FAQs

Yes! If they have good exposure to the sun during the day, they will raise the temperature of the water 10 – 15 degrees over a few days. They also insulate the pool and keep the heat in over night. By eliminating evaporation, they also save on chemicals and water.

For 45 years, we have offered a $100 reward to the person who can produce that product. To our knowledge, it does not exist. When the customer swears that Aunt Sue had it in her pool, we tell the customer that Aunt Sue lied to all the kids to keep them from peeing in the pool. We also suggest that they go ahead and perpetuate the lie to the next generation! Hey, if it works….

Sand Filter: Unroll your backwash hose, if you have one. If you have a dial valve, after turning off the pump, you depress the handle and turn the handle clockwise to the backwash setting. (180 degrees from filter) If you have a push/pull valve, after turning off the pump you either pull the piston up or push it down, depending on which is the normal filter position on that particular filter. Turn the pump back on and you are backwashing. Run the pump for approximately 3 minutes. After backwashing, turn your pump off and move the valve to the rinse position, if applicable. Rinse for approximately 1-2 minutes. With the pump off, put the valve back in the filter position. D.E. Filter: If you have a DE filter, we recommend backwashing until the water comes out of the hose clear. Turn off the pump for 15 seconds and turn the pump back on with the valve still in the backwash position. Repeat this until no more dirty water comes out upon turning the pump back on, usually 3 or 4 times. With the pump off, return the valve to the filter position and turn the pump back on to verify position.

Light bulb or complete light? Light bulb – remove the screw on the top of the chrome ring around the light. There will be enough cord wrapped around the light unit to allow you to bring the whole light unit up onto the deck. You then disassemble the light (tabs & screws or wire clamp assembly) and change the light bulb. We recommend changing the light gasket at the same time to ensure a tight seal. DO NOT USE LUBE ON THE GASKET! Reassemble the light and replace it into the niche in the wall and reinstall the screw. Complete light – Be sure to purchase a light with the correct voltage (120v or 12v). Make sure the light has enough cord to reach your junction box with extra to allow the unit to be put on the deck for future bulb changes. Always make sure the electricity is turned off. Cut the cord directly behind the light fixture. Tie the end of the new cord to the cut end of the old cord and use duct tape to ensure the cord stays together. Working from the junction box, pull the old cord out. This will pull the new cord through the brass conduit leading from the light unit to the junction box. Disconnect the two cords, connect the new cord to the power source and install the new light unit into the niche in the wall. We are trained to replace light fixtures, so if unsure, call our service department for an appointment for them to install the light!

With proper care and if chemically treated, cartridges last about three seasons and DE grids last between 5-7 years.

With our summer temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees, we recommend to run the pump 24 hours a day in the heat of the summer. Otherwise you can run your pump at least 12 hours a day.

Granular shock is most commonly used in the South. Liquid chlorine has a high pH and will affect the balancing of your water more drastically than granular chlorine.

DE filters filter a finer particle out of the water, so if by best you mean best filtration, yes. They do require more maintenance. So if by best, you mean easiest to maintain, then we recommend a sand filter. Cartridge filters are usually recommended when the customer has no place to backwash. Because of our hard water, not backwashing old water out leads to draining pools much quicker.

Any CLEAN container will work. We like to have at least a cup, preferably two, taken from elbow length of the opposite end of the return in the pool.

There is no one cleaner that is best for all pool surfaces and shapes. The first question we ask the customer is, “Where is your pool located?” We carry pressure side cleaners, suction side cleaners and robotic cleaners, so the surroundings of the pool would determine the right cleaner for you. If you have problems with mainly leaves or bigger debris then a pressure side cleaner would work best for you. If you have problems with the smaller debris, like sand, then the suction side cleaner would work best for you. The robotic cleaner works best in any situation!

Two options. Pull the motor and bring it to us for a bench repair or set up a service call. A little sweat equity can save you a lot of money! We explain to the customer what is involved in bringing the motor in. If they, or we, don’t think they should do it themselves, we recommend the service call.

If you have a DE or sand filter, you could waste some of the water out. If you have a cartridge filter, you either use a sump pump to lower the water or wait for evaporation to do the job.