Salt Water Pools, Chlorine Generator; Equipment

Chlorine is derived from salt by subjecting salt to electricity, electrolysis. Salt water pools are not chlorine free but develop the chlorine from the salt in the water. There is no addition of the liquid bleach and makes it much safer from the harmful and powerful qualities of chlorine. The electrolysis system is installed in the plumbing of the filtering system, and has a panel for control. The only thing you add to the pool water is salt(3000 to 6000 ppm). You still have to maintain the acid level but it is much easier than usual. The water is much softer and delightful to swim in, one feels more buoyant and refreshed in this environment.

Pool Filters, Equipment

Mother nature has provided the best filter aid, sand and gravel. The older filters of this kind were huge and placed in an underground pit or in a equipment building. They were obtrusive and ugly, but they worked well. To keep a filter clean, back washing was necessary. One would simply reverse the flow of the water through the filter and deposit the dirt in a dry well, a cesspool like unit buried in the ground. The diatomaceous earth filter was introduced, it was much smaller in size, but still needed backwashing. The filter grids inside were coated with D.E. and the dirt would adhere to these grids and filter the water well. Every year, the filter had to be taken apart and the grids were cleaned separately by a hose with good water pressure and a brush. The filter tanks were stainless steal but later fiber glass was used. Then came the cartridge filter. With the cartridge filter there was no need for a dry well, thus cutting down on the cost of pool construction. One would simply disassemble the filter and hose off the cartridges. There are still sand and gravel filters and D.E. filters, but the cartridge filter took over the industry. They filter the water well and every couple of years the cartridges were replaced. The filter is a necessary product for a clean and sparkling pool. I found the D.E. filter was the best, but it is your choice.

Vacuum Heads and Hoses; tools

Vacuuming a pool is necessary to have a sparkling clean pool. In the old days, a pool was rectangular in shape with straight walls and a sloping bottom from shallow to deep. The vacuums were aluminum and not flexible. They were heavy and cumbersome, but with the introduction of a curved bottom pool, the vac heads were made to flex. With new plaster one had to use a brush vac so no wheel marks were left in the soft and curing plaster. After a month of using the brush vac, the plaster was hard and ready for the wheel vac. The flexs vac had 8 wheels on it for the standard size, 14 in. The silicone wheels were much better, they lasted longer. To vacuum a pool, the sides and the steps are brushed. The vacuum is put in the shallow end and one works toward the deep end, let gravity work with you. The vac hose comes in several lengths, depending on the size of the pool. A 30 ft. hose was ample for most pools. For larger pools the hose can be connected with shorter sections to suit the size required. Before inserting the hose to the suction line, all the air must be removed from the hose. If it is not you may loose the prime in the pump. With above ground systems it is time consuming and sometimes difficult to prime. With pool service a vacuum a week was mandatory.