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Pool Care FAQ > |
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Pool Blocks & Pool Drops (Algicides) FAQ |
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A few simple steps are required to keep your pool in top condition all year round without the need for many expensive pool chemicals or complex water monitoring. Our KEEP IT SIMPLE approach allows pool owners to enjoy the benefits of a sparkling swimming pool with simple routine water testing and maintenance. The pool water stays crystal clear once all algae is eliminated with our unique products and with correct pH and total alkalinity, other pool chemical work their best.
Maintain correct pH The pH balance is the most important factor to ensure all chemicals function at their best, especially chlorine which is many times more effective at killing bacteria at an ideal pH of 7.2 to 7.6. A pH higher than 7.6 might seem like a small difference, however chorine will take four times longer to kill bacteria and much more chlorine will be required to get the same results. To adjust pH, simply run the filter for an hour, test the water with your test kit or test strips and if required add small 250 ml doses of hydrochloric acid (to lower pH) or small 250 g doses of sodium bicarbonate (to increase pH). With correct pH, pool water sparkles and our unique algicides work their best.
Maintain correct total alkalinity Bicarbonates act as a pH buffer to prevent rapid changes in pool pH and assist in keeping the pH in the ideal range of 7.2 to 7.6. Maintaining correct total alkalinity also assists in the efficient operation of chlorine either added to the pool or produced by salt chlorination. Importantly, total alkalinity protects concrete pool walls from erosion as acid added to the pool to correct pH is balanced against the bicarbonates rather than dissolving the walls. In fibreglass and vinyl pools, the total alkalinity should be between 60 and 100 ppm and in concrete pools between 90 and 130 ppm. Total alkalinity can easily be checked with PoolCheck 3 Way Test Strips, if the total alkalinity is low, add 500g doses of bicarb soda and if high, add 250ml doses hydrochloric acid and re-test in 6 hours.
POOL BLOCKS or POOL DROPS Plus These are an ideal first step in your pool maintenance regime to provide a constant low level of algicide which both protects the pool water and the pool walls from all forms of free floating and wall based algae growth. Once treated, the pool water stays visually clean and crystal clear even as the chorine level rises and falls. By eliminating all algae cells, spores and associated organic matter from the pool water and walls, much less chlorine is required to maintain correct sanitiser levels. Chlorine consumption and running times can be reduced by around 50% to just four to six hours per day. In the non-swimming months, POOL BLOCKS or POOL DROPS Plus are the most effective winterisers available and will control all algae even without chlorine. The principal task of chlorine is to destroy bacteria and much less is wasted on organic matter once the water is treated with with our long term products, a small dose of chlorine is required to kill bacteria alone.
Run the pool equipment daily As pool water should be filtered for around four to six hours per day in the swimming months. It is best to split the running time, to a few hours early in the morning and again in the late afternoon to ensure a constant level of free chlorine is maintained throughout the day especially in salt chlorinated pools. In the non-swimming months, run the pool filtration equipment a minimum of two to three hours every day which is enough to turn over the pool water volume, this also helps keeps your pool equipment in good order.
Check free chlorine daily Check free chlorine daily before the pool is used for swimming. Once the pool is treated with our long-term algicides, the water will not suddenly turn green even without chlorine, however chlorine is required as a sanitiser to kill bacteria so always maintain a minimum free chlorine level of 1.5 ppm in unstabilised pools and 2.0 ppm in stabilised pools (and an additional 1.0 ppm where the pool water exceeds 26 degrees Celsius) to ensure the water is safe and free of harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. At the end of the swimming season, pool owners then can add a weekly dose of chlorine to bleach leaf marks without worrying about the pool turning green.
Maintain your pool equipment In salt chlorinated pools, clean your salt chlorinator cell electrodes regularly to maximise chorine production. Our algicides tint the usual white calcium deposit on the cathode a light sky blue colour, which does not effect the performance or the life of the cell. In fact, the reduced running times with our products result in extended equipment life. Salt chlorinator electrodes are a consumable item and after three or four years, the chlorine production falls off markedly and they are best replaced to restore full chlorine production, rather than supplementing with chemical chlorine. Clean the leaf baskets regularly and backwash the filter often to ensure the maximum water turn-over rate. Modern efficient pumps and filters typically filter over 15,000 litres of pool water an hour which is enough to 'turn over' an average pool in just four hours.
Download Simple Pool Care Training Booklet pdf ..............................................................................................................................................
POOL BLOCKS & POOL DROPS (Algicides) FAQ
Do I still need chlorine while swimming? Yes, chlorine is required when swimming to control harmful bacteria. Once our highly effective products eliminate all algae from the pool, less chlorine is required to maintain minimum levels of free chlorine; 1.0 ppm in unstabilised pools, 2.0 ppm in stabilised pools, and an additional 1.0 ppm where the pool water exceeds 26 degrees Celsius. In the non-swimming months, our effective long term algicides keep most pools sparkling clear and free of all algae for months at a time without any chlorine at all. Just a weekly dose of chlorine in winter is helpful to bleach leaf marks and debris from staining.
Do I add POOL BLOCKS as they dissolve? No, our solid algicide tablets are designedto be a slow release treatment which dissolve fully in the skimmer basket over several days, but treat the pool water for an entire calendar month. If POOL BLOCKS took an entire month to dissolve, they would work far too slowly. Once dissolved in the water, our algicides are used up controlling algae cells and spores at a constant rate so simply add them as they are due on the calendar as per directions.
How often are POOL DROPS Plus added? Our unique long term liquid algicide is addedjust "once a season" in an average size 50,000 litre swimming pool. POOL DROPS Plus are a potent double strength algicide formulation and we get superior results by adding the one litre bottle at the start of each season for long term product performance and protection against all forms of algae. The additional active ingredient simply stays in the water longer and is used up at a constant rate on algae cells and spores which enter the water.
Which product is best for my pool? Over many years, we have found POOL BLOCKSwork best in fibreglass and vinyl lined pools where the pH is most often quite neutral around 7.2 to 7.6. Our liquid product POOL DROPS Plus can be used in all types of pools as they perform very well over a much wider pH range. They are especially effective in pools with alkaline pool surfaces such as concrete, pebblecrete and marblesheen or where the pH is typically higher than 7.4 most of the time. With correct pH control in the normal swimming pool range of 7.2 to 7.6, you can choose either product based upon whether you prefer the ease of a 'once a month' application or the simplicity of a 'once a season' treatment (three monthly treatment period).
How do POOL BLOCKS and POOL DROPS Plus work? The natural trace element copper has beenused for centuries to inhibit algae growth and has been used for many decades as the active constituent of hundreds of algicide products available worldwide. Our high performance products also include a complex blend of non-active ingredients which result in the active copper ions being very readily absorbed by the algae cells at low levels (just 0.4 to 0.8 ppm). This low level is in line with both the Australian and World Health Organisation recommendations for drinking water at 1.0 ppm and also private swimming pool water quality (AS3633-1989) also at 1.0 ppm. Naturally occurring copper is an essential human nutrient found in hundreds of food items such as nuts, beans, peas, chocolate and fruit juices at higher levels between 1.0 and 20 parts per million.
Why do POOL BLOCKS and POOL DROPS Plus work so well? The secret to the superior performance of ourunique products is that they are "made stronger to last longer". Where standard algicides provide a single small dose of algicide which lasts just a few weeks, POOL BLOCKS provide five "once a month" treatment tablets in the one 1.5 Kg container, and this lasts four to five months in an average pool. POOL DROPS Plus are two to three times the strength of all standard strength liquid algicides, and also last for an entire three to five months treatment period even in testing climatic conditions. The number one reason most algicide products fail is that they simply do not provide the treatment period sufficient to give effective long term results. Algae grows slowly and dies slowly and an effective algicide product must provide several months treatment to work effectively.
Do they kill blackspot algae? Yes, POOL BLOCKS and POOL DROPS Plus are one of the few effective treatments against blackspot algae which is common in all types of swimming pools. Chlorine has no effect at all on blackspot algae as only a specific long term algicide destroys the algae cells. Some scrubbing is helpful during treatment to remove the waxy protective coating that forms on the exterior of the blackspots. Tough, wall based algae such as blackspot grows slowly and dies slowly and a full three month treatment period is required to kill all living cells and this is why short term algicides so often fail. Once the algae is dead, only the mineral remnants of the spot remain and this is mostly composed of calcium and can either be scrubbed off with a stiff bristled brush or a follow-up acid treatment with citric acid can be used to breakdown the dead remnants left behind. This follow-up treatment involves lowering the pH of the pool water with citric acid (which dissolves organic marks) and sometimes some additional hydrochloric acid is required to further lower the pH to around 6.0 for about a week, then the pool is rebalanced back to pH 7.2 and any remaining spots are scrubbed away. ..............................................................................................................................................
ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT FOR MY POOL & SPA
Ultraviolet (UV) water treatment is a natural and efficient way to eliminate all harmful water borne Pathogenic (disease causing) Micro-organisms including all bacteria, viruses & protozoa. In addition UV light breaks down the smelly chlorine by-products called Chloramines and is not pH dependant. Chloramines are formed when chlorine combines with organic contaminants to destroy them. They are primarily responsible for skin rashes, red eyes, strong chlorine like odour and asthma. Traditional methods of removing chloramines are to super chlorinate the pool water and then wait for days until the chlorine level subsides. UV light also damages Green Algae cell structures causing them to clump together "Flocculating" for capture in the filtration unit. UV will reduce health risks associated with other chemical water treatment, it does not create any harmful by-products or leave any chemical residues in the water. UV light works on a very short contact time with the water. This means that pool or spa water can be pumped quickly through a suitably sized unit, instantly treating the water. ..............................................................................................................................................
Ozone is a powerful oxidant and disinfectant that can oxidise metals and organic compounds. It works over 3,000 times faster than chlorine to destroy pathenogenic micro-organisms, algal toxins and harmful Chloramines (Chlorine By-Products). When reactions are complete residual Ozone combines to form simple pure oxygen. Ozone is widely used to sanitise spas and swimming pool water. It is used in conjunction with Chlorine and Bromine. It aids with filtration by acting as a flocculat on organic material and metals such as iron to oxidise and remove them from the water. .............................................................................................................................................. |
Before and After
Before and After
Before and After
Before and After
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© Algaefree Australia 2009 |
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