Atlantic Pools

General Hints

Below you will find some comprehensive information to help keep your pool in tip top condition.

- Test Water at least twice weekly
- Add Chemicals in the evening.
- Super Chlorinate or Shock Treat weekly through summer. Four times the daily dose is recommended. Salt Pools included.
- Add Chemicals with equipment on
- A general rule is that you can swim an hour after adding chemicals PROVIDED YOU HAVE HAD THE FILTER RUNNING. Common sense prevails when adding large quantities.
- Make sure that your pressure gauge is working. This will tell you when to clean the filter. For worry free operation you should clean your filter regularly as wastes and contaminants build up quickly.
- You must filter long enough to turn over the complete volume of your pool water each day. This is normally 8 hours a day depending on the size of your pool and your pump and filter size.
- A dog swimming in your pool is equivalent to 30 humans. - Chlorine must be added everyday.
- Algae and other problems are nearly always due to not enough chlorine, filter problems or balancing problems.
- If you can smell chlorine you do not have enough in the pool. - NEVER MIX CHEMICALS TOGETHER.

What is Stabiliser?

- Stabiliser is like a UV Treatment for your pool, it stops the sun taking chlorine out of your pool.
- Salt pools need stabiliser too, as the salt chlorinator is simply a miniature liquid chlorine manufacturer.
- The recommended level for stabiliser is 50ppm.
- Never throw stabiliser directly into your pool. It is a very slowly dissolving product.
- If your stabiliser level gets too high, it will interfere with the chlorine's ability to work effectively.
- Stabiliser will last a long time in your pool, however it dissipates through dilution. You will find the need to top up your stabiliser levels from time to time.

Green Pool Treatment

- Take and keep a water sample for testing.
- Add 20 Litres of liquid chlorine. Circulate for one hour.
- Brush sides, steps and bottom of pool to remove all algae and dirt.
- Using water sample from step 1 adjust the pH to at least 8.0 and alkalinity to at least 100. 140-150 is ideal as the Floc works better.
- Fill pool as high as possible. Turn off pump and timer. Pull out plug if necessary.
- Set up manual vacuum and leave in the pool.
- Dissolve some Floc in plastic bucket of water and spread over the surface of the pool.
- Leave 12 hours or over night. When floc has settled on the bottom of the pool, set valves to waste and vacuum carefully and slowly. Clean filter.
- Adjust water levels, run for 4 hours.

HOW TO ADD CHEMICALS TO YOUR POOL
NOTE: Pump must be running whenever you add chemicals

1. STABILISER (SUN-SCREEN)
Stabiliser takes a long time to dissolve.
Method A. Put the stabilizer in skimmer sock or old stocking and hang in the pool in front of the water return. (it will take 1 week to dissolve.
Method B. Clean filter and add 500 gm at a time into the skimmer box, every day. To add 2 kg will take 4 days.
Swimming is OK during this period.

2. SALT
Disconnect pool cleaner.
Pour salt into the shallow end and brush until dissolved, (if you do not brush, it may stain the pool).
Do not swim until all the salt is dissolved.

3. ACID.
TO LOWER pH only. Pour the acid into a bucket of pool water, mix and broadcast over the pool.
TO LOWER ALKALINITY
Broadcast the neat acid over the deep end of the pool. Do not swim for 2 hours after adding acid.

4. CALCIUM INCREASER
Make sure pH is 7.2 to 7.6. Do not add calcium until 4 hours after adding acid. Dissolve the calcium in a bucket of pool water, stirring with a stick as it will get hot. Broadcast over the deep end of the pool.
Do not swim for 4 hours after add:ng Calcium

5. ALGAECIDES
Adjust pH to 7.2 to 7.6.
Wait 2 hours before adding algaecide.
Mix the algaecide in a bucket of water and pour around the pool. Do not swim for 2 hours.

6. CLARIFIERS
Mix in a bucket of pool water and broadcast over the pool. Do not swim for 2 hours.

7. CHLORINES
LIQUID
Adjust pH to 7.2 to 7.6 .
Mix the Chlorine in a bucket of pool water and broadcast over the pool.
STABILISED
Adjust pH to 7.2 to 7.6
Dissolve granules in a bucket of pool water and broadcast over the pool.

What is pH?

- pH is used to express the acidity or alkalinity of pool water. It is measured on a scale of 1-14.
- Test pH twice weekly. The recommended range is 7.2-7.8 depending on the surface of your pool.
- High pH causes chlorine effectiveness to be lowered, water can become cloudy and scaling may appear.
- Low pH can result in swimmers experiencing skin or eye irritations, corrosion can occur on metal parts and the pool surface can be affected.
- Newly plastered pools will have an unusually high pH as a result of bleed from the plaster. Additional chemicals may be needed.
- Never exceed 250ml of pH adjusts per 10 000 litres in one treatment.

What is Alkalinity?

- Total Alkalinity refers to the amount of certain minerals in the water. The concentration of these have an effect on the pH. The desired range is 80ppm-160ppm depending on your pool surface.
- Low alkalinity increases the sensitivity of pH. Water with a low alkalinity can go quickly from a high pH to a low pH and then back again. This is called pH bounce. It can be damaging to your pool and your equipment.
- High Total Alkalinity decreases the sensitivity of your pH. The result is usually high pH and lower chlorine efficiency. It can also result in scale formation and cloudy water.
- If you are adjusting both pH and Alkalinity do the alkalinity first.
- Test Kit reagents should be less than one year old for a reliable reading. Store reagents in a cool place away from sunlight.

What is Water Hardness?

- Water Hardness is the quantity of calcium and magnesium in the water.
- The natural hardness of water varies from source to source throughout Australia.
- High levels will cause cloudy water, scaling of equipment and pool surfaces.
- Low levels can lead to etching in concrete pools and equipment corrosion.
- The recommended range in concrete pools is 200ppm - 250ppm. Fibreglass and vinyl painted pools is 175ppm - 225ppm
- If the levels are too high in hardness then dilution is usually the answer.

Body Wastes

- People bring into the pool wastes that the filter has difficulty filtering, mainly because they are not solids.
- Body Wastes are things such as perspiration, suntan lotions, cosmetics, urine, saliva.
- Some of these wastes give off nitrogen which combines with the chloramines that give off the unpleasant chlorine smell and cause skin and eye irritations.
- To keep body wastes at bay clean your filter regularly and use an oxidiser in your pool.

Is My Pool Salt Water or Chlorine

A chlorine pool is basically a pool that has chlorine added manually, either by pouring in liquid or granular chlorine. One of the main reasons the public doesn't like chlorine pools is because you have to add an average of 1 litre everyday.

This becomes a job and most people forget or don't want to pour the chlorine daily and then try to double up. This does not work!
Chlorine has about a 2 hour life span on a hot day.

A salt water pool is when the dissolved salt runs over the cell and then an electric current is added. This process transforms the salt into chlorine gas, and is less harsh than liquid chlorine. A salt water chlorinator makes between 15-42 grams of chlorine per hour. Reverse polarity means the current reverses and repels the waste calcium off the cell into micro particles that is very difficult for the human eye to see. No cleaning needed!

Maintenance

With the right equipment being selected you can almost eliminate 90% of manual labour. Products such as correctly rated self cleaning chlorinators, sand filters, auto cleaners, chemical balance, nature 2, zeolite, solar blankets etc.

In general, cartridge filters should be degreased with a swimming pool degreaser at least twice a year.

Sand filters with zeolite should have a bag of salt added annually to recharge the zeolite mineral.

Replacement of cartridge - average 3 - 4 years.

Replacement of sand - average 5 years.

All threaded parts should have a swimming pool lubricant applied to prevent plastic biting & easy opening of inspection points.

Pool Water Balance
How To Calculate The Amount Of Chemical to Add

TO RAISE THE ALKALINITY OF YOUR POOL	use Sodium Bicarbonate (Alkalinity Increaser, PH Buffer, PH Stabiliser) I kg of Sodium Bicarbonate will raise the alkalinity of the average 50,000L- pool by I2ppm.
TO RAISE THE ph OF YOUR POOL	use Sodium Carbonate (ph lncreaser, ph Up, Soda Ash) When raising the ph, always check the alkalinity first, if the alkalinity is low, sodium bicarbonate will raise the ph and Alkalinity. 300gms of soda ash will raise the ph of 50,000L by one decimal point, eg. 7.4 to 7.5.
TO LOWER THE ph & ALKALINITY OF YOUR POOL	use Hydrochloric Acid or Sodium Bisulphate (ph Decreaser, Pool Acid, Dry Acid) 500ml of Hydrochloric acid or 500gm of Sodium Bisulphate will lower the ph of 50,000L by five decimal points, eg. 8.0 to 7.5 approximately.
TO RAISE THE CYANURIC LEVEL OF YOUR POOL	use Cyanuric Acid (Sunscreen, Stabiliser, Conditioner) 500gm of cyanuric acid will raise the cyanuric acid level of 50,000L by 10ppm.
TO RAISE THE SALT LEVEL OF YOUR POOL	use Sodium Chloride (Pool Salt) 25kg of Sodium Chloride will raise the salt level of 50,000L - by 500ppm.
TO RAISE THE HARDNESS OF YOUR POOL	use Calcium Chloride (Hardness lncreaser) 500gm of Calcium Chloride will raise the hardness level of 50,000L by 7ppm.
TO RAISE THE CHLORINE LEVEL OF YOUR POOL	use Calcium Hypochloride 65% (Super 654, Pool Chlorine) 100 gm of Calcium Hypochloride will raise the chlorine level of 50,000L- by 1ppm.