Ordinarily the title of this article would mean a dirty individual has decided to take a dip in the water but not this time. Today it means a SMART pool or spa owner dropped a product called a Scumball into the water.

Scumball simply float around on the surface of the water soaking up body oils, tanning lotions, etc. so that less of that stuff becomes a ring around the edge of the pool or spa.

These bad boys can soak up 40 times their own weight before needing to get… rinsed with clean water, cleaned and reused!

So, if you would like to reduce the amount of pool wall scrubbing you have to do this pool season we suggest you consider allowing Scumballs to hang out in the water.

Or, if the idea of swimming with scumballs just plain offends you, take a look at pool additives like Pool Perfect and Pool First Aid that use enzymes to break down oils and greases in pool/spa water.

If not, then today’s your lucky day because we will now tell you, in really simple terms, what that mystery stuff does: It makes suspended solids in the pool water stick to one another so that the filter can more easily catch them.

Each brand of pool clarifier has a slightly different method of accomplishing that goal, but in the end they all pretty much do the same thing.

OK, well what is a pool FLOCCULANT, then?

The term flocculant refers to chemical compounds that cause smaller suspended particles to stick together for the purpose of making it easier for a filter to catch them or to cause them to precipitate out of the water and fall to the bottom where a pool vacuum then removes them from the water.

More or less all clarifiers and water polishers qualify as flocculants but, according to recent pool chemical marketing trends, the ones that actually CALL themselves flocculants get recommended for more serious pool water clarity problems.

Any problem with using clarifiers on a regular basis?

With chlorine based sanitizer systems (powders, tablets, liquid, sticks, etc.) we have not heard of any real reason to not use clarifiers on a regular basis. As always, though, we suggest reading and following the directions on the bottle. Not all clarifiers have the same directions for use!

Pressure building in filter after adding clarifiers?

Do not panic! Roughly 9 times out of 10 this means the clarifier has made it easier for your filter to catch dissolved solids previously too small for the filter to catch. Simply backwash the filter each time this happens — or ‘bump’ your DE filter if you have that option — and let your filter get back to doing its job.

Filters that use DE (Diatomaceous Earth) to coat their filter elements will tend to clog and require ‘bumping’ or backwashing more quickly than sand filters due to the efficiency of their filtering mechanisms. In extreme cases the filter elements (fingers, grids, etc.) may need a good cleaning and possibly acid washing soon after you clear up your water problem.

Read the label on the clarifier you select and make sure to heed any warnings regarding the use of that product with certain types of filters.

Can clarifiers take the place of chlorine, bromine, etc.?

Absolutely NOT! Chlorine, bromine and other pool water sanitizer systems serve a completely different purpose and you should not decrease the amount them used because you start adding a clarifier product to your water.

Pool sanitizers help to keep the water in a pool safe from bacteria, germs, etc. Pool clarifiers help get unwanted dissolved solids out of the water.

In the Swim Pool Clarifier Recommended by 10 out of 12 Customers

In the Swim Super Clarifier Recommended by 24 out of 24 Customers

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/how-does-pool-clarifier-work/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/reagents-for-pool-test-kits/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/reagents-for-pool-test-kits/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:03:15 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://pool-water-testing.com/pool-testing-blog/?p=774 Each year Gremlins sneak into people’s sheds, garages and pool cabanas with one goal in mind: To steal pool test kit reagents! If you, like thousands of other innocent pool owners, have fallen victim to those evil little bastards, the links below will certainly come in handy:

	Replacement Pool Test Kit Reagents, Rainbow Replacement Reagents, Poolmaster Reagents, Replacement Test Kit Reagents Click here for PoolCenter.Com
	Replacement Taylor Reagents, Taylor Test Kit Replacement Reagents, Taylor DPD Reagent, Taylor pH Indicator, Taylor Pool Test Kit Reagents Click here for PoolCenter.Com or visit Taylor-Test-Kits.Com

Don’t own a test kit, yet, or need to replace your whole kit? Check out Pool Center’s Pool Test Kits Page for information on some of this year’s best selling pool water test kits.

Oh, and for those in search of a simple dip-n-read test strip for pool water testing, Water Testing Blog now carries the Pool Check 5-in-1 Test Strip and several other test strips for swimming pools.

Pool Check 5-in-1 Test Strips

We often get asked for advice on how to save money on pool chemicals — especially since gas prices won’t go down and more people have to keep a closer watch on their finances.

Thus far we have found two main ways that pool owners can save money on pool chemicals:

1) Test Your Pool Water: By keeping your water in balance you can avoid costly pool water problems like algae, staining, etc. that all require chemicals to correct. A pool with the correct chemical balance ought never see the likes of algae or staining!

2) Chemical Value Packs: Buying in bulk at the beginning of the season when pool supply companies like In the Swim and Pool Center offer great deals on combination packs of pool chemicals and supplies that you will need over the course of the season will save you time and money in the long-run.

100% of Customers Recommend These Kits!

Stock Up Now and Save Big! IN-GROUND ULTIMATE VALUE PACK CONTENTS: Stabilized Chlorine 75 lbs. (your choice of 3-inch tabs, 1-inch tabs, granular or sticks) Chlorine Free Shock 12 1-lb bags Super Pool Shock 12 1-lb. bags Super Algaecide 1 quart Stain Away 1 quart Test Strips 10 count ABOVE-GROUND ULTIMATE VALUE PACK CONTENTS: Stabilized Chlorine 35 lbs. (your choice of 3-inch tabs, 1-inch tabs, granular or sticks) Chlorine Free Shock 6 1-lb. bags Super Pool Shock 6 1-lb. bags Super Algaecide 1 quart Stain Away 1 quart Test Strips 10 count

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/save-money-on-pool-chemicals-this-year/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/what-to-test-when-opening-your-pool/ http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/what-to-test-when-opening-your-pool/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:14:18 +0000 Water Testing Blog http://pool-water-testing.com/pool-testing-blog/?p=753 When opening a swimming pool too many people forget to TEST THE WATER before adding chemicals… Whether you choose to test the water yourself w/ test kits like the eXact Micro 7+ Pool Testing Meter or Pool Check Test Strips, or visit your local pool supply store and have them test your water at the beginning of the season, you will want to test for all or as many of these water quality parameters as possible. Note:

• Alkalinity – Not having the correct amount of alkalinity in your water will make getting and keeping the pH of your pool water very difficult.

• Calcium Hardness – Having too much calcium in your water could result in deposits forming and could also make it harder for other chemicals to dissolve in the water. Too little calcium in the water could result in pool water becoming aggressive and starting to attack various pool surfaces.

• Chlorine (Free) – If you use chlorine as your sanitizer, check to see if you have any left over from last year… or risk adding more than you need to add at the beginning of the year and ‘wasting’ money.

• Chlorine (Total) – If you use chlorine as your sanitizer and shocked your pool at the end of the previous season (as you SHOULD have), then you may have a lot of combined chlorine in your water that needs to get ‘burned out’ w/ a non-chlorine shock. Combined chlorine does little good when it comes to keeping pool water clean.

• pH – Incorrect pH levels drastically reduce the effectiveness of important pool chemicals such as bromine, chlorine, clarifiers, algaecides, etc.

• Metals – Having unwanted metals such as copper and iron in your pool water when you shock it w/ an oxidizer like chlorine or bromine at the beginning of the season could cause the metals to precipitate out of solution and stain pool surfaces.

• Stabilizer – Also known as cyanuric acid, having too little of this compound in pool water makes it difficult to maintain a free chlorine residual. Having too much of it can keep chlorine in a pool from doing its job.

• Total Dissolved Solids – Too many total dissolved solids in pool water will result in the water not accepting additional material… such as the chlorine powder (granules), tablets, sticks, or pool chemistry balancing chemicals.

So, get your water tested before adding start-up chemicals. Any questions?

Pool Check Salt Test Strips

Pool Check 5-in-1 Test Strips

Pool Check Copper 3-in-1

]]> http://test-for.com/blog/2012/04/what-to-test-when-opening-your-pool/feed/ 0 http://test-for.com/blog/2010/09/what-is-a-pool-tree/ http://test-for.com/blog/2010/09/what-is-a-pool-tree/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:28:57 +0000 admin http://pool-water-testing.com/pool-testing-blog/?p=639 In recent years pool accessory manufacturers have come up with all sort of interesting gadgets designed to make opening pools in the Spring easier, less time-consuming, and less painful in terms of manual labor. Devices include mesh covers which allow rain and snow water to pass through, winter cover clips which hold above ground cover edges in place, water bags for above ground pools that also help to hold cover edges in place, and ‘unbreakable’ aqua blocks to replace the single water tubes and double water tubes that squirrels, chipmunks and other animals seem to enjoy chewing holes in every year.

Looking for the latest and greatest way to keep unwanted debris off of your winter cover and out of your swimming pool? If so, then you may want to take a look at the Pool Tree.

Featuring an innovative and interesting design that supports your winter cover and eliminates the need for awkward air pillows, the Pool Tree has the potential to save you time, money and frustration when it comes time to open your pool back up in the Spring.

When used in conjunction with a mesh cover, water from rain and snow passes through the cover and the angle created by the Pool Tree makes it nearly impossible for leaves and other forms of blowing debris to get stuck on the cover.

When used in conjunction with a solid winter cover, the downward and outward sloping angle created by the Pool Tree forces collected water and debris all the way out the edge of the pool and/or over the side of the pool — making clearing off the cover a simple process.

The A/G (above ground) Pool Tree works with both solid and mesh winter covers and will fit round pools up to 27′ in diameter and oval pools up to 18′ x 36′ in size.

The I/G (inground) Pool Tree works exclusively with SAFETY COVERS ONLY and will fit inground pools up to 20′ x 40′ in size.