H2O Detective: The Case of the Mistaken Diagnosis
It was a hot day at the beginning of August and the store was finally starting to slow down a little after a long summer of extremely heavy customer volume. Harold Osborne II, A.K.A. H2O detective, had just finished up a standard water test and the next customer came up to the test station and held over her bottle. She was a rather small lady of about 5′ tall and in her mid thirties. She was wearing squared eye glasses and had short brown hair. She had a rather smart look to her and for some reason Harold imagined her in a college library studying for an exam.
“I am at my wits end. I am hoping that you can help me out. I’ve been taking my water sample to a different pool store and I have dumped over $100 in Phosphate remover to try and get my pool to hold chlorine and get rid of the algae and nothing seems to work. The phosphates have come down some, but I can’t get completely rid of them. I have a friend that brings her water here and she says that you guys are the best.” She said with a tone of exasperation.
“Tell your friend thanks for speaking so highly of us. I hope we can live up to the hype.” Harold started filling the sample tubes with water then reagents. By the time the reagents were dissolved there really was no need to run it though the machine, because after testing thousands of waters he knew what the results were by color. The tests were always nonetheless run through the machine and recorded into the store data base for future reference. He proceeded to type the customers information into the computer and run the test.
“It does show that there is zero chlorine in your pool, your PH is fine and your phosphate are a little high at 1300 parts per billion. How much chlorine have you been putting in and how often?” asked Harold.
“That’s exactly what I am talking about. This has been going on for over two weeks. I’ve put three treatments of phosphate remover in and I’ve been putting about two gallons of chlorine in the pool nearly every day for the last week and about once every two days prior to that and the problem doesn’t go away. I just can’t seem to get the phosphates down low enough to have the chlorine stay in the water.” She responded, rather despondently.
“Well, in my opinion you are treating one of the potential causes rather then treating the problem itself. The phosphates are not eating the chlorine, it is actually the chlorine is spending itself oxidizing the algae. The problem is, you have 20,000 gallons of water in your pool. If everything is going great and you just need a weekly shock, two gallons is the perfect amount. You, however do not have a perfect situation. You have a mildly bad situation and you need to treat it as such. I would recommend that you put in 8 bags of shock and some Eliminator to completely wipe out the algae.” Suggested Harold.
“8 bags of shock? That sounds like a lot.” Exclaimed the customer. “Can I try less? What about the Phosphates? They are still high!”
“The problem is…” retorted Harold, “this is science, and if you do the math, less just isn’t going to give you a positive outcome. One molecule of chlorine will go and kill one algae cell, the problem is, if you don’t kill them all off, they multiple at and incredible rate. If you don’t kill them all off at one time, the money you’ve spent on half measures are a complete waste of time and money, because by the time you do your next application the algae has multiplied back to the same level you were at the day prior. It’s better to take care of the problem once and for all. As far as the phosphates go, reducing phosphates is a tool, not an end all solution to fixing a problem or preventing a new problem from occurring. There are other weapons we can use to prevent algae, rather then phosphate removers. The problem with phosphate removers are, phosphates are naturally reoccurring and you will be constantly chasing after that ‘White Whale’ with little success.”
With a look of surrender the customer agreed to take Harold’s advice. She bought her chemicals and promised to follow up with a report and another water test in three days. There is very little Harold hasn’t seen in his line of work and this was no exception. As expected he had to really sell the answer he was suggesting, because it was going against what the customer believed and was told at a different establishment. He was confident that his solution would work and she would be in a lot better frame of mind the next time he saw her.
H2O Dectective Series: The Case Of The Haze
It was a cold day in December. A day right after Christmas and the store was quiet. The change from Christmas music to the standard Muzek 1980′s hit parade was an unexpected welcome to the employees swapping jokes around the front counter.
The day was cold, but not cold enough to turn the slight moisture falling from the sky into snow. A man of about 50 walked through the sliding doors and removed his over sized hat and walked toward the front counter. “I need to speak to the water expert.” he exclaimed as he reached into his coat pocket to remove his water sample.
“I can help you.” Said a voice reaching out over the counter. Harold Osborne II was an old hand in the pool and spa business. He had been in the business his whole life and had literally forgotten more then what most in the business would ever learn. Harold didn’t take any particular pride in this point. He understood that he gained this knowledge from a lifetime of retail sales and at the end of the day, he had become a solid retail sales associate in a niche market and that was about it.
“What kind of problems are you having Mr. Hamilton?”, asked Harold as he noticed the customers name on the test bottle.
“My spa was crystal clear and I adjusted my chemicals and it turned cloudy instantly.”
Harold led him back to the water test station and did the standard run up of chemical tests that every customer expects. The tests were not really needed, as Jeff had a good hunch what the problem was before running the tests.
The tests came back and everything was in the exact range they were supposed to be in. Harold asked, “Let me guess, did you add PH increaser to your hot tub right before it went cloudy?”
“Well, yes I did.” mentioned Mr. Hamilton.
“That’s just what I expected. The problem with the water is the PH was increased too quickly. Tap water from the faucet has a lot of calcium and other dissolved solids that are in the water. When you increase your PH too quickly, it takes the calcium out of this dissolved state and makes it a solid again and that’s what the haze is from.”
“What do I have to do to fix it? Is it time to drain the spa? I just drained it a few weeks ago.” Complained Mr. Hamilton.
“You shouldn’t have to drain the spa. Add about 10 ounces of Stain and Scale Remover and that should convert the calcium back into a liquid and by doing so, remove the haze from the water after a day or so. After doing this, it’s a good idea to follow up with the weekly maintenance dose of the Stain and Scale Remover. It’s a good product and will prevent you from having excessive build of calcium in your plumbing and on your heater.” Harold was starting to get in his preaching mode. This is what he was good at and often went on far too long, to the point of boring the customers with information beyond their general need.
Harold went and showed the customer the Stain and Scale Remover on the shelf and the customer left. Another problem solved. But, Harold knew that there would always be another case to solve. Not many problems were too difficult for Harold, but he was looking forward to the challenge.
Chlorine Tablets Make Great Christmas Presents!
Imagine the joy that special someone will feel when he (or she) unwraps that beautiful package to find . . . Chlorine tablet! For the pool owner, it’s usually the number one expense for the pool every year, so why not get a gift that’s not only lovelt, but practical! And right now, Eastgate Pools has all remaining buckets of chlorine tablets on sale.
So whether it’s birthday or anniversary time, the recipient will be impressed with your thoughtfullness and will appreciate the gift that keeps on giving (until the bucket is empty).
And for Christmas? Add some alkalinity and pH controls and you’ve got shopping covered. Stop in today and we’ll help you complete that list.
- Max
Keeping Your Pool Algae Free
It is the time of year when some customers run into algae issues. There are several contributing causes:
1. Low pH water will oxidize chlorine much quicker than pool water properly balanced. The rate can be dramatic—twice as fast, or even more. With low pH, it’s hard to keep any chlorine in the water.
2. Low stabilizer. Hey—it’s hot out there and the sun is bright. Without proper stabilizer levels, you will burn through chlorine. Stabilizer, also know as conditioner, is intrinsic to having clear water as it helps ‘hold’ chlorine in the water. Without proper levels you are destined to have a green pool. Low stabilizer=No chlorine? Algae will bloom.
As the water temperature rises, your chlorine need will grow. For every 10 degrees of water temperature rise, beginning with water temperature of about 70 degrees, you will need about 25% more chlorine in the water. Quite simply, chlorine gasses off at high rates as the water heats up. Right now, most pools have water temperatures in the high 80’s or even into the low 90’s. Pools with a water temperature of 90 degrees will need 50% more chlorine than when the water was just getting comfortable back in late April or early May. Adjust accordingly.
Investing In Your Pool’s Well Being
What’s new at Eastgate Pools? Well, if you own a pool or spa, you might be interested in knowing that there is lots of “new” to be found at the test center. Within the last week, we have taken delivery of our second brand new, state of the art test lab. The first new lab arrived and went into service a few weeks earlier, replacing an older model. The addition of this second lab gives us the ability to serve two customers simultaneously, meaning shorter wait times on those really busy days when it seems like everyone decided to have their water tested at the same time.
These water test labs are the very latest technology available from Palintest, and they will help insure accurate results that will help us to help you keep your pool or spa water clean, clear and safe. These new labs are costly, but we consider them an investment in your pool’s well being. At Eastgate Pools, we are committed to being your pool or spa professional. Try getting a state of the art water test at those big box stores where they don’t know pool water and they certainly don’t test it!
I Saw The Exact Same Thing At Walmart For One Dollar Less!
I would like to have a dollar for every time I have heard that, or that Kroger’s has liquid chlorine for 50 cents less per case. Lincoln proclaimed that “All men are created equal” and if this were the same for pool and spa chemicals then I would follow people to Walmart to get my chemicals as well. After working in the pool and spa industry for almost 15 years now I know that all chemicals are not created equal, and do have a definite shelf life. I also realize that the person who just put that gallon of algae remover on the shelf knows nothing more about that product than what is on the label. This is where we as pool experts working in a pool and spa retail store have the highest ability to accurately answer your questions. I though cannot answer questions about another product that was not purchased here. As I said previously all chemicals are not created equal and this comes down to concentrations, fillers, and composition. With the wide variety of chemical manufacturers on the market, and the different blends sold by these manufacturers it is impossible to know everything about every other company’s product. I think sometimes that customers feel we are not being helpful when they call in about usage of another product and we are not able to give them answers. Keep in mind this is kind of like calling a Ford mechanic and asking questions about a Chevy part, I understand that they are both car parts but there are enough differences that a question answered incorrectly could cause major problems, and be a source of much dismay.
A Scientific Look At Algae And Carbon Dioxide
Most of us look at algae as a horrible, disgusting, pain-in-the-neck that can easily ruin a summer. While this is, at times, true, we also need to remember that it is just a plant. As a science teacher, I love to take moments like this to refresh our brains on some scientific processes. The one I’d like to focus on this time is Photosynthesis.
Water + Carbon Dioxide + Sunlight à Glucose (sugar = plant food) + Oxygen
Swimming pools have all three necessary ingredients readily available for plants to be able to create their own food, and therefore, live. Water? Check (duh). Carbon Dioxide? Check (thank anything that breathes for that). Sunlight? Check (hopefully!). Plants, like all forms of algae, use those things to create glucose, for their food, and produce oxygen as a wonderful and necessary byproduct. Now, if we remove one of the necessary elements needed for Photosynthesis to occur, algae cannot survive. A new product that we have on the scene will do just that. Our new Tri-Tech tabs, and other coordinating chemicals, contain Sodium Tetra-Borates. Basically, as you use these chemicals, the Borates will build up in your water, ridding it of carbon dioxide. Without the carbon dioxide, algae cannot thrive. What’s the best way to quickly build up your Borate level, you ask? Well, the best way to accomplish this is to use the Pro-Team Supreme! While the initial dosage of 2 lbs. per 1,000 gallons is a little overwhelming, once you add it to your pool water, it will only come out through dilution or splash out. Because Pro-Team Supreme is just straight-up Borates with no additional chemicals, it will immediately spike your level, leading to less of a need for chlorine and an algae-free summer! This stuff is so good, even Disney World uses it to keep all of their pools algae free (without having to use as much of that harsh chlorine). Stop into Eastgate Pools today to ask us more about this new product, and remember, science is all around you!
I Need How Many Pounds Of What?
This can be a common question this time of year, and is being asked quite a bit this year especially. The actual chemical is cyanuric acid, but it is known by many names, chlorine stabilizer or conditioner are the 2 most common. For those of you with a chlorine generator this is a annual addition to the pool at start up, but this year with all of the rain everybody is getting in on the fun. The only purpose for this chemical is to save you money, and now you are wondering how. What this chemical does is keeps chlorine active in the water longer, thereby reducing the amount of chlorine you need to use, and saving you money. The biggest thing to remember about chlorine stabilizer is that most home test kits, and strips do not test for stabilizer so for this you will need to bring a water sample in and we will get you squared away with the correct amount for your pool.
Power Ionizer Video
The advantages of the Power Ionizer system are discussed in our latest video.
Tri-Tech Tablets Video
Max discusses the benefits of Tri-Tech tablets for your pool in our latest video.
Benefits Of Change
I love spring with the change of the weather, things starting to turn green once again. I also feel that change is needed from the gray overcast skies with cold temperatures, to brighter skies and warming temperatures. There was a decision made that a drastic change was needed to the store as well. From the pictures you can see from what we had, to what we now have. Everyone likes a new look, but I think this is more than that. This change by moving the chemicals closer to the water testing area will allow us to show you the specialty chemicals that you may need from the testing station. It also allows us to expand even farther our lines of alternative sanitizers to better serve you as the customer. I could go on and on about the benefits that just this re-adjustment of our showroom allows us to better serve you the customer, but I won’t. What I will do is invite you in to see the changes for yourself and let the benefits of these changes speak for themselves.
A Riddle
Questions: What’s green, brown, and dirty all over?
Answer: Your pool water in the spring, if your pool isn’t properly winterized!
Some hints:
- Don’t use liquid chlorine (shock) to winterize. Chlorine is an oxidizer and it will eat away at your cover, weakening the seams and causing it to split out, dumping whatever is on top into the water.
- Don’t hang jugs from the grommets. The intense pressure will rip out the eyelets and fray the fabric. Same end result as in #1!
- Don’t drop your water so low that it puts excessive strain on the cover. Yep—same result. Gunk into the pool AND you potentially damage the rails of the pool. Use our step-by-step winterizing guide at eastgatepools.com.
- If you have an in-ground pool, don’t use block, logs, planters, or other items that can damage the pool if they get pulled into the pool. This causes torn covers and you guessed it—everything into the pool that you don’t want. They can also tear up your liner.
- Before covering the pool, vacuum it and get all the leaves out. If left in, they will rot and stain the liner.
- Consider a leaf cover that goes over the winter cover. It captures the leaves as they fall and when they are all down, just peel the leaf cover (and unwanted leaves) off the main cover, clean the leaf cover, and store it away for next year. It makes it easier to keep the gunk off the winter cover.
- Don’t listen to your neighbor or ‘Uncle so-and-so’, who knows a “better” way to close the pool. Use us and use our complete winterizing checklist. It’s free to anyone that wants one here at the store and it is also on our web site.
–Max
How Does Your Pool Look?
It’s the end of summer and the Labor Day fireworks blew us all away with amazing things they are now able to do. We have had a great season to enjoy our pools this year but now maybe your water looks a little dingy. It is most likely a build up of oils and lotions from all of the skin care products or sunscreens. A good way to combat this is with a SunSorb, which floats in the skimmer and absorbs the lotions. We also carry a product call Pool Pizzazz that breaks down those lotions and oils. Remember, whenever you have a question about your pool don’t be afraid to call in and ask. Trust me we have heard them all.
Rain And It’s Effect On Pool Water
It’s a pretty common occurrence that after a big rain storm, a lot of customers come in complaining of green pools. I will try to explain, as best I can, what rain does to your pool water and how to treat your pool to prevent it from going green from a heavy rain storm.
When it rains a lot, it brings in a lot of contaminants into your pool. It brings in pollen and other organic debris from many valleys over and your chlorine is often used up getting rid of these contaminants. Therefore your pool has used up its sanitizer and there is nothing there to prevent algae from gaining a foot hold in your pool.
Rain is very acidic and chlorine is also very acidic. If PH is not regularly adjusted and your pool drifts on the acidic side it burns off your chlorine in a much faster rate then it normally would.
So, sometimes it’s a combination of things that will lead to your green pool after a rain storm. The simplest and best recommendation is to maintain your PH in a regular fashion and when a big rain comes, shock your pool. Shocking your pool, in most cases should keep your pool clean and clear. The dosage for shocking your pool is 1 gallon of shock per 10,000 gallons of water. I often hear customers that have a 25,000 gallon pool, explain that they’ve shocked their pool with a gallon and it didn’t help. It’s not enough. If your are having problems, at least put the recommended dosage. Sometimes, you’ll even need to double it or triple it depending on the severity of your issue.
