Circulation - First Key to Good Pool Care

Key 1 - Circulation

Good circulation in your pool means much more than filtering water - it's getting all of the water in the pool fascinating & straight through the filter. Circulation is more than filter or pump turnover; its removing dead spots - you know those areas where algae all the time seems to grow or where dirt & debris all the time seems to accumulate. The better the water is circulating, the better the filtration, the cleaner the pool. In fact it typically takes more than Four turnovers to get all of the water completely filtered. The following chart shows how much of your pool water is typically filtered in a normal filter turnover. Turnovers are ordinarily carefully by "how much" water can go straight through the filter system - not what is of course filtered. One turnover can take in any place from 3 hours to 8 hours depending on the pool's size and the filter size & pump horsepower. After 1 turnover - 42% is filtered, 52% is Un-filtered After 2 turnovers - 84% is filtered, 16% in Un-filtered After 3 turnovers - 95% is filtered, 5% is Un-filtered After 4 turnovers - 98% is filtered, 2% is Un-filtered Why does it take so much time & effort? Mainly, it's due to dead spots. Dead spots are those areas of the pool where the water may not completely move or circulate. Dead spots are the "birthing grounds" for algae & bio-films resulting in green or cloudy water. These are the most tasteless areas of would be dead spots: * the bottom half of the pool especially in pools without main or bottom drains * corners of rectangular pools * the "exact" center of practically all round & most oval pools - especially aboveground pools * behind ladders and / or stairs * areas directly adjacent to pool skimmers & return fittings * a mixture of all of the above Let's briefly look at each of these areas & furnish a cure to the dead spot. The entire bottom half of the pool of course is a neglected spot. Many pool-owners unfortunately like to see the water rippling across the top of the pool as the filter runs. They point the return jets or eyeballs "up" rather than down toward the bottom. When pointed up, only the top 1/3 or so of the pool is circulated. The bottom 2/3 remains relatively stagnant, especially the added down you go. The cure: readjust the returns down toward the bottom of the pool. This will help create better top to bottom flow of water. Someone else way is to hook up your vacuum & simply let it sit in the bottom of the pool for a full day, once each week. Corners of rectangular pools are notorious for being dead spots. You can see where leaves & airborne debris are trapped. Go down along the pool walls from the corners & you'll see that's where algae gets its head start. The cure: be sure to completely brush down the projection areas on a regular basis. Once or twice each week should be a minimum. Round or oval pools, doesn't mean you won't have dead spots. Over the years we've seen round & oval pools having cloudy centers! Really, we have. The reason, the "circulating" water goes round & round and the center remains stagnant. Overtime, especially in pools that don't get regular or minimal swimming, a column of water sets itself up - something very similar to a hurricane's eye. Lot's of action nearby the eye, but the eye is peaceful & calm! The cure: be sure to direct the pool return fittings down toward the bottom & level across. You'll get better wide circulation. The areas behind ladders & especially drop-in style stairs get miniature or no circulation. No bodies brushing against the pool surface. Algae & bacteria are allowed to grow without hindrance. The cure: Be sure to properly & completely brush & vacuum those areas. Portable or movable stairs should be taken out of the pool periodically & the pool surfaces cleaned. This is where the weekly addition of a good algicide is foremost - more about that under the water chemistry heading. If you use a protective mat, take off & clean that as well. Perform this cleaning at least once in the middle of each swimming season. The any inches nearby your pool's skimmer & return fittings are great big dead spots. There may be lots of water action nearby or near them, but directly adjacent...no. The cure: pay special attentiveness to brush & vacuum these areas. Even brush, vacuum & clean the faceplates of these fittings. All of the above! Dead spots are all the time in combination. Here are the best cures to poor pool circulation & dead spots. And most of the ideas won't even cost you a penny! * Use the pool. Swim, splash, play. Do laps. Ask some friends over to have some fun. regular use of your pool is the singular best thing you can do to give it better circulation. * Brush & vacuum. It's like brushing & flossing your teeth. You know you have to do it. Brushing the pool walls at least once a week (preferably twice) prevents algae & bio-films from setting roots and becoming a real sick in very miniature time. For some "uber-brushing" think a Wall Whale brush. You'll get up to 10 times the brushing force with the endeavor of one hand. * Be sure to point those eyeballs & return jets Down. You don't want to see ripples on top of the water. You want circulation throughout the pool. think installing a Circulator instead of the approved eyeball - can furnish up to 1500% better circulation in your pool. Awesome new product. * Run the filter a minimum of 8 hours daily. Every day. To save money & electricity, use a timer to turn the pump on & off and use multiple settings to spread out the time to catch some of those "off-peak" electrical hours.