So you have an inground swimming pool in your backyard and all year you have been taking care of it and you have been using it and it's been nothing but all blast all season long. Some people buy inground pools so that they don't have to take a vacation and instead decide to turn their backyard into a vacation destination. But let's face it, everyone needs a vacation and when better than in the summer. Well the problem now becomes your pool. Your pool, much like your pets, need to be taken care of while you are gone. So here are some tips to ensure your pool remains in tact while you are on vacation.
The first thing you need to do is find a friend or relative that you can trust to enter your backyard while you are gone to perform simple tasks on your swimming pool including adding chemicals, emptying the skimmer basket(s) and vacuuming manually or putting the automatic pool cleaner in. It would be ideal to find someone who already has a pool and has taken care of it. This way it won't be a learning experience for them while you are gone.
Before you leave you want to vacuum your pool and add shock and any other necessary chemicals to it, this way the person coming over won't have to worry about this for a week. Now if you are leaving for 2 weeks or more this person should check this each week.
After that, as long as the weather is doing fine and your timer is working correctly all they have to do is empty the skimmer basket(s) and make sure the pool is clean.
Saturday 26 December 2009
Sunday 13 December 2009
Above Ground Pools and Swimming Pools Are a Relief For When the Heat is On
Summer brings warm weather. One of the best ways to beat the heat is through the use of above ground pools. It will cost you much less to install an above ground swimming-pools than it will to have an in ground swimming pool installed. Above ground pools can be self installed while in ground pools will require hiring a professional for the installation.
There is some initial prep work that will need to be done regardless of the type of above ground swimmingpool you choose. The area where you will install the pool should be free of stones other foreign objects. A layer of sand will help to protect the pool from cuts and rips. For the above ground swimmingpool with metal walls you will need extra sand to form a cove around the inside of the wall. Without the cove the liner can become damaged and allow all the water to leak from your swimming pool.
For easiest setup, choose one of the inflatable ring pools. There are no walls or supports to assemble. Just inflate the ring and fill with water. This swimming pool practically sets its self up. These pools are of limited size range.
The oldest style above ground swimming pool is the metal sided swimming pool. These pools are quite sturdy and durable. They can last for many years with proper care. The plastic liner keeps the water in the pool and can be replaced if necessary. Pools with metal sides can be much larger than the inflatable ring pools.
For ease of setup like an inflatable ring pool but a larger size like the metal sided pool, try a pool with a PVC frame. These pools do not require the time of setting up a metal pool, and have the heavier liner used in the ring pool. These pools can be as large as most metal pools.
Your above ground pool will need a filtering system. Many owners prefer a sand filter to the paper filters common with pools today. While more expensive, they do not require daily cleaning like the paper filters and can be back-flushed in needed.
Salt systems are becoming very popular ways to control algae and other contaminates in the pool. They are just as effective as chlorine, but the chemicals are much more stable, do not bleach clothing and less expensive. As an added advantage, salt systems will not burn your eyes. The salt is very mild and will not harm clothing either.
There is some initial prep work that will need to be done regardless of the type of above ground swimmingpool you choose. The area where you will install the pool should be free of stones other foreign objects. A layer of sand will help to protect the pool from cuts and rips. For the above ground swimmingpool with metal walls you will need extra sand to form a cove around the inside of the wall. Without the cove the liner can become damaged and allow all the water to leak from your swimming pool.
For easiest setup, choose one of the inflatable ring pools. There are no walls or supports to assemble. Just inflate the ring and fill with water. This swimming pool practically sets its self up. These pools are of limited size range.
The oldest style above ground swimming pool is the metal sided swimming pool. These pools are quite sturdy and durable. They can last for many years with proper care. The plastic liner keeps the water in the pool and can be replaced if necessary. Pools with metal sides can be much larger than the inflatable ring pools.
For ease of setup like an inflatable ring pool but a larger size like the metal sided pool, try a pool with a PVC frame. These pools do not require the time of setting up a metal pool, and have the heavier liner used in the ring pool. These pools can be as large as most metal pools.
Your above ground pool will need a filtering system. Many owners prefer a sand filter to the paper filters common with pools today. While more expensive, they do not require daily cleaning like the paper filters and can be back-flushed in needed.
Salt systems are becoming very popular ways to control algae and other contaminates in the pool. They are just as effective as chlorine, but the chemicals are much more stable, do not bleach clothing and less expensive. As an added advantage, salt systems will not burn your eyes. The salt is very mild and will not harm clothing either.
Monday 7 December 2009
Swimming Pool Decks Can Make Any Pool a Treasure
If you want to make your pool look a thousand times better, swimming pool decks can do the trick. It can be concrete or wood decking or vinyl even; installing a swimming pool deck can protect your back yard from turning into a mud bog and protect your guests from slipping in wet grass. It also transforms your yard into something quite extraordinary. Depending on the type of pool you have, whether it's in ground or above ground, your deck can be simple to very extravagant, small or extend from your backdoor to half way around your yard. It's up to you and your budget.
There are other limitations to your swimming pool deck plans. For instance if you have an above ground pool you wouldn't be able to build a concrete deck for it, nor would you want to. For one, it would jack the cost of your deck to astronomical heights and two, it would like ridiculous. No, with above ground pools you will have something that is portable and definitely less permanent than what an in ground pool would have. Mostly you're looking at vinyl, maybe something plastic or you could even wood would look great in an above ground pool deck. Concrete and brick pavers are more typical of in ground decks.
Digging further into above ground swimming pool decks there are two options for you. One is to have a freestanding platform deck that attaches to the side of the pool and is basically a ladder leading up to a deck that has enough room for just a couple people. Then there's a ladder dropping into the water to enter or leave the water. These often come with assembly instructions and are fairly inexpensive. The other is a deck that wraps around the pool with a walkway space. It might have a waist high fence to prevent someone from falling off. It costs more but makes the pool area look fuller. It will also help support the walls of your pool.
Swimming pool deck design for an in ground pool is basically left up to your imagination. Only your wallet can limit you on what look you are going for. Look at as many swimming pool decks as you can before you decide. If it doesn't make you happy when you first see it, you won't enjoy it down the road.
There are other limitations to your swimming pool deck plans. For instance if you have an above ground pool you wouldn't be able to build a concrete deck for it, nor would you want to. For one, it would jack the cost of your deck to astronomical heights and two, it would like ridiculous. No, with above ground pools you will have something that is portable and definitely less permanent than what an in ground pool would have. Mostly you're looking at vinyl, maybe something plastic or you could even wood would look great in an above ground pool deck. Concrete and brick pavers are more typical of in ground decks.
Digging further into above ground swimming pool decks there are two options for you. One is to have a freestanding platform deck that attaches to the side of the pool and is basically a ladder leading up to a deck that has enough room for just a couple people. Then there's a ladder dropping into the water to enter or leave the water. These often come with assembly instructions and are fairly inexpensive. The other is a deck that wraps around the pool with a walkway space. It might have a waist high fence to prevent someone from falling off. It costs more but makes the pool area look fuller. It will also help support the walls of your pool.
Swimming pool deck design for an in ground pool is basically left up to your imagination. Only your wallet can limit you on what look you are going for. Look at as many swimming pool decks as you can before you decide. If it doesn't make you happy when you first see it, you won't enjoy it down the road.
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