- A high proportion of pool operators in Cyprus have no qualifications in pool maintenance or water chemistry, nor have any insurance or are not even registered.
- Check that your Pool Cleaner has the correct Insurance and is qualified to maintain swimming pools. Ask to see their Certificate and Insurance.
- A high proportion of pool operators do not use digital test equipment leaving the majority of pools poorly balanced. It’s a guessing game when using dip-strips!
- Insurance claims regarding pool issues are increasing.
- Insurance companies will not pay a public liability claim if the pool operator is not registered or qualified.
- Over 50% of all installations do not have the correct health and safety procedures in place.
- Many pool operators do not keep pool records (always ask to see them on a regular basis).
- Cyprus health and safety laws date back to 1996 at this time – but legislation is currently being revised.
- Check the level of the pool water and fill pool if required. The ideal level is halfway up the skimmer face plate.
- Brush the walls at the waterline. Brush the sides – with downward strokes of the brush to dislodge adhering dirt and dust towards the Main/Bottom Drain. If you require better suction for the main/bottom drain, turn off your skimmer valves in the pump room.
- Net the floating and bottom debris. Take out the skimmer baskets and remove all insects and plant materials.
- Check the return jets – ensure that the flow is pushing the surface water in the direction of the skimmers, but without them making too much noise.
- Never mix pool chemicals together, except by adding them to the pool water.
- Keep chemicals away from each other, out of reach of animals and children.
- Chlorine compounds and hydrochloric acid are potentially extremely dangerous. NEVER mix them together in the dry or concentrated state; there is a risk of fire or Explosion!
- Wear goggles, gloves and old clothes when handling chemicals.
- Never throw neat Chlorine into your liner pool. Always through the Skimmers while the pump is running!
Likely cause: A build-up of cosmetics, body fats or sunscreen products.
Cure: Clean with a pool tile and liner cleaner. Also make sure you shower before entering the pool to wash off the above.
Likely cause: The ‘bio shield’ of an algae colony on the pool surface, due to low chlorination at some stage, or to poor water circulation.
Cure:- Brush affected areas to remove algae, then super-chlorinate to 10ppm or more in serious cases. Consider a Solar Pool Pump for increased circulation in the hot summer months here in Cyprus.
Safety:
If you are using either a salt based pool producing chlorine or a chlorine based tablet pool, then your pH needs to be correct. If pool water is not balanced correctly then the chlorine sanitiser won’t be working at full strength killing germs and bacteria.
Comfort:
Your water balance needs to be correct or it will affect your skin and eyes. The pH should be neither too acidic nor alkaline in order to feel comfortable to swim in.
Corrosion:
An imbalanced pool can be corrosive to the liner, ladders and hand rail and other equipment such as the pump.
Check expiration dates on all pool chemical containers. Cleaning supplies that are past expiration should be properly disposed of and replaced with new chemicals. Also remember that if a chemical were not properly sealed before being stored in the off-season, you need to replace that as well.
If you don’t maintain your pool properly, you could cut the its lifespan in half. Or, if you don’t maintain it at all you could cut it down to a quarter.
A strong chlorine smell can affect the eyes, nose and skin. Contrary to popular belief, it’s too little chlorine that causes the smell, not too much. Too little chlorine permits chloramine compounds to form. It is these compounds that have the strong smell and that cause the irritation.
Algae are the cause. These are single-celled organisms that grow quickly in the right conditions and can turn the water in a swimming pool green within a few hours.
Trained and Authorised
