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H2O Detective: The Case of the Mistaken Diagnosis

scott — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:10:49 +0000

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.

New Item . . . EZ Drain Covers

craig — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:26:50 +0000

New for us this year is the EZ Drain cover. This cover takes the aboveground pool cover to the next level. Traditionally aboveground pool covers take a beating when there is too much water on top of the cover. The opposite can be just as much of an issue when the wind whips the cover up and down. With the EZ Drain cover you have a mesh center that allows water to pass through a drain that is connected to your pool return fitting. The cover maintains just the right amount of water on the cover and saves you the unnecessary waste of dropping your pool water level for winter. In addition to these great features, the cover also boasts the highest thread count of any of our winter cover options at 15 strands by 15 strands per square inch. All of these features will help extend the life of the cover and save you the hassle of draining water from your cover during those cold and miserable days.

Craig

Clean Your Skimmer Basket And Save Yourself Some $!

max — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:01:17 +0000

It’s simple. Leaves drop from the trees and the wind carries them to your pool. The filter does its job and sucks the leaves into the skimmer basket. They build and build, and water flow is reduced. The pressure from the motor cracks the skimmer basket and the leaves travel on their merry way to the basket on the front of the motor. The pressure re-builds and that basket cracks, allowing the leaves to get pulled into the impeller housing where they clog it. Now no water is going through the system and the motor continues to run.

What are you out? At the minimum, a basket or two. Pretty minor expense, but if the motor is allowed to run with little or no water going through it, you may burn out the motor. Big problem and big expense!

The solution: When leaves begin to drop, check your basket every morning and every evening and empty it. It only takes a minute but it could save you hundreds of dollars. –Max

What’s A Pool Without The Toys?

max — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 14:59:05 +0000

Okay—so you have a pool. But what about the goodies that go inside? You know—TOYS! Eastgate Pools has a complete line of pool toys, floats, lounge chairs, and mats. But these are the ‘common’ things. How about pool golf? Got it! Underwater skateboard. Yep—we have that too. In fact, we have a really nice selection of uncommon things that go perfectly with pool fun. How about a remote-control Water Soaker or an inflatable pool slide? Maybe you are an aerial acrobat. So how about a small plane that does loop-d-loops—underwater!

These are just a few of the fun items that can keep the kids happy and entertained—and you too. –Max

Keeping Your Pool Algae Free

max — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:28:23 +0000

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.

Debunking An Aboveground Myth…#2

craig — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:20:42 +0000

The vast majority of our customers that have shopped around for aboveground pools come in to the store looking for a resin pool because that is what they have heard is the best. Well, you won’t get that same endorsement here. The argument is always that resin won’t rust like steel. The question you should immediately ask at that point is why is the wall made of steel then? The reason…steel is stronger. The same applies for toprails and uprights. While it is true that resin doesn’t rust it does chalk, discolor, crack, and warp. If properly protected through hot dip galvanization, and other methods steel will provide you with a much more durable and long lasting pool than resin. Not all resin is bad, but gas assist injection molded resins are far more expensive to produce and that is not what you are going to get with pool “specials”. Our inground pool manufacturer uses the story of bridges to explain why steel is superior and I have to agree. You don’t often see bridges made of plastic. Consider the fact that we have installed over 3200 steel wall inground pools and never replaced a single panel in almost 32 years. If that isn’t validation, I don’t know what is.

It’s Not Too Late

max — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:59:08 +0000

It happens every year. A prospective pool buyer stops in to check out a pool for “next year”. They say it is too late to do get one this season because they’ll miss too much of this year’s swim season. A couple of points:

Summer officially arrived on June 21 at 1:16 pm. That means there is a boat-load (or pool-load) of time left to swim.
The hottest months are July and August. Anybody want to take bets on what month is the hottest? I’ll take July, with August close behind.
School doesn’t start up until late August and a few places start in September. Do you want the kids hanging around the house watching TV and nagging you? C’mon—get them a pool and have some fun with them.
Some people think they will be cheaper this fall or maybe even next year. Perhaps some people will find a season-ending deal, but we’ve already sold out of about 30% of our models and sizes. There may not be much selection left because the people that are swimming now got the pool they wanted and are using it NOW!

So, do you want to procrastinate for another year or do you want to cool off and have some fun? –Max

A Scientific Look At Algae And Carbon Dioxide

stacey — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 13:35:05 +0000

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!

How Can You Not Love Cincinnati?

chris — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:33:36 +0000

With things like Graeter’s Ice Cream, Skyline Chili, Hudy Beer, and did I mention the weather. Where else in the world can you get at least 3 if not all 4 of the seasons in one week? Alright so seriously, the ability of the weather to turn on a dime is one of the most maddening things about this city, along with the traffic on I-275 north in the morning. It is however weather changes like this that make the need for a solar cover that much greater in this area. The mid to upper 80′s mid week to the 50′s at the beginning of the next, by using the solar cover the warmth that was created by the sun is trapped in the pool by the solar cover instead of floating off into the atmosphere. For those of you with heaters you are even more familiar with the need for the solar cover, looking out your window on a cool morning and watching the heat that you paid for to put in the pool rising off as steam. Granted adding a solar cover is not going to raise the temperature 20 degrees in a day, but you could honestly expect 3-5 degrees on a warm sunny day. This is where the high need of a solar cover comes in. The warm water is less dense than the cold water and rises to the top, and as such is what evaporates at night. By putting the solar blanket on it will trap that heat in your pool water. I realize solar covers can be bulky and difficult to be removed or put on by one person, and that is where a cover reel would come in handy. The ability to simply turn a crank and wind the cover up is kind of a dream come true. The other option is a liquid solar blanket which creates a “skin” on the surface of the water that cannot be seen, felt, or tasted but does prevent the evaporation of the pool water. I invite you to stop in and speak to one of our sale associates about which heat retention system is right for you. Hope to see you soon.

What To Look For In An Aboveground Pool

thomas — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:04:06 +0000

It is a common question to hear a customer ask what they should look for in an aboveground pool. I always answer them with a question and ask what they want out of the pool. It may be tough to narrow down to a few items what you should look for but I’m going to give it a shot for you.

It is very important to have a large steel frame that will give you proper support and strength. Some pools come with a lot of plastic components and you want to try and avoid these because they get brittle and break. Watch out for those cheap pools you see that have the tiny toprails or those blow up rubber pools. The last thing to remember is you want to make sure that you buy your pool from Eastgate Pools & Spas and not from one of those fly by night guys down the street.