All pool owners will confront at least one of these questions throughout their years of pool maintenance. Thankfully, these are questions that we have been asked many times before, and so we have lots of knowledge to share on each subject. Treat this FAQ as an index that has links to further research if needed.
Getting Started
Swimming pool and Spa owners are required by law to have a pool fence or safety barrier around their pool. Government standards and regulations stipulate how the fence should be designed, constructed and maintained. Pool fences must be non-climbable by young children and include self-latching gates.
Pool builders are always happy to assist with ideas and advice for your swimming pool design, or can work with an existing plan if you have already engaged an architect or landscape designer.
This will vary dependent upon your final decision regarding fibreglass or concrete. Fibreglass is generally quicker once building permits have been obtained.
As pools are designed to suit the needs and lifestyle of individuals this will vary greatly and pool builders will supply you with a quote based on your specific requirements. Click here to find your nearest pool builder.
There are many varied sizes and shapes with fibreglass pools which will suit many requirements, however, the extra benefit of an inground concrete swimming pool is that the pool can be designed to any size or shape to suit your specific area.
Maintenance
Natural evaporation will cause a water loss of between 2 and 5cm per week depending on how hot and windy it is. One quick way to check is to get a bucket of water and put it beside the pool and mark the line on the top of the bucket where the water is when first filled, mark a line inside your skimmer at the same time. Compare the two levels a few days later and if the pool has dropped considerably more than the bucket you may need to get a leak detector in.
You should maintain chlorine and pH levels between pool shop visits and ideally you should test your water 2-3 times a week. During Summer a fortnightly visit to the pool shop is probably wise and monthly during Winter. It is also a good idea to get the levels checked following heavy storm activity.
Blackspot algae is a root based algae that embeds itself into the pebbles. Poor circulation can be a large contributor to recurrent blackspot issues. Ensuring good chlorine levels and good circulation will assist with reducing recurrent issues as will the use of a metal brush to “break down” the coating over the blackspot which will allow the chlorine to kill it off. The use of a quality algaecide is also recommended.
This can be the first sign that your pool may turn green if due to insufficient chlorine levels or inadequate filtration times. It can also be a result of storms blowing in dust and other debris or organic material from rain or water run off. Cloudy water is also caused by dirty or clogged filters which are unable to collect material in the water. Get your local pool professional to check your chemical balance and adjust accordingly.
Generally this is caused by insufficient sanitiser levels or inadequate filtration times. It can also be caused by poor circulation. Take a sample to your local pool professional and get them to check that all chemical levels are sufficient.