So the with the outdoor swimming pool season now well and truly over, your attention can turn to good preventative maintenance and up keep, at Deep End Pools we actively support swimming pool owners looking to improve their swimming pool system in the winter period ready for the following season, especially those that have experienced issues in the season such as: water loss, water clarity issues, staining, swimming pool liner hanging out noisy pumps.

Water loss:

Water loss can be worrying however it need not be, as a huge percentage of the time the water loss can often be contributory to a number of factors, we list some issues that can contribute to water loss often overlooked.

1. Is the plant room floor wet? if so this can made up of multiple leaks within the room often failed pipe work jointing and this can often be an easy fix with a plant room re-plumb a target budget for this type of works ought to be £300-600.
2. is there water passing the multiport valve to waste? check backwash line whilst pump is running look for a small drip drip this can equate to 1″ per day if a pump were to run 24hrs, equally the waste line could be pouring water out this is an obvious huge fail requiring immediate attention the average cost of a multiport valve replacement dependent upon the filters age could be £80-25o and about 2 hours work.
3. the winter period could be a good time to locate leaks as often pool leaks stop at the level they are leaking from therefore leaving the pump off or disconnected for long periods of time can allow the head pressure of the water to escape the leak area indicating the leak at the level the water stops, be minded however attention should be made to the repair soonest as leaving a pool empty throughout the winter period for long periods of time can lead to further issues! Please take advice on emptying your swimming pool before you do so.

Permissible loss per week is approx 1″ this includes evaporation and usage, often a pump seal can cause a leak to the swimming pool often the drip from the seal can lead to further break down so swimming pool pump repairs or replacements ideally should be carried out in the winter months

Water clarity issues:

You may have struggled all season to maintain clarity within the swimming pool, often clarity issues are caused by ineffective filtration so if you have not already carried out a swimming pool sand change now is the time to consider so, why not even change your sand to re-cycled glass this time? the results can be astonishing the following season the maintenance is less long term, you could also strip down your in line chemical feeder if you have one as often they can break down and simply swell up not allowing as much water flow through them as when they were first installed.

Swimming Pool Staining:

You may have had a bizarre year with random staining appearing on the walls or floors? often more commonly caused by incorrect water balances increased temperatures or the breakdown of the liner please send us your swimming pool staining issues via email pictures ideally and we may be able to resolve your issues, they can commonly be caused by old metal elements within the system breaking down a review of these could produce a more attractive pool the following spring.

Swimming pool liner hanging out: 

so you may have had a new liner installed and whilst on completion all was well however later in the season the liner has crept out of the tracking system, don’t panic unless the tracking is damaged or broken this could be an easy fix taking less than 1 hour, if your swimming pool is winterised in the traditional fashion i.e. lowered by let’s say 2′ then all that is needed is :

1 x kettle

1 x pair of strong hands

 1 x liner wedge

1 x liner <5 years old,

 the technique is simple bring a kettle to half boil apply warm water to the liner in the area the liner has fallen and pull the liner up towards the coping extending the liner 2-4″ above the destination point and then as the liner falls back down align the bead back into the track, use liner wedge to stop the offending area from failing once more, this applies to beaded liners only and liners under 5 years of age in good order, trying to carry this out on an older damaged liner can result in further damage so take specialist advice before performing the repair on older liners! Be warned!

Noisy swimming pool pump:

Short of getting an ASBO from your neighbour for a noisy swimming pool pump, noisy swimming pool pumps mean one thing trouble! a noisy pump can either be a worn electrical bearing end, or a worn wet end either way the swimming pool pumps age should be considered before a repair is carried out, in today’s market the expectation life expectancy of a pump is around the 5 year mark! Yes they do not make them like they used to, which is why the main of the general public replace their cars every 3 years! So when investigating pump repairs consider:

1. the low cost of purchasing new

2. The intended future life expectancy of the remaining sections of the pump

3. Is the pump current and still featured as a good pump

 4. Does the pump suit your needs low power, salt grade, large swimming pool pump basket?

Some quick pointers there of questions to ask you before embarking on swimming pool pump repairs.

So remember whilst the swimming pool is closed it cannot be forgotten time spent now is time saved in the spring!