Mike the Poolman Blog

Test. 02-27-12

Reprinted with permission from Kim Skinner of On Balance: The following information on chemical start-ups is applicable to all newly plastered swimming pools, including quartz and pebble aggregate finishes. The first step for a superior start-up is to wait at least six hours before turning on the water to fill the pool.  This was common [...]

Reprinted with permission from Kim Skinner of On Balance: Identifying Plastering Defects on New Pool Plaster Discolorations – New pool plaster can discolor (darken or turn gray) from adding excessive calcium chloride set accelerator, from late hard troweling, from thin and thick areas due to an uneven shell, etc. Gray (or grey) mottled discoloration (also [...]

The following manufacturers, in cooperation with The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), have announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer pool and spa drain covers. Read the CPSC press release here and click here to read the Notice to Associations. There are approximately 6.2 million residential and public inground pools and inground spas. [...]

This one isn’t even a contest… The Battle of Little Big Horn, Tyson vs. Spinks, U.S. vs. Iraq (the first time…) Pressure side pool cleaners (also referred to as Pool Sweeps) are superior to Suction side pool cleaners in every way- except price- but we’ll get to that in a moment… First the differences: Pressure cleaners push [...]

4:15pm Friday afternoon, March 18, 2011: It has been raining hard and steady for hours now in Folsom. If mud (usually from a hill or slope) runs into your pool, shut off the pump immediately. Trying to filter out mud will ruin the filters elements (and when the filter is plugged the shaft seal in [...]

When we talk about pool renovations, repairs and retrofits that reduce a pool’s energy consumption, the focus typically turns to the pump, because it consumes more energy than any other piece of pool equipment. Plus, a well-designed variable-speed pump can reduce the energy costs of running a swimming pool by up to 90 percent. Why? [...]

Brushing your swimming pool on a consistent basis is essential to keeping your pool’s finish looking great. Ever have a pair of jeans that don’t get washed enough? What happens? They stain! The dirt gets embedded in the fabric and the jeans take on the color of the dirt. The same is true of your [...]

Reprinted with permission from Kim Skinner of OnBalance: If you aren’t aware, Mitch Brooks, the Executive Director of the National Plasterers Council (NPC), responded to our (onBalance) write-ups on “Gray Mottling Discoloration”by saying that the NPC disagrees with what we have written.  We responded by asking him to specifically identify what they disagree with, and [...]

Reprinted with permission from Kim Skinner of OnBalance: onBalance – Que Hales, Doug Latta and Kim Skinner  We recently authored an article entitled Ten Steps to Quality Pool Plaster. The purpose of that article was to point out that there are professional, quality practices that ensure quality plaster finishes; and that although the vast majority [...]