Autumn Season - As the leaves start falling the maintenance and keeping the pool clean becomes more of a chore. It's even more important now to keep the pump and skimmer baskets free of debris and the filter is regularly backwashed. Pressure changes through debris and a congested filter will prevent your heater maintaining the pool temperature and there's nothing worse than getting one of the last few summer days and discovering the pool temp has dropped due to the heater cutting out on the pressure switch.
Wind blown contaminates will increase so the chlorine levels can drop quickly. So to ensure the pool becoming a pond you have still got to ensure that the sanitising levels are kept up and your pH remains between 7.2-7.4. If the pool is kept together (clear and clean) then when you do come to close the pool it will not be a burden and time consuming.
If you do give up and consider closing the pool in Sept then remember no matter how well you prepare the pool it will need some attention during the winter. A wet winter will reduce the concentrate of algicide and chlorine in the water, so pools closed early should be reduced for the second time and further chlorine and algicide will need to be applied.

Backwashing

Make sure you backwash regulalrly. It's amazing just what collects in your filter; it isn't just leaf and wind blown debris that finds itself into the sand of the filter. Insects, suntan lotions, body fats, hairs everything that contaminates your pool filter, so backwashing (cleaning the sand bed) is an essential part of your maintenance regime.
Depending on use and covering, you should backwash weekly.
The optic either on the filter or backwash waste line will appear filthy at the start of backwashing and gradually clear as the filter cleans - normally within 4-5 mins.
It is important to rinse the filter after backwashing or some of the loosened debris and foul water, sturred up during backwashing will flush into the pool. It only takes 30sec - 1min to rinse satisfatcory.
There are water saving pre-filters on the market (look up the cyclone filter probably the best on the market) that helps reduce the debris getting into the filter and use fair less water to flush away. By the installing such items you can extend the backwashing regime.

Water Chemistry

The Importance of pH
You get the best out of your chlorine when the water is acidic. However, acidic water is agrgressive to teh bather and equipment, so the range we encourage is 7.2-7.4.
Even if the chlorine levels are reading 6, if the pH is greater than 7.6, then the desired effect of teh chlorine is deminished dramatically.
Testing with dipsticks isn't advisable as it is difficult to assrtain an exact pH reading, even at 7.6 the effectiveness of chlorine drops by 30% from 7.4. We therefore always recommend a simple comparator test kit, that allows you to compare the test sample to the clearer swatch, which gives you a more definative pH reading.
Just remember:
pH Minus reduces the pH; reducing the alkalinity of the water - hard water areas in particular
pH Plus increases the pH; increasing the alkalinity of the water - soft water areas

Automatic Dosing

Aparently there is a replacement to the Seko PC95 - we have been asked to try it and report back...
Will keep you posted!

Just how busy are we....

Things are looking good!
In the past 24hrs Cresta have secured 3 large contracts for the coming 6 months.
1 Contract each for TB SB and CP. The question is which job is proportionally going to be the most profitable....
Each sale is from a different sector; Commercial Holiday Park, Private School and Domestic client. So maybe the worm is turning.
We did lose one in the home counties this week, although from what I hear the competition is cut throat at the moment and the price is being screwed out of it. A good time to have a pool built if you live in this area?