Introducing the BOAST System - pool water care made easy

Welcome to the world of pool ownership and thank you for choosing Blue Horizons as your water treatment products. Learning and understanding how your pool works will help you achieve water that looks inviting and is clean and comfortable for you, your family and your friends to enjoy.

Systemised approach to looking after your pool (BOAST system) or hot tub

It is not our intention to baffle you with complicated formulas or to use jargon but to introduce you to our simple BOAST system of continuous pool water care that will enable you to run your pool economically and successfully.

Rest assured that by using our BOAST programme, you will have pool water to boast about throughout the swimming season.

B Balance your pool water for bather comfort and maximum chemical efficiency

O Oxidise to establish a sanitiser level then weekly to destroy waste compounds

A Algae prevention, stop algae establishing themselves in your pool water

S Sanitise, maintain a constant sanitiser level to prevent and kill bacteria

T Test your water frequently, you really don’t know what the levels are without testing

The complete dosing cycle that includes Balancing, Oxidising, Algae Treatment, Sanitising and Testing.

Harvia Sauna Accessories

Our New Range of Harvia Sauna Accessories are now in stock . We have a complete range of Sauna buckets, sauna ladles, sauna heaters, sauna essences.

Intex Inflatables Now in Stock

The 2010 range of Intex Inflatable Loungers, Toys, Ride-On Inflatables are now in stock for the season. We also have a new range of Intex Above Ground Pool Accessories. Limited stock so be quick as they will not hang around.

Harvia Electric Sauna Heaters

2010 Harvia Electric Sauna Heaters now live on the website. Delta 36EE, Delta Combi, Topclass, Topclass Combi, Sound, Sound E and Trendi KIP now available. Other Sauna Heaters and accessories can also be found in the new Sauna and Steam section. Please contact us on 0117 230 9660 for more information.

Opening Your Swimming Pool for the Season

Preparing your Swimming Pool for Summer:

At the end of the winter and with the warmer weather starting, you will want to prepare your outdoor Swimming Pool for the season. There are some easy steps you can take to ensure your Swimming Pool is open the right way for the Pool Season.

Some of the things that you need to do prior to opening your pool:

• The first thing you must do is remove the cover. If there are leaves or other debris on the cover, use your leaf net to remove them.


• Then pump off any standing water if you have a solid cover. Note:if your cover has a hole in it, you will be pumping water out of your pool. This can lead to draining the pool if you do not watch for this.


• After removing the cover, be sure to clean it and let it dry and store for the season.


• You may need to add water, bringing the level up to its normal operating level.

Opening your Swimming Pool procedure:

• Remove any empty plastic containers from the pool, which were used to prevent frost damage during the winter and re-place skimmer basket and weir back in the skimmer (if removed for the winter).


• Re-connect plug at the bottom of the filter tank, pump with its drain plug, lid and basket, heater and its drain plug (if disconnected for the winter).


• Remove any freeze plugs and other items installed to protect against freezing.


• Now, start your filter system be sure to prime the pump and the correct valves have been opened before starting the motor. Be sure to purge all the air from the plumbing and equipment.


• Check for any leaks.


• You will want to remove any large debris with your leaf net, leaf rake or leaf eater that is found in the pool.
  
• Tile lines can be cleaned using Tile and Liner Cleaner.


• Any dirt, sand, algae or other small debris should be vacuumed to waste.


• After cleaning the pool, it's time to check the water chemistry. Test it thoroughly and add the necessary chemicals in the proper sequence.


• Add your algaecide at the recommended dose rate around the pool edge and circulate (KleenPool Longlife Algaecide can be used at a dose rate of 1 litre per 20,000 litres pool capacity) or use (Algimax Eliminator at a dose rate of 1 litre per 45,450 litre pool capacity).

Your Pool Levels should be:

• pH - Ideal range is: 7.2-7.6 using pH Minus or pH Plus.


• Total Alkalinity - Ideal range is: 80-150 mg/l (ppm) using TA Raiser.
  
• Calcium Hardness - Ideal range is: 200-300 mg/l (ppm) using Hardness Plus or Balance Pak 300.


• Sanitiser Free Chlorine - Ideal range is: 1-3 mg/l (ppm) using Stabilised Chlorine Granules.

Solving a Green Pool

by http://www.poolmarket.co.uk/

Once you have seen the way your pool looks when maintained properly, you’ll know that it should be sparkling, clear and blue. When the water is off-colour, a problem is lurking.
Check:
Is the water cloudy and green? This is caused by algae. When you see them, you will already have about 30 million algae per 32ml of water. Luckily we have treatments for all types of algae.
Solution:
Keep the filtration and circulation running continuously until the pool has cleared.
Remove all floating debris from the pool using a leaf net.
Check the skimmer and pump strainer baskets are clean and free of debris.
Brush pool walls and floor thoroughly to ensure that all matter is put into suspension.
Adjust the pH level to 7.2 – This will ensure that the sanitizer is working efficiently. If you need to adjust the pH, wait for 2 hours before moving to the next stage.
Shock dose the pool and wait a further 2 hours before moving to the next stage.
Add algaecide at the rate of 450ml per 45m3 (10,000 gallons). Wait 12 hours or overnight before moving to the next stage.
Check the free chlorine level and if it is below 3mg/l (ppm), repeat the above shock dose.
Thoroughly brush the pool walls and floor again.
If you have a sand filter then you can add some Jelly Clear Cubes to help the filter remove debris from the pool water.
Please check out our other guides for more help and advice for your swimming pool or spa or if you have any questions then feel free to contact us.



Tel: 0117 230 9660
sales@poolmarket.co.uk

Pool Chemical Functions

by http://www.poolmarket.co.uk/

Chlorine

Chlorine is a very efficient sanitizer. It not only kills bacteria it will break down organic material. Like most sanitizers though it is unstable. You should use chlorine that is bonded to another chemical to make it solid and easier to handle. When the solid dissolves in the water the chlorine breaks free and destroys bacteria. The chlorine gets used up as it destroys bacteria but it can also be burnt off by sunlight, so if you want it to stay longer in your pool this unstable chemical needs to be stabilized.
There are 3 main types of chlorine you can put in your home pool. The two most common types have chlorine bonded with Cyanuric acid. These are 'Granular Chlorine' and 'Trichlor Tablets'. The granules go straight in your water, the tablets go in a feeder or your skimmer basket.
The Cyanuric acid stabilizes the chlorine helping it stay in the pool and not be burnt off by the sun. But the chlorine will eventually go but the Cyanuric acid stays behind and each time you add these to the pool you add more and more cyanuric acid. So what? If it stabilizes the chlorine it must be good? Well, no, too much Cyanuric acid will 'over stabilize' your pool and the chlorine won’t be able to destroy bacteria properly. To lower the Cyanuric acid level you have to 'dilute' your water. Silly as the concept of diluting water may seem it is quite logical. You must remove some over stabilized water to rid yourself of the Cyanuric acid and top up with tap water. A well maintained pool rarely has this problem because its owner regularly gives the filter a good backwash thus taking out pool water and replacing it with tap water.
The other type of chlorine is un-stabilized. This is called shock treatment. But you do not want the high levels of chlorine to remain because you want to swim in the water later. Un-stabilized chlorine soon burns off leaving you with a clean pool and normal chlorine levels. The chlorine used in shock treatment is usually bonded to calcium and this does not cause excessive problems as a residue.
It is a good idea to 'shock' your pool every two weeks or so even if you may think it does not need it. Never use stabilized chlorine to 'shock' your pool - it is a waste of good chlorine, it will take much longer to 'calm' down to normal levels and will add loads of unwanted Cyanuric acid to your water.
pH Adjustment
Good water balance is essential to allow your chemicals to work properly and for the water to be pleasant to swim in.
The most important part of water balance is its acid content. Acid content is measured on a scale called the pH scale. 7 on the scale is neutral, 2 is most acid, 14 is least acid (alkaline). The water in your eyes comes in at 7.4 on the pH scale and so, for 'bather comfort', as it is called, that is the ideal pH for your pool water. But to get best use out of your chlorine the pH should be 7.0 or lower. So the best compromise is anything between 7.2 and 7.6.
Getting water to the right pH is a slow procedure though simple. You add acid (or alkali) to your pool in the dosages recommended on the pack and wait 24hrs to see if it was enough and if it wasn't do it all again until it is. In hard water areas you may be adding acid all summer long.
There is more to water balance than just pH levels. Another factor is the water's 'Total Alkalinity' (TA). If the TA level is too low the water will not maintain a consistent pH and if it is too high it becomes hard to move the pH value. The ideal level is 100ppm to 150ppm but many pool owners are forced to put up with high TA because the water out of the tap has such a high TA.
Floc
Floc is short for flocculent. Flocculents are a chemical that make small particles join with each other to make bigger particles. This is handy for swimming pool owners because their pools tend to get little bits of dead algae and skin in them that make the water go cloudy and these can be too small for the filter to strain out.
There are two main types of flocculent but they are both the same chemical - Aluminium Sulphate also know as just plain 'alum'. In one form it is in flaky granules in the other it is a solid tablet (kibbled alum). The latter is used to 'polish' up a pool that is getting a bit cloudy the former as a last resort on a truly mucky pool (or as a first resort when opening up after winter).
Kibbled alum tablets are added to the water via the skimmer basket. Don't put them in the circulation pump strainer basket because the water in there goes to fast for them, keep the filter going full time. The alum dissolves and forms a coating on top of the filter sand. Then, as the little particles come by it grabs them and keeps them. But in doing so it blocks up the top of the filter and can increase the filter pressure. If the pressure gets too high the coating breaks up and gets washed through the filter and back into the pool taking all the little bits with it and you are back to square one. So, always thoroughly backwash the filter before putting the alum in and keep an eye on the pressure while it is in there. If it gets too high backwash add more tablets. In any case backwash after 48hrs of filtration and if the pool isn't clear enough do it again. It may take three or four goes before you get it perfectly clear.
There are other chemicals you can use to clarify your pool, the term floc tends to apply to Alum. Pool Clarifiers, as they are usually called, do the same as Alum in that they gather small particles together but they work by putting an electrical charge on the particles. The general name for them is Cationic Liquid Clarifiers and there are many types. They work very well and quite quickly but are much more expensive than Alum. They now make them in a gel form that makes them easier to handle and use but no less expensive.
Please check out our other guides for more help and advice for your swimming pool or spa or if you have any questions then feel free to contact us.

Tel: 0117 230 9660
sales@poolmarket.co.uk