A pool pump is a machine that sucks water from the pool and pushes it through the filter and back into the pool. It is a vital part of the pool equipment and should always be operating properly – meaning is shouldn't be making any strange noises.
A pool filter is a container or drum filled with a filter medium (sand). The pool pump pushes the water through the sand in the filter. The dirt and dust stay on top of the sand and the clean water flows back in to the pool. You remove the dirt from the filter sand in the filter drum by back washing the sand once a week. Dirty filter sand is unable to filter (i.e. clean) your pool water properly.
The weir is the unit through which the pool water is drawn by the pump. It consists of a basket at the bottom of the weir and is kept in position by a weir lid. The pool cleaner pipe plugs into the hole in the weir lid. This basket catches the leaves and should be cleaned once/twice a week depending on the season.
MPV is the abbreviation for Multi-Port Valve which fits onto the side of the pool filter drum. It consists of a lever which can be rotated to various positions whilst the pool pump is operating. The positions are clockwise: Filter, Waste, Closed, Backwash, Circulate, Rinse. This valve should only be rotated when the pump is switched off. If water is running out of the waste pipe when the MPV is on filter, it indicates that the seal inside the MPV is damaged.
When the condition of the swimming pool water has deteriorated to a point where normal chemicals and cleaning is no longer possible, the pool water needs to be drained. The debris on the floor of the pool has to be removed and the shell of the pool needs to be pressure washed and cleaned with chlorine or acid.
If there is a light layer of dust and debris (leaves) have settled on the floor of the pool and the pool cleaner in unable to pick up this dust the pool should be vacuumed. This is done manually by using an 8-wheel vacuum device.
The larger the pool, the more water the pool pump needs to circulate through the filter in order to ‘clean' the water. In general a pool up to 30 000l needs a 0.6kW pump motor. From 30 000l - 80 000l pool, a 0.75kW pump can be used. From 80 000l - 130 000l a 1.1kW pump can be used. You can work out how much water is in the pool by calculating the volume of the pool (length x width x depth). Always go for a bigger pump if you are unsure.
The size of the pool filter should match the size of the pump which has been installed. A 2-bag filter is matched to a 0.6kW pump. A 3-bag filter is matched to a 0.75kW pump and a 4-bag filter is matched to a 1.1kW pump
We recommend that filter sand is changed every two years with normal domestic use. Backwashing regularly will extend the life span of filter sand, however at some point the sand will be so dirty that even backwashing will not clean it properly. Therefore it is best to replace it after two years to make sure your pool sparkles and that that the water does not become murky.
Clinobrite is an alternative filter medium to normal silica filter sand. Clinobrite has the following advantages:
Use an HTH test kit as directed to determine the alkalinity level. It should always range between 80ppm – 120ppm.
Use an HTH test kit as directed to determine the pH-level. It should always range between 7.2 and 7.6.
When the pH of the pool water is higher than 7.8 the test kit will indicate a bright red colour on the pH scale. The chlorine will be less active and the swimming pool could turn green. Pool acid should be added to the water as directed until the pH is in the acceptable range.
It is advisable to always have a chlorine floater in the pool set according to the size of the pool. This allows a small amount of chlorine to enter the pool water continuously which prevents buildup of algae (algae is what makes a pool green).
The Aligator is a copper ionizer which allows a small quantity of copper ions to enter the pool water when the pool pump runs. Copper is an excellent algaecide which kills all algae (yes even the robust black algae is removed) in the pool thus reducing the chlorine consumption in your pool.
In summer it is advisable to run your pool for 1 hour for every 10 000l of water. In the cold winter months, this time can be reduced by half. It is not advisable to turn your pool pump off during the winter months.
When the marbelite shell becomes porous, rough and flaky and very stained it is an indication that the shell needs to be re-surfaced. If you see that the marbelite is cracked (you will notice the pool is losing water) it is possible to repair the marbelite, given that the damage is not to bad and there are not to many cracks. Remarbaliting takes about a week in dry, good sunny weather so autumn and winter is the perfect time for this (out of rain season).
A marbelite pool normally has got a strip of ceramic or mosaic tiles under the pool coping. Marbelite is a cement product and the surface will be fairly rough compared to fiberglass. A fiberglass shell is very smooth and has a glossy finish. The shell and the mosaics are the same texture.