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• If you have an animal that requires outside time, you’ll want to install a fence around your pool to prevent them from entering at unwanted times
• Pets should safely enter the pool using a pet-safe ladder
• You may want to equip your pool with an alarm just in case your furry friend finds their way into the backyard without your knowledge.

If you’ve been a pool owner for any amount of time, you’ve been told to use a pool cover. Traditional pool covers help keep dirt, leaves and other unwanted items out of your pool.
There is also another type of pool cover that has gained popularity – a solar pool cover. Not only does it keep debris out of your pool, it also heats your pool without fancy cords or machines. Solar pool covers capture the energy of the sun to keep your water warm.
In addition, solar pool covers also help keep more water in your pool by limiting the amount of evaporation that occurs.
 This type of pool cover is recommended for those who live in a sunny area and want to save money.

A pool party can come to an end fast if bees show up uninvited. It turns out, most bees are attracted to pools because they want to quench their thirst. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to make sure they don’t crash the party.
Bring out the plants. While bees normally love plants, they aren’t friends with all of them – including mint and lemongrass. Feel free to plant these near your pool to act as a natural repellant.
Use dryer sheets. As mentioned before, certain smells can be a real turn off for bees. We use dryer sheets to give our clothes a fresh smell, but bees hate them. Place the dryer sheets in cups around the pool to keep bees away. Be sure to change them once they lose their scent.

If your goal is to reduce your pool operation costs and be kinder to the planet, you might want to consider installing solar panels to help heat your pool.
Solar pool heaters allow water to be pumped through a filter and then through a solar collector, where it is heated. The heated water is then pushed back into the pool. The $3,000 to $4,000 investment can be great for those who are able to install solar panels in an unshaded area to collect direct solar energy.
As an added bonus, the solar collectors can also help cool the pool during the summer months.

Pool safety for children is a major concern for parents but there are a handful of things you can do to keep your family safe.
Teach your children to swim. Expose your children to the water at an early age (with adult supervision) through swimming lessons and fun water activities. The more they are acquainted with the water, the less curious they will be about wanting to run into the pool when no one is looking.
Say no to drains. Show your children what a pool drain looks like and explain to them why they should not go near them. Many pools have strong suction that helps circulate water. Hair, loose items and swim suits can get stuck in the drain if you’re nearby too long. Be sure all drains are covered.
Find the best barriers and door locks. Pool fences and special locks should be installed near your pool and on the doors that help access the pool. This will keep children out when the pool is not in use.
Learn CPR. You never know when an emergency could happen. As an adult supervising children in a pool, knowing how to perform CPR correctly could save a life.

There is a good reason why everyone is throwing tennis balls into their swimming pools. Not only are they the star of the show during a tennis match, they can also help you clean your swimming pool.
Sure, you can use traditional chemicals, but tennis balls can help give your pool a little scrub when you’re not in the mood to do it yourself. The rough exterior of the tennis balls will soak up dirt and oil that don’t belong in the pool – like sunscreens, lotions and hair products that have made their way into the water.
All you’ll need to do is toss in a tennis ball or two and let them work their magic.

A wristwatch alarm is simply a safety device that your child or anyone else that might be in danger around your pool can wear. It’s one of many other precautionary measures you can take to warn you when something dangerous might be happening in or near your pool.
 
The wristwatch alarm is generally linked to a centrally located “base,” probably somewhere in your house where you can easily hear it. You will be alerted with an alarm when it comes into contact with water – i.e., when your child falls in and is in distress. The device is no bigger than a wristwatch and is a great preventative measure to keep your children safe around the pool. It’s not a replacement for a good eye as you should always watch your kids while they’re in the pool.

When you become a pool owner you must have your (figurative) safety goggles on at all times.  It is important to think in terms of having layers of protection.  Don’t assume that you can slap up a “Swim at Your Own Risk” sign and you’re done!!  Some important things to consider doing are:

1. Install a fence around your pool that is at least four feet high and has self-latching gates
2. Consider a power safety cover that can be used any time the pool is not in use
3. Be sure that you and everyone in your family know how to swim. It is also advisable that you be certified in CPR and first aid, as well as keeping rescue equipment and a phone near the pool.
4. Do not allow anyone to swim alone and do not leave an open pool unattended.
5. Be sure your homeowner’s insurance has coverage to protect you against lawsuits resulting from pool injuries

There cannot be too many layers of safety when it comes to your pool.

Routine maintenance of your pool is critical to the enjoyment of your pool. Even if you employ a service company to maintain your pool, there are steps that you need to take to ensure your pool is swim ready at all times:

1. Skim the surface: This should be done every few days. When debris falls to the bottom it can be harder to remove, so be sure to remove debris before it sinks to the bottom.
2. Empty the baskets: This will help lower the need for chlorine, thus saving you money. This task should be performed at least once per week and it may help to spray out and scrub the basket as well.
3. Maintain the water level: A lot of water is lost from your pool regularly. Whether it is due to evaporation or splashing and swimming, it is important to check the water levels regularly so they don’t get to low and compromise the pump. If levels do get low, you can quite simply use your garden hose to fill it back up.
4. Scrub the walls: Be sure to scrub the walls regularly to prevent calcium deposits and algae buildup. The kind of pool you have will dictate what kind of brush to use. For example, a stiffer brush can be used with a concrete pool, but if you have a fiberglass pool you should use a softer brush.
5. Check the pH: Make sure the pH in the water is between 7.2 and 7.8 to ensure safety for swimmers and that sanitizers are working.

Like many kids, your daughter loves the pool. She’s a blonde and you can’t seem to keep the green tint out of her hair. There could be two reasons this is happening – one is easily fixed, and more common, and the other is a more difficult (but luckily, less common) issue. Let’s start with the more common of the two – the presence of copper in your pool water.
Some people believe it is because chlorine is green and that it only happens to those with blonde hair. Neither of these beliefs is actually true. Pool water contains high concentrations of copper compounds that chemically interact with chlorine and can then bind to hair follicles. These copper compounds do not seek out or favor blonde hair. In fact, the compounds bind to hair of all colors. It is easier to see on blonde hair because it is so light.
One cause of copper buildup may be the corrosion of copper in your pool heater, if you have one, which can come up if you use chlorine or bromine to treat your pool. There is a solution for this. After testing your water for copper and once you know exactly how much copper is in your pool, you can treat your water with a double dose (for each 1 ppm of copper) of a quality mineral treatment. Something like phosphate-free liquid METALTRAP will do.
Another possibility as to why your child’s hair is turning green is the chlorine is reacting with his/her hair and/or hair products being used. Simply using ¼ to ½ cup of baking soda mixed with enough water to form a paste can be applied to the green areas of the hair, then rinse with clean water. Then, shampoo and condition as usual once her hair is free of the baking soda. This should help bleach the green (without damaging her hair) and return her hair to its natural color.
However, not all situations are equal and will be treated with these two solutions. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.