Opening your swimming pool up for Spring

So your pool has been sitting for a few months now, your water is green and you're ready to have a beautiful oasis in your backyard again.

Not to worry, your just a few days away from success.  The easiest way to get your pool back in order is to take a water sample and bring it into our office.  We will do free testing for you, and you will know exactly what your water needs to get back to swimming condition.  Besides adjusting your alkalinity, ph, and chlorine levels; you'll probably just have to put in a little elbow grease.

We also carry test strips that make it extremely simple to test you own water.  They are color coded and much easier to use than the dropper type test kits. 

A few key things to remember when you start working on the pool: 
     1.  turn your pump off before you adjust the control valve to filter/waste/backwash/rinse
     2.  after you have the valve set where you want it, then turn the pump back on
     3.  after all vaccuuming/cleaning is done, return the valve to the filter mode
     4.  as temperatures warm up, you should run your pumps longer each day (10 to 12 hours at present)
     5.  if you're using a saltwater system on your pool, make sure the salt level in the pool is at an
          acceptable level.  Not enough salt will cause the system to not produce chlorine.
     6.  Keep your skimmer baskets clean;  they are your first line of defense against a dirty pool

There is nothing that brings family and friends together like a backyard swimming pool.  Keeping it clean and clear shouldn't be a job.  Feel free to contact us for advice or set your pool up for weekly cleaning by our staff by calling 318-340-0001 or email us at ray@dolphinpoolsla.com

What's the best inground swimming pool if you have sandy or softer soil

We get asked this question quite a bit.  A good analogy, is to look at your driveway.  Your home's driveway is probably made out of concrete.  Walk down the drive and look for cracks.  Undoubtedly, there will be multiple cracks throughout (especially if it has been in for 10 years or more).

Vinyl liner and gunite/concrete pools will fare similarly.  Over time, the pool will develop cracks that you will see in the gunite pool, and that will be hidden under the liner in a vinyl liner pool. 

The one pool that will stand up to this soil type, is the fiberglass pool.  The fiberglass shell will stand the test of time in this area.  It is the most durable of any pool type, maintains its' finish for a lifetime, and is much easier to care for.  There is no need to replaster or replace vinyl liners as your pool ages.  It will also hold its' value better than other pool types.

So the next time you are thinking about putting in a new pool and are considering gunite or vinyl liner; just run outside and take a look at the driveway.

Dolphin Pools
2505 Cypress St
West Monroe, LA 71291
318-372-2669
ray@dolphinpoolsla.com
http://www.dolphinpoolsla.com/