Florida has a large number of public and private swimming pools and owing to the cold climate; most of them are equipped with pool heaters. Natural gas pool heaters as well as electric heaters are used across the region. Whatever be the heating mechanisms, pool heaters require regular maintenance. It is advised to conduct maintenance at least once in six months to ensure that the unit is functioning properly. This will not only extend the life of the equipment and make it more energy efficient, but will also avoid any accident.

Maintenance on gas pool heaters in Palm Beach County Florida is not a new concept. Floridians have been using pool heaters for years and maintenance is a common practice for them. Gas pool heaters are widely used in the region. People usually take care of routine maintenance themselves and do not require expert services, unless found essential.

Although electric pool heaters are also used in some regions, they are considered difficult and expensive to maintain. As it involves electric components, they are more prone to failure. Subsequent costs can be much more than gas heaters as electric parts are expensive.

Maintenance on gas pool heaters in Palm Beach County Florida usually involves the following tasks:

Scaling

Gas pool heaters require regular cleaning for efficient functionality. As water passes through the heater, minerals in the water tend to accumulate over the internal components. Mineral deposits can be one of the reasons of equipment failure or malfunction. Frequent scaling is required to increase the efficiency of the system and to avoid future bulky expenses.

Scraping

During the maintenance on gas pool heaters in Palm Beach County Florida, it is advisable to look for areas that have caught rust. This again limits the capability of the equipment and makes it less energy-efficient. You can use sandpaper to remove rust from the affected points.

Extermination

You should also check the entire unit if insects or rats have infested it. Many accidents occur due to this, so you should make sure that your equipment is free from all sorts of squatters.

Connection Diagnosis

Frequent maintenance gives you an opportunity to look for areas of concern that can give rise to bigger problems in the future. Gas pipes must be checked for leakage and if found, should be replaced immediately. If you observe air bubbles around any pipes, you should understand that they need replacement.

It is important to emphasize at this point that you must not replace gas pipes by yourself. You should ask for professional services that perform maintenance on gas pool heaters in Palm Beach County Florida. This is a risky matter and you must be cautious to avoid any mishap. This is especially true for closed-chamber and indoor swimming pools.

Algae is the worst enemy of your pool. It steals beauty from the pool and completely spoils the swimming experience. Just within a few months, you will find black algae growing on the walls and corners of the pool’s surface, making the water cloudy. Removing algae is one of the important concerns for swimming pool owners.

If you have used Diamond Brite polish for your pool, getting rid of algae won’t be difficult. The insoluble quartz that the polish is made of, doesn’t allow microorganisms to stick to the surface. This is one reason why a Diamond Brite finish is preferred over paint. It will take a long time before you see black algae growing on the walls and floor of the pool. But what can you do to remove it, once it begins to inhabit your pool?

Black algae won’t give you a tough time on a Diamond Brite surface. First, you will need to drain all water from the pool so that you can easily spot the affected areas and address them conveniently. You will need muriatic acid to remove algae and other stains from the pool. However, you must take precautions as the solution is mildly toxic. Make sure that you are wearing your goggles, boots and gloves. A ratio of 10:1 of diluted muriatic acid will be sufficient to scrape the most stubborn stains.

Spray the solution in the affected areas, most importantly in the corners of the walls. Use a scrub brush to scrape off algae which will appear as black patches. You won’t need a pointed tool to get rid of it and the brush would be sufficient for a Diamond Brite surface. If you think that it’s getting a bit tough, let the solution on the stain for a minute and then get back to it with the brush.

Once you have dealt with all areas of concern, switch on the water filter and rinse the entire pool with water. Finally, fill fresh water into the reservoir. Your swimming pool will be shining once again in the daylight.

The pool professionals at Pool Doctor of the Palm Beaches have the expertise to tackle a black algae problem on any pool surface.  Call us today at (561) 586-2815 for your free consultation.

Many people prefer to use paint in their swimming pool for finish. Although the solution is cost-effective and easy, it isn’t long lasting. Paint wears down easily in the presence of chlorinate chemicals which are used for water sanitization. Moreover, they do not bring that shiny look to the pool.

Diamond Brite is a polish emulsion that is gaining wide popularity these days. Many pool maintenance experts recommend Diamond Brite because of its high resistance against pool chemicals. The finish also makes its maintenance a lot easier. Usually, algae or other microorganisms find it difficult to stick to the surface and even if they do, one can easily scrape them off without any hassle.

Diamond Brite brings unparalleled beauty to swimming pools. The lustrous and colorful surface gives the pool a whole new charm. Yes, there are a variety of colors available and a wide range of patterns to choose from. This gives you an opportunity to give a completely new look to your surroundings. Diamond Brite is also considered a lot safer than conventional paint. Although the surface looks shiny, it is slip resistant. This makes it an ideal pool polish for parents who are concerned about the safety of their kids.

One of the most distinguishing features of a Diamond Brite surface is that it is highly durable. You won’t need to get it polished for a long time and the surface will continue to look lustrous and beautiful. The emulsion contains a high resistance formula that is able to bear the most powerful detergents and pool chemicals. Paint surfaces can catch rust more easily than a Diamond Brite one. Once you give your pool a Diamond Brite finish, you will delay its maintenance for several years to come.

If you have already decided to refinish your swimming pool, Diamond Brite is a better option. You will get a gorgeous, shining pool and your convenience, time and costs will reduce significantly.

Advantages of Salt Water Pool

There are a number of benefits of salt water pools such as:

Less Frequent Maintenance

You do not need to add chlorine to the water, so you are saved from one of the most demanding tasks already. Traditional swimming pools require more time and effort as you regularly need to add specific amounts of chlorine chemicals to ensure proper sanitization.

Automatic Cleaning Systems

Most salt-water pools are equipped with the latest equipment that takes care of most of the monitoring and cleaning tasks automatically. This saves a lot of time and effort.

Smoother on Skin

Users of traditional swimming pools often complain that they feel itchy and find chlorine flakes on their skin after bathing. Since saltwater pools do not require any extra chlorine, they do not cause such skin reactions. Moreover, water feels smoother and the swimming experience is more enjoyable and refreshing.

Odor and Chemical Residue

Swimming pools that use artificial chemicals for sanitization are often abhorred for their obnoxious smell. This is particularly obvious in indoor swimming pools, where inadequate ventilation systems may cause a critical health situation, especially for asthmatic patients. In some cases, you can see chlorine chemicals floating over such water.

Maintenance

Maintenance is an important concern for pool owners and pool companies that service salt water pools.  Although maintenance on salt water pools is not required as frequently as in the case of traditional pools, it is still a must.

Monitoring of Chlorine Amount

If you own a saltwater pool, you will need to check for chlorine amounts regularly. Most salt water pools require the water to have chlorine levels between 1.0 and 3.0 ppm (parts per million) while pH should lie somewhere between the 7.2 to 7.6 range.  Pool companies that service salt water pools will test these levels during their regular maintenance.

Running of Pool Pumps

Saltwater pools require pool pumps to run for a longer time. While a chlorine generator works inside to produce chlorine, pool pumps are required to disseminate the sanitizer uniformly across the waterbed. Pool owners state that they need to run their pool pumps for at least eight hours during peak swimming season.

Shock Pool Treatments

Many people believe that once they have a saltwater pool, they won’t need chemicals at all. This is a misconception. You may need sanitizing chemicals for cleaning the pool thoroughly, particularly before or after rigorous use. However, you would seldom need such shock treatments.

By this time, several diseases have been identified that arose solely from excessive exposure to chlorinated water in swimming pools; skin and respiratory systems being the most vulnerable. But the question arises, is this chlorinated water also harmful to palm trees standing beside these pools? What are the effects of chlorine on palm trees, if any?

Dilute Solutions

It is undeniable that diluted solutions of chlorine compounds do not cause any harm to plants, as the water we use for gardens is distilled with small amounts of chlorine. Moreover, people often drain off their pool water in nearby gardens and any sort of inhibition of plant growth has never been reported.

Palm trees are quite sturdy in nature. They are capable of tolerating droughts and severe climatic conditions. So if a pool is sanitized with small amounts of chlorine, it won’t harm the nearby palm trees, neither in the form of fumes, nor with its splashing water. Effects of chlorine on palm trees are minimum, if it is in diluted form.

Shock Pool Treatment

Most swimming pools owners go for chlorine shock treatments from time to time. This involves using concentrated amounts of chlorine as well as other chemicals to get rid of stubborn stains and deep rooted algae infestation.

In such large concentrations, chlorine can be dangerous to palm trees. Water that has been recently chlorinated should never be drained into a garden or over palm trees, as it can cause different diseases . A rich amount of chlorine reacts with organic matter to form toxic substances, which can be dangerous to the flora.

Minimizing Effects of Chlorine on Palm Trees

Chlorine fumes from your pool won’t be very harmful to your palm trees during the usual season, but if you are still concerned, you can do one thing:  You can cover your pool with an automatic pool cover. Keeping the pool covered when not in use reduces the amount of time palm trees are exposed to chlorine fumes. Besides, the cover has many other advantages including children safety, not letting the pool water evaporate and keeping the pool free of falling vegetation debris.

Pool maintenance and cleaning services include testing the water and applying chemicals, only when needed.  The professionals at Pool Doctor of the Palm Beaches will tailor a maintenance package specific to your needs to keep your pool sparkling clean.  It’s the level of service many in the Palm Beach, Florida area have come to know and expect.  Call today at (561) 586 -2815 for a free quote.

As State Licensed Swimming Pool Professionals, our goal is to keep all our pool owners informed about the new state law enacted March 15, 2012 that will affect all swimming pool owner in Florida.

Are you tired of paying high electric bills? 

Did you know that your pool pump is the #1 energy consumption appliance in the home?

Did you know that a 1.5hp pool pump is wasting $807 per year in electric costs?

Save Money Today on Your Monthly Electric Bill!

Upgrading to an energy efficient retrofit is a wise investment. The attached savings calculator shows the comparison of a single speed pump to the Pentair IntelliFlo VS pump variable speed pump and the revolutionary differences. You will have the fastest return on investment above any other energy saving appliance. Guaranteed energy savings every month!

The Cost of Doing Nothing

A single speed 1.5hp pump consumes approximately $900 worth of electricity per year. In five years it will cost $4,500 to run that pump.

That’s the cost of doing nothing – - versus a new energy efficient pump that may only cost you $100 a year to operate. So just looking at the energy costs, a homeowner is looking at spending $500 over five years with a variable speed pump compared to $4,500 with an old single speed pump. That’s a $4,000 differential or SAVINGS.

Our company has earned the status as a “GEOSMART AUTHORIZED CONTRACTOR” for the Home Energy Efficiency Finance Program. We are now able to provide all our customers an option to finance this new pump http://www.swimmingpool.com/lending-club?ref=189639

Basically there would be no “out-of-pocket” expense to acquire the new pump. Begin the savings now and instead of paying approximately $70 per month to your FP&L bill you can apply this savings toward the new pump.

Please call us at 561) 586-2815 or click here to email our office today for a FREE energy saving analysis. We are pool service professionals and can answer any questions or concerns that you may have.  Please don’t hesitate to ask.