The Pool Bible

By Ken Walker

When pools go bad . .

Call a Pool Pro to your pool and least you'll pay is the call-out charge. Currently, this runs an absolute minimum of $30 - £30 or €30 depending on where you live. That’s a minimum of six times the price of The Pool Bible. It can be as high as $100.
The Pro will be on-site for around 30 minutes - if you’re lucky. A good Pro can solve many problems, bewildering to the pool-owner, in minutes.
Next comes a bill for any extra time on-site, any additional work the Professional does and any spares or chemicals.

Oh, yes. You’ll also pay full retail for spare parts and consumables.

Your Pool Pro might even sell you a $25 pool chemical that you can get at the hardware store for $2.50. (The only difference being that the $2.50 variety is ‘food grade’ and purer than the $25 pool chemical.)
Has your pool ever needed the attention of a Pool Pro? Most pools have at some point but if your pool hasn't needed such visitors yet; don’t feel neglected, because one day it WILL! When it does - Professional Services don’t come cheap.

One California-based Pool Service company proudly advertises a call-out charge of ‘only’ $65 and Labour charges of ‘just’ $80 per hour. I wonder what their out-of-hours rates are?
If you have your pool cleaned by the local Pool Guy you’ll be parting with a minimum of $/£/€1200 a year, plus chemicals. Servicing and seasonal work like winterising, acid-washing, filter re-fills, etc. are extras and are charged in addition to the maintenance costs Taking care of your own pool could reduce chemicals and maintenance costs by 90% or more - and your pool will be perfect; ALL the time.

Maintaining your own pool gives you three immediate benefits: -

1 - Your pool is always in top condition
2 - There are less harmful chemicals in the water
3 - You'll have an extra wad of cash to spend on your family, every year, forever!

I’m not suggesting that there is any sort of rip-off or scam going on here!
Pool Service Companies do an excellent job at a fair price. Call in a qualified Pool Pro and you’ll get the service you need, perfectly executed, 99% of the time. It'll cost you, though.

These folks are Professionals and they charge for their time accordingly. They do this because they have 2 things that the average backyard pool-owner doesn’t have - Overheads and Specialist Knowledge. Their Overheads mean that they have to charge a high hourly-rate and their Specialist Knowledge is the reason why they can!

Why not go absolutely crazy and buy yourself a copy of The Pool Bible? It costs less than 0.5% of the annual running costs of an average pool and can save a pool-owner a small fortune every year. If it does not save ten times the cover price in the first year I'll refund your money.

The Pool Bible teaches you how to DIY your pool and make huge savings.
Arm yourself with the knowledge of how to carry out 99% of operations to your own pool, with detailed information on cleaning and dosing.
With instructions for making repairs, acid-washing and much more, coupled with knowing where to source trade-price spares and how to get discounts on chemicals, etc., you’ll avoid wasting sacks of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

You’ll have the benefit of our decades of experience and advice on hand - anytime you need it. You’ll have the Specialist Knowledge to clean, service and maintain your own pool (or all the pools in the neighborhood if you want to get into the pool business!)

The Pool Bible also has a large section on Pool Safety, covering over 30 different aspects of this vital subject, to help you make your pool the safest place it can be for family, friends and pets.
All this for the price of a pizza and fries? If that’s not a bargain - I don’t know what is!

Thanks for reading. Swim safe! Ken Walker

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ken Walker
• Release date: Mar 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301845606

Ken Walker

Ken has lived and worked in Britain, Singapore, Germany, Ireland, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Qatar, Switzerland, Portugal and Spain.In 2001 he published The PoolSchool Book, followed by The Swimming Pool Maintenance Guide in 2004, The Pool Bible and The Pool Safety Bible were written in 2011.Ken has also written over 200 magazine articles and multiple blogs on swimming pool maintenance.Ken is happily married to Louise and they live in Malaga, Spain.

Book preview

The Pool Bible

Author Ken Walker

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 by Ken Walker

Discover other titles by Ken Walker

The Pool Safety Bible

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The Pool Bible EBook is licensed for your personal use only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

If you would like to share this book with another person, please buy an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this EBook and did not buy it, or it was not bought for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the countless hours spent writing, editing and formatting.

Nobody likes shelling out hard cash for information, but there are good reasons why you should buy The Pool Bible: -

Look at it this way. If you call a Professional Pool Technician to your pool you’re going to get a bill for at least the call-out charge. Currently, this runs an absolute minimum of £30, $30 or €30 depending on where you live in the world. That’s quite a bit more than the price of The Pool Bible and for that outlay you’ll have the Pro on-site for around 30 minutes. .If you’re lucky.

Then comes a bigger bill for any extra time spent on-site, or any additional work the Professional does. One California-based company proudly advertises a call-out charge of ‘only’ $65 and labour charges of ‘just’ $80 per hour. I wonder what their out-of-hours rates are?

At this point in the proceedings the Pool Pro will offer his opinion on your problem and the solution to it. Then he’ll sell you what’s needed and you’ll pay full retail for spare parts and consumables. He might even sell you a chemical for $20 that you can get at the hardware store for $2.50.

Buy The Pool Bible and you’ll have the benefit of our decades of Professional pool experience and advice on hand immediately, anytime you need it. You’ll learn just how simple it is to have the best cared-for pool on the block.

Armed with the knowledge of how to carry out all routine operations to your own pool, and instructions for making repairs, coupled with knowing where to source trade-price spares and how to get discounts on chemicals, etc., you’ll avoid wasting sacks of money that could be better spent elsewhere.

You’ll also discover how to make your pool the safest place it can possibly be, discover the root cause of 50% of backyard pool fatalities and learn how to safeguard your family and friends.

All this for the price of a pizza and fries? If that’s not a bargain I don’t know what is!

Introduction

Hello, Thanks for buying this EBook and Welcome to The Pool Bible.

Owning your own swimming pool can be an expensive proposition, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The Pool Bible has been written to give pool-owners the hype-free information they need to operate their pool as economically and safely as possible, to get the most fun, and the best possible value, from their investment. We hope that you’ll find this EBook to be the most helpful source of swimming-pool information available to the backyard pool-owner.

The Pool Bible will help you to make the right decisions when buying your first pool or any pool-related items, when upgrading your existing pool, dosing with chemicals, carrying out both routine and seasonal pool maintenance, or anything else you might need, or like, to do to your swimming pool.

Remember that the more a pool salesman can persuade you to spend the more commission they earn. Many pool problems can be traced back to the fact that the pool is too big for the amount of use it gets. A pool salesman will try to sell you the largest pool he can, usually far too big for your needs, simply to boost his sales commission. He’ll try to sell you as many add-ons and accessories as possible for similar reasons. Resist the salesman's 'patter' when he's trying to persuade you to buy things that you really don't need. A pool that’s properly designed and equipped can save you lots of money for the construction, save lots more money over the life of the pool, and save the pool-owner countless hours of cleaning drudgery.

Make The Pool Bible your source for all the swimming pool information you'll ever need. Learn what's required before making important, potentially expensive decisions about your pool. Learn the Pros and Cons of each type of pool, equipment and sanitizer. This EBook allows the pool-owner, or prospective pool owner, to gain an understanding of how a pool works, how to keep a pool clean, healthy and safe, plus how to carry out routine and seasonal maintenance. Now, at last, pool-owners have the information they need to maintain their own pools to Professional Standards.

Click the links to the subjects you want to know more about, read and learn about owning a pool and how to operate it safely and economically.

Pool Safety: - We have included a large section on this subject, covering 40 different aspects of Pool Safety. Pools are dangerous places and the more aware of Pool Safety that all pool-users are the less likely it is that a tragedy will happen at your pool. Get the kids involved with Pool Safety and then reward their good behaviour by playing one or more Pool Games for Kids.

Pool Maintenance: - Although there are many types of pools, and many different ways of keeping them clean, the basic maintenance, sanitizing and cleaning principles apply to all pools. The Pool Bible will help every pool-owner to get the results they want and to make significant cash and time savings on pool maintenance and operation.

This EBook features easy navigation; just click the links to go where you want, read the information, then read further or click to return to the Main Index or Chapter Index.

Thank you again for buying this EBook I truly believe that it will be of immense help to you over during the life of your pool.

Ken Walker

Main Index

Chapter 1 - Swimming Pools

Chapter 2 - Pool Safety

Chapter 3 - Plumbing and Circulation

Chapter 4 - Pool Equipment and Accessories

Chapter 5 - Pool Heating

Chapter 6 - Pool Lighting

Chapter 7 - Pool Covers

Chapter 8 - Pool Chemicals

Chapter 9 - Algae and Algaecides

Chapter 10 - Water-problem Solving Guide

Chapter 11 - Test Kits

Chapter 12 - Water-chemistry-related Terms

Chapter 13 - Sanitizing Chemicals

Chapter 14 - Other Pool Chemicals

Chapter 15 - Alternative Sanitizers

Chapter 16 - Cleaning the Pool

Chapter 17 - Routine Maintenance

Chapter 18 - Seasonal Maintenance

Chapter 19 - Glossary

Chapter 1 - Swimming Pools

Permits

Which Pool Builder?

What size is your pool?

Pool Surfaces

Types of Pools

Above-ground Pools

Semi-above Ground Pools

In-ground Pools

Concrete and Gunite Pools

Fibreglass Pools

Liner Pools

Swim-Spas

Indoor Pools

Permits

A swimming pool can be a great place to relax, exercise, play, sunbathe or just cool-off or it can be an expensive hole in the ground into which you frantically shovel your life savings. If you intend to build or buy a pool you need to think long and hard about why you want a pool in the first place and what you expect to get out of it.

And you definitely need to find out if you need planning permission, a permit, a building licence, or whatever it’s called in your part of the world.

Many above-ground pools don’t require Planning Permission or a Construction Licence but almost all in-ground pools do. Don’t begin construction of your pool unless and until you have obtained the correct Permit, Licence or Project from the relevant local planning or zoning office. Ignore any blandishments of the builder such as They hardly ever check up on pools or, They’ll never spot it here, or We can start now and pay a small fine if we get caught. You will always get caught eventually and the fine is often greater than the cost of the pool.

The world is in financial crisis and Town Halls are just as broke as anyone else. They can, and they will, levy fines for pools built without Planning Permission, or for building an inappropriate pool in a rural or protected area. Most above-ground pools get round this particular restriction but still need Planning Permission in some areas. If in doubt ask your Local Authority or Town Hall.

In these days of Google Earth and comparative-mapping technology the Local Authorities will find your new pool eventually and they will fine you accordingly if there is no Planning Permission or Building Permit.

A reputable pool builder will always wait for the Local Authority Permit before constructing your pool, and will probably be able to apply for these Permits on your behalf. Certainly they should be able to advise you on this subject. If you give your pool-builder permission to start work before you have obtained a Construction Permit, and the works are subsequently stopped, the builder will justifiably ask for payment because you told him to start work. You will be left with a big bill and a useless, even dangerous, hole in the ground. The builder will simply move on to the next project.

Which Pool Builder?

Is your builder capable of constructing your pool? It’s vitally important that the Contractor who constructs your pool knows exactly what they are doing. Swimming pools must be constructed correctly or they will fail. A failing swimming pool might cost more to repair than the original cost of installation. Employ a specialist to build your pool; not just some guy with a shovel and a wheelbarrow who will ‘have a go’ for you. Specialist Pool-Construction Contractors are not cheap but if you think it’s expensive to employ a Professional you’ll be horrified at what it might cost you to employ an amateur!

Sometimes, you can tell the potential quality of the builder just by looking at their hats!

30-plus Questions to ask your Pool Builder

• Who applies for and obtains planning permission or building permits?

• Are we obliged to comply with any other regulations?

• How long have you been in the Pool-building business and how many pools have you built?

• Are your Warranties in writing; and what exclusions, if any, do they carry?

• Which Professional Organisations are you a member of?

• Have you ever traded under another name?

• Do you have any open or pending legal suits or complaints against you?

• Can I have your Contractor License Number to check with the Register of Contractors?

• How long have the key personnel been employed by your company?

• What time do your workers start in the morning and what time do they finish for the day?

• Do they clean up at the end of each day, leaving the site safe?

• Do you work at weekends?

• How much will it all cost, what is the deposit and what is the payment schedule?

• How long will the project take from start to finish?

• What happens if the excavator hits rock or hard conditions?

• How much will having a pool affect my water and electricity bills?

• What incidental costs will I incur?

• Do you sub-contract all or any of the building phases?

• Have your pools won any Industry Awards?

• How much, and what type of, insurance do you carry?

• Are you currently building any pools in my area?

• Can I speak to some of your previous clients? (If not, why not?!!)

• Do you have any Show-Pools in my area?

• Will your team clean up after completion of the works?

• Will you remove any tyre tracks?

• Who is responsible for any damage to my neighbours’ property?

• Who will repair any pipes, cables or fences broken or damaged during construction?

• Will my drainage or septic tank lines be affected in any way?

• Who is responsible for repairs if my driveway or patio gets damaged or broken?

• Is my electricity supply adequate?

• Does my water-quality present any problems?

• Will a Project Superintendent oversee the project from start to finish?

• Are you tied to one supplier of plant and equipment or do I have a choice of manufacturer?

• Are my start-up chemicals and pool tools included in the price?

• Will I be instructed in the care and maintenance of my pool? (If not, why not?)

With the answers to these questions you’ll be in a better position to judge if this builder is the right one for you.

Main Index - Swimming Pools

What Size Pool? Small is Beautiful (and more economic).

A well-designed family pool broad steps, table and seating, depth is 0.9 to 1.5 metres (3’0 to 4’10)

The chances are that you’ll only ever build one pool in your life, so it’s well worth your while putting some serious thought into it so that you end up with something that has not cost you half your life savings and yet still gives you all the features you would like in your pool. Why settle for a problematic, expensive, unheated, rectangular box with built-in, avoidable, maintenance costs?

Hands up all those who have been in a pool where non-swimmers can only huddle together on the steps because the pool is too deep? Low usage of the deeper water results in circulation ‘dead-spots’ where algae flourish, which can lead on to very expensive problems like lime-scale deposits. Once algae and lime-scale get a firm grip they can be impossible to eradicate without draining the pool. (You can put your hands down now, thanks).

A pool should have underwater pool-lighting and an area within the pool where children can play safely e.g. wide, round-edged steps, perhaps with a barrier to the deeper water. In reality, adults just sit on the steps with a drink most of the time (unbreakable Polycarbonate glasses only, please) and rarely thrash up and down like Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps.

An in-pool seating area will be of great benefit to everyone who uses your pool. If you really want to swim long distances you could install a resistance-swimming pump; it’s much cheaper, and far more environmentally friendly, than keeping 40,000 litres (10,000 gallons) of ‘extra’ water ready 24/7 if you only swim for 30 minutes every other day.

A 5 x 3 metre pool can be built a fraction of the price of a 10 x 5 metre pool and costs far less to fill, heat, cover, clean, sanitize and make secure. A small part of the savings could be used to finance a heater and cover, giving you all-year use of the pool. The balance could pay for automatic chemical dosing and pH control, a salt-water or ozone system, a safety net or a resistance-swimming pump, some of the new LED color-changing lights, perhaps a waterfall to cool the pool in high summer, some shading, an automatic cleaner or fancy pool tiling.

Whatever design you choose you’ll need to know how to care for your new pool and all the elements that make it work and keep it working. Ensure that you get clear instructions on how the pool works, and how to care for it, from your pool-builder.

Main Index - Swimming Pools

How big is your pool?

Knowing the volume of your pool is essential for many calculations, such as sizing the pump and filter, calculation of chemical doses, choosing a pool-heater, etc.

If you build your own pool ,or have it built for you by a Contractor, you’ll know exactly how much water the pool contains. However, if you inherit a pool when you move to a new home you’ll have to calculate just how much water is in there. Properly sizing your pool is critical in determining a chemical program. This allows you to use the correct amounts of chemicals to keep your water crystal clear and healthy, without over-dosing and wasting money.

To calculate the volume of a pool we need two values; the surface area and the average depth, which are then multiplied together to give the volume. Once we have the volume, in either cubic feet or cubic metres, we can calculate the volume in gallons or litres.

Surface area

The above formulae will give you the surface area in square feet (ft²) or square metres (m²)

Example 1 - A rectangular pool of 10 x 5 metres = L x W

= 10m x 5m

= 50m² surface area

Example 2 - A round pool of 20 feet diameter

3.14 x (20/2) x (20/2)

= 3.14 x 10 x 10

= 3.14 x 100

= 314 ft² surface area

Example 3 - A kidney-shaped pool where A= 4m, B=5m and L=10m

0.45 x (4+5) x 10

=0.45 x 9 x 10

=0.45 x 90

=40.5m² surface area

Average Depth is calculated by measuring the deepest part of the pool and the shallowest part of the pool. Add the 2 figures together and then divide by 2.

Example: -(as in the image above)

6’6 + 3’3 = 9’9"

9’9divided by 2 = 4’10½ average depth.

or

1 metre + 2 metres = 3 metres

3 metres divided by 2 = 1.5 metres average depth.

• Multiply the surface area by the average depth to get the volume in either cubic feet (ft³) or cubic metres (m³).

• If you have measured in cubic feet you now multiply the answer by 7.5 to get the volume in US Gallons.

• If you have measured in cubic metres you now multiply by 1000 to get the volume in litres.

• Make a note of the volume of the pool in your Pool Logbook.

Main Index - Swimming Pools

Pool Surfaces

The finished surface of the pool is more than simply decoration it has to survive, for a long time, in a very harsh environment. The surfaces are constantly wet, exposed to corrosive chemicals, affected by the water balance (the chemistry of the pool-water), attacked by sunlight and subject to the abrasion of pool-tools used in pool-maintenance and wear-and-tear from feet (particularly on the steps).

The surface must be waterproof and possess a range of qualities such as smoothness, durability, stain-resistance, bleaching-resistance, ease-of-care, etc. While pools can be finished in a variety of materials and textures there are pros and cons to each and some thought should be given to this subject when selecting a finish for your new pool or in figuring out how to care for the surface you already have.

Liner pools, as you might expect, are fitted with a liner which is typically made from Vinyl and come in a wide variety of solid colors or printed with tile patterns. Fibreglass pools and Swim Spas have a top coat that is smooth, shiny and contains the pigments that give the pool its final color.

The commonest, and most economic, finish for an in-ground, concrete pool is plaster a mix of white cement and marble sand plus colorants but paint, natural stone, Pebble-Tec, Pacelite and mosaic tiles are all viable alternatives. Naturally, there are wide differences in terms of cost and durability.

Main Index - Swimming Pools

Types of Pools

A pool is a pool is a pool but there are many different types of pool. The most common are discussed below in detail, with their relevant pros and cons.

Above Ground Pools - are really affordable and just as much fun as an in-ground pool.

They also have many advantages over in-ground pools; not the least of which is that they are a great deal safer and far less costly. A child could ,quite easily, accidentally fall into an in-ground pool, but to fall into most above ground pools they would have to take a running jump! Another huge advantage of above-ground pools is that you can be swimming very soon after making the decision to install a pool.

Above-ground pool with decking - Image Sunsoka Pools

There are many models on the market, ranging from a simple inflatable pool to a steel or solid-timber-framed, vinyl-liner showpiece with lights, heating, fencing, decking, sound-system and sun terrace

Prices start at well under $100 for a small pool with pump and filter ('small' meaning just about right for splashing around with a couple of kids) with no upper limit to price.

Above-ground pools are considerably cheaper than an in-ground pool of the same surface area; maybe as much as 90% cheaper. That's a big difference!

Advantages of Above Ground Pools

• They are a lot simpler and quicker to install many can be installed in just one day.

• They can be self-installed (or your supplier should be able to inform you of a local installer).

• There is no requirement to excavate; just prepare a level base and away you go, carefully following the manufacturers instructions, of course.

• Above ground pools are safer for kids and pets. The access ladder steps presents quite a challenge to a young child; removing and storing the ladder presents an even greater challenge.

• Many come equipped with a pump and filter as part of the package.

• Less maintenance; because far less grass clippings, dust and debris gets into the water.

• Therefore, less of those expensive pool chemicals are needed to keep the pool sanitized.

• Local wildlife is less likely to end up drowned in the pool.

• Leaks are more easily traced and more easily fixed a simple vinyl patch will fix most leaks.

• Portability - should you decide to move the pool closer or further away from the house, into or out of a shady spot or even to a different property the pool can be drained, shifted and re-filled in just a couple of days. Try doing that with an in-ground pool!

• An above-ground pool can be disassembled at the end of the season so the backyard can be used for other purposes.

• When it comes time to sell the property and move, the above ground pool can be disassembled and taken with you.

• An in-ground pool adds value to your home, which means your property will possibly be assessed at a higher rate, incurring higher property taxes or rates. That's not the case with an above ground pool, because they are classed as temporary, i.e. removable, features.

• Whilst an above-ground pool does not add actual monetary value to the property it could certainly add desirability if you're planning to sell the property.

• Not all property-buyers are attracted to a house with a pool but if your pool is an above-ground model it can be easily and inexpensively removed by yourself or the new owners.

• There are no issues with draining the pool (in-ground pools cannot be fully drained if the water table is too high).

Reviews for The Pool Bible

[Ivan Marin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author is experienced, and it has a lot of information.
It looks this is for the UK, but the info is useful.