Looking for a hard-top pool/spa cover and we could use your help…

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Pietila Pools
14 foot round spa in need of cover

14 foot round spa in need of cover

We have a project currently in need of a hard topped spa cover. The spa is raised out of the ground, and is about 14′ in diameter. We are looking for cover solutions that can be strapped down to operate in the safety function, as well as be simple enough for the homeowner to use for entry and exit into the spa. Our alternatives are a strapped down safety cover, and the only other option is to put up a standard swimming pool fence.

If you’ve come across anything that might fit the need, please leave us a comment here. If you end up needing a similar solution yourself in the future, please check back to see what we’ve found!

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Protect Your Pool with a Safety Cover

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Pietila Pools

Safety covers are made to order and can be made for any size or shape pool.

It’s getting to be that time–time to think about closing your swimming pool. The phones have been ringing more and more in the past few weeks with customers ready to schedule their pool closings. This time of year brings another concern, too: covers. A cover is a vital part of proper winterization. The right cover will make all the difference when it comes to keeping your pool safe during the winter and making opening a breeze.

We always recommend safety covers because they’re, well, safer. When dealing with a standard plastic cover with waterbags, you don’t get much protection against things falling into the pool and taking the cover down with them. The waterbags do a good job of keeping the cover on the pool when installed correctly, but if something heavier than rain, snow or your average debris falls onto the pool, a plastic cover won’t offer much protection. Safety covers, though, offer an incredible amount of protection against just about anything that might try to make it into your pool. Whether it’s something falling onto it or your dog running across it, a safety cover is up to the challenge.

Safety covers are used with anchors that are installed into the concrete surrounding your swimming pool. The cover is attached to these anchors and the end result looks similar to a trampoline. Each safety cover is made specifically to the measurements of the pool it will be covering, unlike plastic covers which come in two standard sizes and only one shape. The result is a better fitting cover that is much more durable and secure.

There’s still time to get a safety cover for your pool before it’s time to close it this fall. If you’re interested and would like more information or an estimate for your swimming pool, feel free to contact us–we’d be happy to help!

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How do Salt Chlorine Generators Work?

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Pietila Pools

Do you enjoy your pool, but don’t love the chlorine chemicals that you have to add to the pool? Consider converting your existing in-ground pool to an environmentally friendly alternative with a salt generating system.

Saltwater swimming pools have been around in other parts of the world for years and are becoming even more popular in the United States.

How Saltwater Pools Work

By adding a chlorine generator to your pool’s plumbing system, the generator works with salt added to the water to produce the active chlorine required to keep your pool water clean, so you don’t need to continually add chlorine and other chemicals. You don’t have to specifically do anything prior to the installation of the salt system, though keeping your water in balance is always recommended.

The conversion will start by installing the generator to your pool. Then you’ll need to add salt to your pool. The amount of salt your pool requires will depend on the size of your pool, however a working estimate is 50 pounds of salt per 1,200 gallons of capacity.

The chlorine generator system will be installed in your pool’s water return lines (after the filter and heater) by cutting into the return lines and installing PVC piping to run water through the chlorine generator then back into the return line. The generator needs a power source, so it will be wired into the pool pump circuit so that the generator turns on and off at the same times as the pool pump.

Once installed, turning on the pump circulates the salt water through the system, including the chlorine generator. Through an electrolysis process, the salt molecules (sodium chloride) are separated into sodium and chlorine. Concurrently, a hydrogen atom is freed from the water molecules. Know that the hydrogen and chloride atoms combine to form sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) that actually purifies the water in your pool. After sanitizing your pool water, the chlorine chemically recombines with sodium, turns back into salt, and the process begins all over again.

Taking Care of Your Saltwater Pool

Realize that maintaining chlorine generating systems is simple. Modern systems test for salt levels and have indicator lights to let you know if salt levels need to be adjusted. Consider that many chlorine generating systems are self-cleaning as well, using a built-in polarity reversal function to clean themselves. Test the salt level in your water periodically (using salt test strips available at pool supply stores).

Recommended Products:

IntelliChlor Salt Chlorine Generator

IntelliChlor Salt Chlorinator uses common table salt to produce all the chlorine a pool needs, safely, effectively, and automatically. Same sanitation performance as manual chlorine addition without the drawbacks. No need for customers to buy, transport and store chlorine compounds.

An Eco Select Brand: Using only natural table salt, the IntelliChlor Salt Chlorinator automatic chlorine generator creates pure chlorine in the pool and eliminates the need to buy, store, and add harsh chlorine products manually. In effect, fewer resources are used in the production, packaging, and transportation of these chemical compounds.

Note : For new installation 520556 Intellichlor transformer must also be installed

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Salt Systems and Zinc Anodes

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Pietila Pools

Salt systems are a huge trend in pools. The chlorine generators use ordinary salt and break it apart into sodium and chlorine. The chlorine cleans your pool and clears the water; then, when the chlorine has done it’s job, it hooks back up with the sodium and turns back into salt. The salt is recycled continuously, day after day, reducing maintenance requirements even more. A salt system is the easiest, most effective and convenient way to keep your pool clean. Chlorine generators provide the same sanitation performance as manual chlorine addition without the drawbacks–you never have to handle chlorine. You don’t need to buy and store chlorine compounds and you’ll never have to deal with the smell, stinging eyes and bleached bathing suits. A zinc anode is an important part of your chlorine generating system. It is protects the metal components of your swimming pool from corrosion. The zinc anode will be the first thing to corrode, saving the other parts of your pool from corrosion. We are happy to quote a salt system if you might want to convert your pool to a salt/chlorine generating pool. If you have a salt pool already – double check to make sure you have a zinc anode. They are often overlooked, and are a critical part of your system!

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Salt Water Pools and Chlorine Generators

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Pietila Pools

Do you enjoy your pool, but don’t love the chlorine chemicals that you have to add to the pool?

Consider converting your existing in-ground pool to an environmentally friendly alternative with a salt generating system. Saltwater swimming pools have been around in other parts of the world for years and are becoming even more popular in the United States.

How Saltwater Pools Work

By adding a chlorine generator to your pool’s plumbing system, the generator works with salt added to the water to produce the active chlorine required to keep your pool water clean, so you don’t need to continually add chlorine and other chemicals. You don’t have to specifically do anything prior to the installation of the salt system, though keeping your water in balance is always recommended.

The conversion will start by installing the generator to your pool. Then you’ll need to add salt to your pool.  The amount of salt your pool requires will depend on the size of your pool, however a working estimate is 50 pounds of salt per 1,200 gallons of capacity. The  chlorine generator system will be installed in your pool’s water return lines (after the filter and heater) by cutting into the return lines and installing PVC piping to run water through the chlorine generator then back into the return line. The generator needs a power source, so it will be wired into the pool pump circuit so that the generator turns on and off at the same times as the pool pump.

Once installed, turning on the pump circulates the salt water through the system, including the chlorine generator. Through an electrolysis process, the salt molecules (sodium chloride) are separated into sodium and chlorine. Concurrently, a hydrogen atom is freed from the water molecules.

Know that the hydrogen and chloride atoms combine to form sodium hypochlorite (chlorine) that actually purifies the water in your pool.

After sanitizing your pool water, the chlorine chemically recombines with sodium, turns back into salt, and the process begins all over again.

Taking Care of Your Saltwater Pool

Realize that maintaining chlorine generating systems is simple. Modern systems test for salt levels and have indicator lights to let you know if salt levels need to be adjusted.

Consider that many chlorine generating systems are self-cleaning as well, using a built-in polarity reversal function to clean themselves.

Test the salt level in your water periodically (using salt test strips available at pool supply stores).

We recommend:

Eco Select

IntelliChlor® Salt Chlorinator uses common table salt to produce all the chlorine a pool needs, safely, effectively, and automatically. Same sanitation performance as manual chlorine addition without the drawbacks. No need for customers to buy, transport and store chlorine compounds.

Features

  • Full diagnostic capabilities, including cell life tracking that communicates remaining hours of cell life in real-time. Captures all performance data daily (production settings, hours of operation, chlorine output, cell cleaning cycles, salt readings, and water temperature averages)
  • Push-button operation and easy-to-view displays enable fast checking of salt levels, cell cleanliness, sanitizer output, and water flow
  • Automatic shut-off feature protects the unit and prolongs cell life under low water temperature conditions
  • On-time cycling prevents calcium and scale build-up to maximize cell life
  • Ability to communicate with IntelliTouch®, EasyTouch®, and SunTouch® Automation Systems
  • Certified to UL 1081 standard for safety
  • NSF approved
  • Health Canada approved
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Did someone say Swimming Pool Closing…already?

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Pietila Pools
Pietila Pools Services Pool Closing Special 2011

Pietila Pools Services Pool Closing Special 2011

Pietila Pools Services Pool Closing Special 2011

Pietila Pools Services Pool Closing Special 2011

2011 Swimming Pool Closings

Regular Price $350

2011 Ask The Pool Guy’s Closing Special price: $299 COD!

Call 248-478-4978 to schedule your closing!

Pool Closings Include:

  • Remove debris from bottom and surface of pool
  • Drain pool water below return lines
  • Blow out all lines
  • Add winterizing chemicals
  • Plug all lines
  • Anti-freeze in lines as needed
  • Remove plugs on equipment
  • Remove deck equipment
  • Install winter cover *free safety cover estimates upon request: Merlin Safety Covers
  • *per manuf. Recommendations we do not cover the equipment for the winter
  • & Most important of all: Peace of mind that your pool system is properly winterized by an experienced professional!

To prepare for your closing:

  1. Continue your routine maintenance and water balancing until our crew arrives.
  2. Keep the pool floor clean of leaves and other debris – our crew will do a final clean up before putting the cover on, however, if you have an entire tree’s worth of leaves on the bottom of the pool, we will have to charge you extra.
  3. Have your winterizing supplies out for our crew on the day of the closing. This includes your winter cover (safety cover or plastic cover), water bags if applicable & plugs
  4. Let us know if you need our crew to bring out any extra supplies such as:
    1. Swimming pool covers
    2. Waterbags – we recommend the dual tubes only!
    3. Winterizing plugs
    4. To take advantage of the special price, be ready to pay for your closing when it’s completed. Cash/check/charge cheerfully accepted.

Special Bonus Offer: Winter Pill™ for 30,000 gal. pools for sharing your feedback! Click on this link to write a testimonial and you’ll get the Winter Pill™  as a special Bonus and our way of saying Thank you!

winter pill for pools

Bonus: WinterPill for Pools

Winter Pill™ is an All-in-one formulated product with a 4 part blend to make spring openings faster and easier. It has a Clarifier to maintain sparkling clean water, a scale inhibitor to prevent scale build-up, and a stain inhibitor to prevent iron, copper, and manganese stains. Winter Pill™ is enzyme enhanced, it naturally destroys all organics, preventing water ring, enhances filter performance and improves sanitizer efficiency.

Easy to use – floats under your winter cover all season

  • Helps maintain clear, clean water all winter long
  • Prevents scale build up
  • Clarifies your water
  • Inhibits iron, copper and manganese stains
  • Enzyme enhanced to destroy organics in the water
  • Makes spring openings faster and easier
  • Safe for all surfaces and filters
  • Patented slow releasing formula good up to 6 months
  • Performs well with mesh safety covers
  • Salt water compatible
  • Dose: 1 pill per 30,000 gallons
  • Note: compatible with all sanitizers and with other winter kits/products

Winter Pill™ provides pool owners with a simple, effective way to winterize their pools, simply by dropping this measureless capsule into your pool before installing the cover. Winter Pill floats in the pool underneath the cover all winter, preventing scale buildup, clarifying the water, and maintaining pool filters.

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In-Floor Systems: The Wave of the Future

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Pietila Pools

It can take a lot of work to keep your pool looking clean and clear. Many homeowners are frustrated by the time it takes to manually vacuum their pools. What’s even more frustrating is when you don’t have the time to vacuum and your pool ends up full of debris. Your swimming pool should be a relaxing place to hang out when you need some time to just chill. When you want to swim, you want to be able to swim without having to worry about whether your pool is clean.

Automatic swimming pool cleaners can be great, but let’s face it: they’re not the prettiest things in the world. They interfere with swimming and they aren’t very attractive. They also need to be replaced every few years when they start to get rundown. We have an even better option: in-floor pool cleaning systems. Paramount has provided us with our favorite new option for pool cleaning. They have different systems for vinyl, gunite and fiberglass pools–there’s an option for every swimming pool.

Vanquish is Paramount’s cleaning system for vinyl liner pools. It divides the pool into six sections to ensure efficient water circulation. The system pumps warm, clean water through a six-port water valve which distributes it to the six different areas of your swimming pool. One by one, the water valve delivers filtered water to each section of the pool, moving dirt and debris to the drain and skimmer to be removed.

Paramount’s pool cleaning systems do more than just keep your swimming pool debris-free. They circulate water so effectively that it can cut your heating and chemical costs significantly. In most pools, the return jets deposit clean, warm water close the surface of the pool. This keeps the chemicals and heat at the surface, where it can easily evaporate or be stolen by the wind. When water is deposited at the bottom of the pool, though, as it is with Paramount’s systems, the clean, warm water stays in the pool for much longer as it rises to the top and is continuously replaced. Conventional pools consume up to 50% more chemicals and 30% more heat than pools with in-floor systems.

If you’re interested in learning more about Paramount’s in-floor cleaning systems, feel free to check out their website. If you’re interested in installing a Paramount system, let us know! We’d be happy to help.

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What to do if your pressure gauge is reading low…

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Pietila Pools

You should run a backwash cycle if you have a sand or de filter. Here’s how…

We get questions all the time about how to backwash a sand filter system. These instructions are good for a sand filter, with a multi-port valve, and an automation system (we most commonly use the Pentair automation set up with salt generating systems).  So if you need a quick reference guide, here you go. The most important thing to remember…never move the multi-port handle when the system is running.

  • Unroll the backwash hose and point it into the yard where you want it to go.
  • Turn the system off (by hitting the mode button to change the service mode to service from automatic) Hit the filter button to turn off the pump.
  • Move the handle on the multiport valve to backwash Hit the filter button to turn the pump on.
  • If you are backwashing to drain excess water from the pool: Let it run as long as you’d like to drain the pool When you are ready, hit the filter button to turn off the pump Turn the handle to rinse Hit the filter button to turn the pump on, it will still push water out the backwash hose, you need to do this to make sure that the water is clear going back into the pool
  • Hit the filter button to turn the pump off.
  • If you are backwashing to clean the filter system: Let it run as until you see the water in the little sight glass turn clear, or until the water out of the end of the backwash hose runs clear.
  • When you are ready, hit the filter button to turn off the pump Turn the handle to rinse.
  • Hit the filter button to turn the pump on, it will still push water out the backwash hose, watch the sight glass again until the water is clear, you need to do this to make sure that the water is clear going back into the pool
  • Hit the filter button to turn the pump off.
  • Turn the handle back to filter
  • Hit the mode button to change back to the automated cycle.
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Pool Closings & Safety Covers

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Pietila Pools

We offer you convenience and protection against damage from improper winterization.  Pool closings include pool chemicals needed for closing, winterizing the plumbing, pump, filter and heater, and any optional equipment you have including slide, spa, and waterfall. Once the pool is ready, we put your winter pool cover on, either the plastic type with water bags or a safety cover. Call for pricing which is fairly standard, with up-charges for certain spa/waterfall combinations.

Safety Covered Pool Photo by Pietila Pools Services

Safety Covered Pool Photo by Pietila Pools Services

Safety Cover Installation

Safety Covers for any shape pool and spa. As Safety Cover Specialists we are able to design and fit your custom fit safety cover to just about any shape and size. We can provide covers and installation from a basic rectangle to a custom free form shape with obstacles (rock cut-outs, raised spas, waterfalls) and create a safe, eye-catching back yard experience, even when the pool is closed.

Safety covers are a great investment for the safety and security of your pool during the winter months. Call to set up an appointment for your safety cover estimate. Cover prices vary, and depend on the size, shape, custom fit, and any obstacles the cover needs to be built around. We recommend and install: Merlin Safety Covers

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Ask the pool team: a bunch of questions about an old gunite pool

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Pietila Pools

I would love to know what you think about us installing a vinyl liner in our pool. It has a horrible leaking problem and the covers for the main drain desperately need to be replaced. Also, when the pool was crystal clean (Once this year-oops!) I can see foot prints in the bottom. On top of the fact that tiles and granuals fall into the water constantly and it looks hideous.

Our pool is about 16X32 or 17×34 and it goes from 3 feet at the stairs to 9 feet under the diving board and the transitions are smooth. I have included a picture to jog your memory and to see if you have a ballpark idea of cost. Would at least LOVE to know if your company installs these and if so- round about cost on that.

We are also currently finding out when the last time the sand was changed in our filter, from the previous owners. Can you tell me the cost on your company servicing that also?

Let’s talk about the issues in order of importance…

1.       Sand Change – yes, it absolutely should be done. The cost starts at $250. Or you can do it yourself – it involves purchasing filter sand ($8-10/bag) you’ll need at least 6 bags. It depends on your filter volume and I am not exactly sure, but could find out. You scoop the sand out of the top and replace it. Most people who do it one time say they will never do it again, it’s just tedious and not fun, but also not very complicated. *Sand should be changed every 3-5 years. It’s a safe bet that it’s been a bit longer than that, if not much, much longer. One homeowner I spoke with this year said he did his sand change once before, and it would never be him doing a sand change again. For some reason our guys love doing sand changes, but they are really not that much fun!

2.       Leak in the pool – a new liner would not help solve this if the problem is in the lines. A pressure test is about $250 and we would isolate the line(s) that are the problem if it is the plumbing, or we can troubleshoot to see if it’s in the pool, or the light. (I can also walk you through steps where you do this, and monitor the water level to see what it does, then do this and see what it does until we are cued into what it could be) Unless you see a visible crack in the gunite, it’s probably not the problem. If the line is found that is the problem that line could be plugged, or something like that. A liner retrofit is probably almost as expensive as a gunite redo…so not really fun.

3.       The green pool. Would be helped by a sand change for sure, by running the filter 24/7, by making sure you are using enough liquid chlorine, adding algaecide weekly and have floating tablets in continually…so this could be any of these combinations.

4.       Tile falling into the pool. You could strip the tile. It’s not “functional” but rather cosmetic. So if you strip it, it won’t be pretty, but at least it would stop falling in. Aside from remarciting the surface, or putting up new tile, not many other options. Again, something that you can do – though it is a “special talent” and we do have an excellent tile person, Karen. Cost for removal and reinstall of new tile if we did it would run $3500. New marcite (white) would run $7000)

5.       Pool surface clean and new clean water next year: I would recommend if you want to start with fresh water next year that might be beneficial – so when it’s time to open, a complete drain of the pool (don’t do this yourself) where we use our trash pump with 3” hoses to drain the pool, clean it with an acid wash, and refill immediately the same day, will both clean the pool walls to make them “whiter” and also allow you to start with fresh water. Depending on how your tap water is, you may want to bring in a truck, it would take at least 3 trucks of 8-9k gallons to refill your pool, at $365ish each, or refill with the hose if you think your well can handle it. Price for an acid wash starts at $550.

6.       Safety cover: for your pool it is complicated, and therefore just a bit expensive. I am glad that you were able to get other quotes, and that our price was good, relatively speaking. Maybe a future option down the road!gunite pool in need of renovation as quoted by Pietila Pools Services

Let me know if you have any other questions, or if these answers raise any different questions for you!

 

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