" i have a confession.... not one, but two!"

We got a call from a coy client about a blockage in the pump line while he tried to prime his pool pump last week. On arrival, we were sheepishly advised that he In fact knew what the blockage was.... and that it was a lemon... Yes, trying to prime his pump, he had not only used a Lemon to block the flow, but had missed a small task in the process and the lemon had been sucked thru the skimmer opening.... after 5 attempts to dislodge the blockage and on starting to explain the high probability of having to arrange concrete cutting to now access the plumbing pipes as our attempts were failing, we were informed of another "little confession..." In his misguided wisdom and in trying to dislodge the lemon and still prime the pump he had managed to suck through a tennis ball this time....mmmm..... needless to say, we actually got it unblocked without concrete cutters but had a good laugh at the sheepish and coy confessions ..... Two wrongs don't make a right

Cyclone Debbie has devastated a large part of our beautiful Queensland and although we initially didn't expect her to effect the Gold Coast to this extent, her impact was felt and heard by many a resident. (Including the cows in Carrara)

2 weeks on and we are still, on this very day, draining swimming pools, replacing filtration equipment and re stabilizing the water chemistry suitable for swimming.

We've seen many a fish still living in the muddy pool waters, but thankfully it seems that our local bullsharks haven't been swept into our swimming pools.

According to the abc news, The insurance council of Australia has declared Cyclone Debbie a catastrophe and warned that the damage could cost billions!

There's nothing like topping up your pool water level, just to find that you've forgotten the hose in the pool, it's now overflowing and it was the one job that you were asked to do before your Husband left for work that morning..... "Don't forget to turn the tap off"

Mmmm.... Maybe we should just get a tap timer.

Pool Water levels are important. With use and evaporation, water levels drop. If it drops below the skimmer opening, you run the risk of running the pump dry, damaging your equipment and costing yourself a fair bit of hard earned money. If you run it too high (above the skimmer opening), well, the skimmer can't skim the surface of the water, if the water level is above the skimmer opening.

Three Quarters up the skimmer opening is usually ideal. But don't forgot to monitor it every week.

Pool blankets are multi functional, and although predominantly designed to insulate and keep your pool warmer during those shoulder months, many pool owners use them during winter to keep debris out of the pool, and to save on evaporation of chemicals during the months that the pool seems dormant and is not used quite as often. (If at all during mid winter)

Remember if you're using a pool blanket in winter to ensure that you adjust your chlorinator running times, or chlorine output accordingly. Your chlorine efficiency is higher in winter, due to the decreased temperatures and less evaporation. High chlorine will quickly deteriorate your pool blanket.

A pool blanket is also very beneficial to save on chemicals. Due to the cover, there is substantially less chlorine evaporation and sunlight's effects on your chemicals, and hence, reduces the need to add stabilizer (otherwise known as sunscreen)

"Gold Coast’s Springbrook cops 416mm of rain in June, the most in 11 years"

With excessive rain and overflowing swimming pools, many people are wondering what to do with their pool water levels.

It's important to drain your pool back to it's optimum water level, which is 2/3rds up the skimmer opening. This allows for the surface of your water to be "skimmed" by way of drawing the surface debris into the skimmer opening, to be caught in the skimmer basket.

It's a good idea to use this time and 'wasted water' to backwash your filter while draining your pool. Remember though, you would not be the first person to forget that your pool is on backwash, and drain your pool right down to the bottom of your skimmer box, thus allowing it to suck air, and potentially damage your pump. Backwashing your pool doesn't take long, so don't get side tracked. Keep an eye on your pool water level.

The 2nd most important issue with all this rain is to check on your chemical levels. Rain dilutes your chemicals, and without sufficient salt in your pool, not even the finest chlorinator can produce chlorine at it's optimum level. With insufficient chlorine the chances of your pool quickly turning grey and then green is a likely result.

Always check your chemical levels, as inferior levels of chemicals may not always appear to be causing damage, but over a period of time, the damage to your pool interior, grout lines and pool equipment will be most evident.

Water level is a big factor in the functioning of your pool and equipment. The skimmer box is designed to sit at a particular height along the pool wall to ensure that the suction correctly skims the surface of the water. Thus, eradicating the flowing dirt and dust from the surface of the water. Not only do we need to ensure that your pool water level is not too low, which creates a problem of sucking air into your filtration system, but water level too high also poses an issue to the skimmer's ability to keep the pool clean. It is recommended that your pool water level sits at two thirds high on your skimmer box height, providing ample skimmer action and some leverage for evaporation.

With recent storm cell events, most swimming pools will have water levels far too high above the skimmer box. We suggest that you use this opportunity to backwash your filter system, thus emptying a bit of water at the same time as flushing and backwashing your filtration system to give it a good clean out.

Not to be forgotten, but excess water levels also dilute your chemicals. No chlorinator can produce sufficient chlorine with insufficient salt levels. Keep an eye on your chlorinator's dials, as they should, in theory, indicate your pool's salt levels. Salt and other balancing chemicals may need to be administered after backwashing and draining excess water from your pool.

As we head into the winter months, neglecting your pool can cost you more in the long run.

Many people figure that if they're not using the pool, why should they worry too much about the water chemistry and substrates.

Lets start with Black Algae. Black alagae has a very deep root system that can grow into the plaster and concrete substrates of your pool. It can attack the grout lines of even the most beautifully tiled swimming pool, creating an unsightly corner of a stained and unappealing black zone. The largest issue with Black Spot Algae is the difficulty in ridding it. Black Spot Algae has an extensive root system that grows deep into your concrete substrate, making if difficult to kill because it's layers protect itself from chlorine and chlorine treatments. To get rid of black spot algae, you need to be aggressive with the treatment and combine both the chlorine treatment and aggressive brushing to break apart the algae and allow the treatment to get in as deep as possible. Repeat treatment is required.

Skimmer baskets are designed to collect debris and leaves from the pool, and filter them out to stop them going through to the pump. Too much debris in the skimmer basket creates water restriction to the pump and eventually this can split the skimmer basket. The problem with this, is that once the skimmer basket is split, it allows for the debris to flow through to the pump. This can cause Impeller blockages and pump damage. Solution is : Always try to keep you skimmer basket as empty as possible. Just because you are not swimming in your pool, doesn't mean that you don't need pool care. A pool cleaning and maintenance schedule should still be followed to keep your pool functioning correctly and to look after your pool equipment

Sunscreen, Days lazing around the pool. Summer

time is nearly here. Are we going to have a wet or dry season?