What is a Salt Chlorine Generator and Why Do I Need One?

There’s nothing quite like a refreshing dip in your sparkling pool on a hot summer day. But what if you forgot to buy chemicals, or you didn’t add chlorine last night like you had planned on? Your afternoon under the sun could be a bust. Instead of relying on yourself to manually measure, add and maintain your pool’s chlorine, you could install a salt chlorine generator and keep it automatic.

Salt Chlorine Generator – The Basics

A salt chlorine generator sanitizes your pool water automatically using standard table salt (less than what most humans can taste). Although the sanitary and safety affects are just like manually adding chlorine, the salt chlorine generator keeps you from having to buy multiple chemicals, handle and store the chemicals, manually add chemicals and constantly test the water. Although you may still need chemicals for periodic shocks, and testing the water regularly is important for safety, a salt chlorine generator greatly simplifies pool maintenance.

The benefits of a salt chlorine generator go beyond just time savings and ease!

• Safety – Because you are not buying, handling and storing potentially dangerous chemicals, you don’t have to worry about chemical spills or adding too much chlorine. This makes the pool and surrounding area safer for your family.
• Gentler on the Swimmer – The elimination of chlorine chemicals also means the elimination of smelling the chemicals or having your eyes get irritated by too few or too many chemicals. Plus, salt chlorinated water is not as drying as standard chlorine, so your skin and hair stay soft.
• Swimsuit Savings – Chlorine can really damage swimsuit fabric along with the sun and heat. Salt chlorination does not have the same deteriorating effect on fabrics, so you don’t have to buy a new swimsuit every season unless you want to!
• Inviting Water – Water chlorinated with a salt chlorine generator tends to look cleaner and clearer, making it that much more inviting to dive in and relax.

So How Does it Work?

The salt chlorine generator is installed as part of your pool’s return pump system. Standard table salt is added to the pool water, usually less than a teaspoon per gallon. When the salted water flows through the new generator, it is converted to pure chlorine through the process of electrolysis – an electrical current creates a chemical reaction. The chlorinated water then distributes through the pump and into your pool.

The salt water generator is the ultimate example of recycling. When the chlorine breaks down in the pool, it converts back to salt and continues the sanitization process. So you only need to add salt to account for splashing and regular use. Most generators are also equipped with salt monitors to simply let you know when it’s time to add more.

Sold!

Convinced you need a salt chlorine generator to help you maintain a safe, constantly chlorinated pool? Pink Dolphin Pool Care not only helps you maintain your pool, but also installs and maintains pool equipment.

Call (602) 688-7465 today to see how a salt chlorine generator could decrease your time working on your pool and increase your time enjoying the water!

What is Pool Shocking?

Everyone enjoys a dip in the sparkling swimming pool, especially in the hot summer or after hours of yard work. But what if your pool isn’t so sparkling, has a pungent smell or is quickly fading your new swim suit? Taking care of your pool, measuring and adding the appropriate chemicals and maintaining pH levels are essential in pool care. So is the process known as “shocking.” No idea what we’re talking about? Read on to see how your pool benefits and when you need to shock.

Shocking Up

Shocking a pool is also called over-chlorination. It simply means that you are raising the chlorine in the pool to 10 times the amount of chloramines, or about 10 ppm in your testing kit. With such a high level of chlorine, the high number of chlorine oxidizes all organic matter. This level is referred to as break point chlorination. It’s like a chemical flash that ripples through the water, chemically burning everything in the path. Any form of chlorine will do the trick – whatever you typically use to chlorinate the pool.You can also opt for a non-chlorinated shock using potassium monopersulphate.

Shocking Schedule

Shocking your pool should be part of your regular pool maintenance. Following your testing kit to guide you and be observant. Sometimes it’s good to shock when combined chlorine levels are at .3 ppm. But if you had a big pool party with kids, that may also be a good time to shock and kill any leftover organic material. A hazy pool, burning eyes, algae on the walls, or a strong chlorine smell are all good indications that shocking is necessary. It’s probably a good idea to get in the habit of shocking every few weeks whether you need it or not, especially in the height of pool season.

Since the pool pump and filter will need to process the extra chlorine and the pool will need to come back down to safe levels, you will typically shock with chlorine in the evening, then test the levels the following morning. Usually they will be back down to normal. With the non-chlorinated shock, you can actually use the pool 15 minutes after shocking it.

Shocking Side Effects

Always be sure to test the pool water after shocking it and before jumping back in. You need to make sure the water is safe. If you forgot to test or the test was thrown off, there are some telltale signs that the pool is too chlorinated. If skin burns after shocking the pool, get out and wash off immediately with distilled or tap water. There may also be a delayed onset reaction to breathing the gases produced by chlorine. Make sure you clean up and put away all chlorine and chemicals used to treat the pool, as direct contact with these chemicals can also cause burns.

Ship Shape with Shock

So now that you know what pool shocking is and what it can be used for, could your pool use the inspection and services of a professional? Call Pink Dolphin Pool Care today to set up an appointment or simply ask us a question. We can turn a green pool blue again, fix a broken pool pump, clean a filter or just take care of everything on a weekly basis. As your local pool service experts, we’re happy to help!

The Importance of Weekly Pool Service

In warmer climates, a pool can be year-round fun for the entire family.  It’s a place to keep cool and provide hours of fun for children and adults alike.

But with all that use comes a bit of pool maintenance.  Your car requires periodic maintenance to continue running smoothly, so it’s not surprising that your pool requires periodic maintenance to remain useful and enjoyable when you need it.

The chemistry of your pool is influenced by a whole host of variables including climate, exposure to the elements, amount of use, filtration equipment, and others.  As such, it’s important to manage all those variables before they get out of hand and cause your pool to become unusable.

Because of these many variables and their tendency to go out of balance, weekly pool service is a necessity.  Because most people lead busy lives, it’s often beneficial to hire a local pool-care professional to manage your pool for you.  Their experience and knowledge can guarantee your pool will be clean and inviting so you can take those precious hours of down time to enjoy your pool rather than working on it.

Here are some things that need to be checked/done every week to ensure that your pool is happy and healthy.

• Clean the pool
• Test water chemistry
• Adjust chemicals
• Backwash if necessary
• Inspect and maintain pool pump
• Empty skimmers and baskets
• Brush walls, steps, and other underwater surfaces
• Vacuum as needed
• Skim leaves and debris
• Keep a record of all maintenance

Depending on the size of your pool and the machinery involved, these tasks can take up the time you could be spending in the pool with your family and friends.  Don’t waste your time.  Contact your local pool service company who can check your pool while you work so that when you get home, your pool is ready for fun.

Pink Dolphin Pool Care is proud to offer weekly pool service schedules to fit your needs.  They also offer equipment installation, repair, and maintenance; pool installations; pool cleanups; and much, much more to the residents of Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Sun City, and surrounding areas.

Cool Pool Accessories For 2014

Swimming pools – in one respect – are really no different than your smart phone or tablet: they can be customized to fit your needs and even your personality. Products abound to make your pool function better, ease the maintenance, and add fun to what is basically a hole in the ground. Here are three cool pool accessories for 2014.

1) Pool lights

For many pool owners, lighting becomes a need rather than a want. Especially after they see what can be done with pool lights these days. Indeed, when comparing the cost of lighting to other accessories that add to the beauty and usefulness of your pool, a light is often the better choice. LED lights these days allow for the changing of color via remote control without the need to lower the water and change bulbs.

2) Salt Water Chlorinators

Salt water chlorinators provide exceptional water quality without the odor and irritation typically associated with traditional chlorine pools. Salt water chlorinators convert salt into chlorine in such a way that it avoids the odor and eye irritation associated with straight chlorine systems. Another advantage of salt water chlorinators is their low maintenance. Most require only four to eight bags of salt per season with 40 pound bags costing around $12 (check prices at your local pool store). Even though salt water pools are extremely low maintenance, chemistry should be monitored weekly as with other types of pools.

Pink Dolphin Pool Care is proud to offer pool accessories like the ones above plus much, much more. Their services range from pool installation to pool maintenance and pool repair. They are proud to serve the residents of Phoenix, Glendale, Sun City, and Peoria.

Give us a call at (602) 688-7465 OR Contact Us online to order today!