4 Little Tricks I've Learned

[dirtysouth]

Hello all. I wasn't sure where a good spot for this post was but since my water stays crystal clear I thought I'd place it here. Here are a couple of little secrets that I've used for the past couple of years and will use forever.

1. Spray Down - After mowing the lawn my pool would always tend to have a small film of "dust" on the water. I like to get my garden hose with the spray nozzle and set it for "SHOWER" or "FULL" (although any setting will work) and spray the water down. Sounds crazy? Well, after just a few seconds of this, the water surface is back sparkling clean again.

2. Diminishing Return - I have 24' AG and honestly think that the direction of the return vent is very important given different situations. Debris tends to collect in the center when you adjust the vent anywhere near 90 degrees (close to the water level). Pointing it more downward seems to work better for me. Pointing up does a little better than out to the sides but the violent waves seem to deter debri from going into the skimmer. I've also heard that when you have splashes you lose chlorine faster. Downward, and a maximum of 45 degrees in any direction seems to work best. Also, when I have floats/toys that keep winding up in the skimmer mouth I just turn the vent toward the skimmer mouth. That keeps em at bay.

3. Water Level - My skimmer works best when there's only an inch and a half or so of water pouring over and into it. Much more than that and items will just swirl around in the water funnel and when you turn your pump off they float right back out into the pool. One downside to doing this though is that if you let the water level get dow too too low (about 3 quarters of an inch for me) your pump starts to strain (not getting enough water) and cough and choke. You'll have to be on top of how your pump is performing if you want to run that water low into your skimmer. I add a little water every week or so because I like running mine kind of low.

4. Aqua Bug Hideout - I'm real big in vacuuming my pool. I think it's the single most important ingredient (next to good chemical balance of course) to a crystal clear pool. It's not uncommon for me to run my AquaBug overnight several times a week. To make a long stroy short, when I'm not expecting a pool party and I'm finished with the bug, I break the hose down into three two-piece sections. I fill these sections with water and connect them to theirselves (picture three big individual circles now). I then simply hang them over the side of the pool near the return (too far from the return and bugs and debris likes to collect on them at water level). That's right, part of the hose is in the water and part hanging over the outside of the pool. I then place the Aquqbug itself under the water and underneath the pool ladder inside the pool. This way, I'm not hauling all that stuff back and forth across my yard every few days and it's pretty much out of the way.

Whew. Sorry I've been away for so long. Going into my 3rd pool season, these are the biggest individual tricks that I've learned myself. Any pros or cons? What are some of your little tricks?

Pics coming soon.