Archive for the ‘spas’ tag
Make Sure You Read This Before Buying Any Hot Tub Heaters no comments
Hot tub heaters are one of the most essential elements of your tub. There are various kinds of heaters for indoor and outdoor spas, but choosing a reliable heater can not only warm your tub up quickly but it should also maintain the temperature. They’re also used in home spas. Actually isn’t that fantastic, to take a hot stress-free bath outdoors, even though the weather is quite nippy?
Normally, you’ll know when it’s time to change your heater simply because your water will not be as warm as it used to be, and you can check this by looking at the temperature gauge. If it really does breakdown then it’s advisable to hire a professional to install a new one for you. This is much too hard a task for an amateur and trying it yourself might cause unnecessary damage. So, unless you are a skilled technician, make sure you get some help.
There are actually a few types of heaters to choose from, electric powered, propane gas and wood burning. Electric hot tub heaters tend to be pretty simple to use. All you need is a standard household hook-up of 110/220V. No additional wiring is required and you will be able to use your heater anywhere there is a standard socket. A further advantage is that electric heaters are very simple to repair if anything goes drastically wrong and finding the parts should be simple. However with spiraling fuel costs, you may find this option expensive to run.
Gas heaters tend to be more cost-effective so are probably better suited for frequent users, particularly in the cold season. Also it heats the water more quickly and is much easier to install for in-ground tubs. In the event that there is no electrical supply available, an external gas or propane heater works perfectly for keeping the tub warm.
Last but not least you have the traditional wood burning heaters. Despite the fact that they tend to be the most economical, you are unable to use them with any kind of tub except the wooden ones. They warm up the water extremely quickly and work efficiently but are essentially only practical for people who use the hot tub now and again.
Hot tub or spa heaters may well add an extra 10-20 percent to an energy bill but by observing some simple steps, you can drastically help reduce that; To find out more, make sure you study the resource box below…
To find out how to save energy and where to get the best deals on hot tub heaters, make sure you visit Graeme’s Hot Tub Heaters website and for all your other spa and hot tub requirements, check out The Hot Tub Store. Make sure you tell them Graeme sent you!
Guide to Pool Maintenance no comments
Owning a swimming pool is a lot of fun, and a lot of work – especially if you don’t follow the proper pool maintenance guidelines. While swimming and lounging in a clean, crystal clear pool is fun, maintaining the pool is anything but joyous. Nevertheless, if you want to enjoy the pool and have a sanitary and safe spot for your family to play, maintenance is the key.
It is a fact of life that most people do not enjoy cleaning, but just a bit of work on your behalf can have your swimming pool looking good. Arm yourself with the appropriate pool cleaning equipment and necessary chemicals, however, and your pool maintenance will be easier than you ever imagined.
Before You Start
You have to really know your pool in order to maintain it properly, and this includes knowing how much water it holds. The number of gallons of water in your pool is a necessary figure that will allow you to determine the amount of chemicals that should be added to the pool, like chlorine and other necessary chemicals. You can find the volume of the pool inside the owner’s manual that was packaged with the pool. If you do not have this information, you can figure the volume yourself. Simply figure the area of the pool and multiply it by the average depth – and then multiply the result by 7.48 to get the total volume or number of gallons of water in the pool.
What You Will Need
Balanced water is clear and clean water, and making sure that the pool water is balanced is accomplished using a test kit. These inexpensive kits will tell you if your chlorine level is optimal, and also reads the calcium hardness, pH, and alkalinity of your pool water. The various chemicals that you will need to add to your pool water under your pool maintenance schedule include:
- Chlorine – used to sanitize the pool water and make it safe for swimming. Chlorine is sold in granule, liquid and tablet form. You can also purchase an inexpensive chlorine tablet floater that will dispense chlorine gradually for you.
- Stabilizer or water conditioner – is used to protect the chlorine in your pool from being depleted by the rays of the sun.
- Shock treatment – boosts the effectiveness of chlorine and should be part of a weekly pool maintenance schedule.
- PH increaser/pH decreaser – used to raise or lower the pH level of the pool water as needed.
You may also need other chemicals like algaecide to eradicate algae and cause a decline in algae growth, and water clarifier for cloudy water. You should also have a high quality pool vacuum on hand for removing debris and other particles that accumulate on the floor of the pool, and a brush for brushing off material that clings to the side walls.
For proper pool maintenance, you will need to test your water quality with a test kit daily and add chemicals as needed to get the water to an optimal level. You also must skim out any debris, bugs, and other material from the top of the water each day, clean the skimmer basket, and check the pump to ascertain if the filter needs to be backwashed. Once weekly, brush the sides of the pool with a stiff brush, vacuum the pool, backwash the filter, and top off the pool water if needed. Be sure to clean any pool floats and toys as well as the pool ladder once weekly, too, so as to steer clear of algae growth on these items.
Following this maintenance schedule will allow you to fully enjoy the summer swimming season without a huge problem developing that could end up costing you more time and money!
For more information on swimming pools in Toronto or patio furniture in Toronto, contact a swimming pool specialist at Bonavista Pools.
What’s In Your Water Before Filling Your Pool Or Spa no comments
In the beginning of spring, pool owners will open their pools and if they drained it for the winter or evaporation loss, chances are they will be refilling the pool. Maybe this is the year you decide to buy a pool. Have you ever put any thought into what’s in your tap water? This water is used when you wash your hands, take a shower, do the dishes and when you fill up or top off your pool. So it is rather important to understand exactly what kind of water you have, so you know what you are filling you pool up with.
Hard Water
This means your water has high levels of minerals. Minerals like calcium and magnesium, which can affect your pool. Some problems that can occur with hard water are scaling. Scaling is when Calcium deposits are released from the water and form a thin white powdery scale in your pipes on your pool wall and can cause your skin to dry out. When water has too much calcium it tries to release it to keep a natural balance. The place where this causes the most problem is in your heater element if you have a heater. In warm water calcium becomes less soluble leaving a film in your heater element causing your heater to work harder.
Soft Water
Is the exact opposite of hard water. This means your water has low levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Also this means that your water may be low in pH levels and can be acidic. When water is acidic it tries to balance itself out by getting calcium wherever it can. It can get calcium from the plaster or concrete in your pool, which will cause pitting. Also acidic water can do a lot of damage by eating and corroding any metal parts in your pool.
Metals In Your Water
Some water is rich in metals especially if your water comes from a well. The usual metals that end up in a pool are iron and copper. These metals can react with chlorine to create all sorts of colors and it can also cause staining on your liner plaster, or fiberglass pool walls. All metals should be removed from your water before it enters your pool. There are filters that are made to drastically reduce the amount of metals in tap water.
For more information about your townships water you can contact the local utilities department or visit a local pool dealer to get your water checked for any of the these water problems.
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Swim University – The Ultimate Guide To Pool and Spa Care
http://www.swimuniversity.com