systems use copper and silver electrodes to sterilise the water - the E-clear system for example. Both of these are naturally occurring but you do not want even 1 ppm in the water. This system is banned in many Countries. I worry about this situation because there no way of telling their concentration easily without getting a expensive and sophisticated lab test. And there is no way of stopping its increase if the source is next to the pool. As you say Class 4 for semi submersible applications - not in my back yard (NIMBY). My comments were perhaps a little flippant I guess but I don't want to bring too much serious lowbrow to this thread which is already pretty bad news for some. Thanks again for your clarification and elaboration. Poolguy

Does it specifically state that the treatment excludes, Copper, chromium and arsenic? Autoclave means nothing other than its been heat treated to open the pours of the timber to accept more chemical. Class system ???? Who on earth knows what that might mean. Sounds like a comfort thing. There is no such thing as a little bit toxic. I'm sorry that no one is offering positive news but the product is genuinely really bad. Its as much as a warning to let you know the truth rather than 'she'll be right'. An later if there are incidence of stomach problems in people using the pool you might be able to find the cause a bit easier. Poolguy

I regret to say that I think that you have chosen poorly for the decking for your pool. I am presuming that you went to the Brico and purchase the green treated pine because it was cheaper than imported tropical hardwood. Well in my opinion you've wasted your money. The reason for my harsh words is that the treated pine contains Copper Chromium Arsenic (CCA) a treatment which has been around for ages but is now banned in many countries including the USA. Its especially nasty around pools. The reason is that when you get in a out of pools covering your deck with water it leeches out because of the aggressive nature of pool water. Traces of the CCA find there way into your pool and eventually build up to a level where they make people sick especially young children and those very sensitive. I cannot imagine why this is still available in France and why it does not carry a warning that it should never be used next to a pool. It a bad idea. What to do about it now that you've done it. I don't know, but if it were my pool I'd rip it up and start again with tropical hardwood. I am sure that will come as unwelcome advice just as the rest of this post is. Practically I guess that you might get something to seal it but look carefully at the ingredience. You already have a toxic cocktail you don't want to make a whole meal of it. I posted on this topic several times but it still happens. Andrew  

Liz I thought that this situation was solved. Obviously not. You need to email me direct and I'll work through the correct solution for you. As you have a paper filter there are few things that you should not do. Get in contact and we'll solve the problem. Andrew

Hi Gus & Judy How's the rennovations and the swimming pool coming along. Andrew

If you want a great car in near new condition with warrantee if you want you could buy in Germany. You can get nearly anything you want and you'll save a bundle. In your case I would suggest that Golf would be a terrific little car and the have more grunt than the citroen or peugeot, better quality all around. I have owned all three VW, citroen & peugeot and although I can attest that citroen diesel engine are nearly indestructible, their body is far from that and can fall apart in front of your eyes. The VW I now own is solid and very well made. The process is simple and You get to choose exactly what you want if you use an agent. I did it like that and I'm perfectly happy to recommend this man in Germany who will work in your interest alone. Let me know if you want more information. Andrew  

wilco a tout suite Andrew

This is naturally a common problem, that is nearly everyone who has a pool which get one eventually. The green colour comes from algae which is already present in the water beginning to flourish because of favourable conditions: warm temperature and high nutrients. The only way to remedy it is with a sanitiser which kills the algae. So begin with Chlorine 'Choc', this is same weather you have a salt or granular chlorinated pool. For a 10 x 5 mete pool use about a kg in your skimmer box for a bad infestation. Naturally you have to run your pump all day with the auto vac doing its thing to clear up the bottom and the walls. Back wash at the end of the day. Check the chlorine levels. If you getting green pool and still reading chlorine on the test then you are overdosed with cyanuric acid (stabiliser). It is cased by the commercial chorines which have stabiliser attached building up and building up until all of your Chlorine is 'locked' and none is active. In this case the only thing you can do dump as much water as you can replace to dilute the concentration. Once the concentration is down then your chlorine can begin to kill e-coli and algae. If your fed up with doing this all the time then you need an automated system  which will control it all for you. Let me know if I can help further, if you need specific analysis then send me a PM. Bon chance Andrew  

Poolgirl maybe we really are soul mates???? you can't fight the inevitable..... if its meant to be.   Poolguy

Hi pool girl (couldn't resist that one) Interesting question, but I'm afraid it raises more questions than answers. for instance, in order to determine the cost effectiveness of a pool extension we need to know: 1. what the pool is made of (if its anything other then concrete the answer will be:No) 2. What is the capacity of the pump and filter: they will probably have to be replaced with larger capacity unit. 3. What is the age of the pipework and configuration 4. Is there a liner or is it tiled. 5. I'm sure that there was a question 5? 6. How much do you want to spend? 7. Have you got a lot of money? 8. Do you have some sentimental attachment to your existing pool that would preclude say: its total destruction and a new one built from scratch? 9. Do you think that a pool which is 6 times larger than the one you have will meet your needs? With answers to these perhaps we can get closer to the proposition. But if you want a cheaper alternative a power current machine could give you some benefit, but it depends also on the answers above. Recently a poster proposed a bungy cord stretched across the pool which is attached to the waist which would give the same effect and of course it would be cheaper again. That's lateral thinking. I am not much help on this occasion but perhaps a second go might be more helpful. Andrew    

I suggest you power wash them: that is if your not in a department with water restrictions. If you do that you'll need a significant amount of power to make any impression. Alternativly you could lightly sand blast them. You need to remove the top 2-3mm whcih is oxidized timber to get back to freash timber. Then after its completely dry oil them to maintain colour and prevent insect attach and further oxidization. Andrew

What type of 'logs' would that be then?? I'm guessing the kind which come from trees and made out of wood.....no? Andrew

Lori Don't bother with the little one for 200 euro , its a toy and will not do your work. The correct model is 450 TTC plus delivery. Contact me if you need help. Richard Yes the independant powered ones do a good job but I'm not sure that its worth all of that money for the work it does... but as an owner/user I guess you are in a better position to decide.   Andrew

Mickey and Lori Yes the Hayward is sold here and if you PM your details I'll send information. Lori's experience is what I meant about the fact that the Hayward being very simple, is adequate. Getting fancy with a robot: like memorising the pool or self powered, or even being able to pick up a piece of debris the size of a tennis ball, none of this is useful in the long run and those facilities will invariably let you down in our experience. A robot is a maintenance tool, not a primary cleaner. That is, its meant to keep the pool clean once you have got most of the leaves and muck out yourself with the net. Operate it for a few hours each night should be enough to keep the pool clean, especially if you cover the pool at night. Nearly all of the vacs however, including the Hayward will work on uneven surfaces, sloping surfaces, but some are better than others at vertical surfaces. But the only muck there should be at the water mark from unfiltered oils and suntan lotion and the like. That's a manual thing with a sponge: I'm looking into what else can be done about that to reply to another thread but, in my experience, not much so long as the pool is full of water, (detergents are out of the question). Again thanks for the question and let me know if I can help. Andrew  

Yes We've test most of the brands on the market and have come to the conclusion that the Hayward ( one of the cheapest and american) is probably all that is required and perfectly adequate for the job. The other seem to contribute little more for hundreds perhaps thousands of euro. I hope that on this at least I can be of help. Andrew

And I am in total agreement with Richard as before... And have nothing further to add (despite scary big red letters) Andrew  

Pippa Thanks for the question. Most of the pools under construction at the moment are in departments without restrictions - no problem there. We've got one coming up in Charante Maratime which will be a challenge. We are at present negotiating with the prefecture to get permission to fill it. If that fails then its tankers I am afraid. But, as with all resourceful people, we will find a way. Its a quite desperate time for in the industry and for pool owners alike. The current intermittent rain is encouraging but there needs substantial falls for the restrictions to be lifted. Me thinks, not until October November. Meantime, do the best we can. Thanks for the question. Andrew