Archive for May, 2009

New Polaris 360 Swimming Pool Cleaner Parts

Keep your Polaris 360 operating like new by replacing bad or wearing parts as necessary. Allowing bad parts to remain in the unit will only cause other parts to wear out sooner than they other wise would.

Polaris 360 swimming pool cleaner parts can be very expensive if you buy the from a local hardware store, for example, the drive belts in the Polaris 360 can cost $26.00 in a hardware store, while online they may only cost between $15 and $16.

The Polaris 360 runs a long time without needing to have parts replaced, but if you have had one for over a year you will soon need new belts and bearings. In some cases the wheel covers may need replacing if they are worn on the sides causing the unit to circle more often than it used to. I got more use out of my wheel covers by turning them around and putting what was on the inside on the outside. That lasted for six months until I had to replace the wheel covers with new ones.


Also, the Polaris 360 debris bags, you can find all types of the debris bags online for a significant discount to what they sell for in stores. Normally the bags last for, at least, one year, but if you happen to have one with a Velcro closure it may need to be replaced sooner because the Velcro looses its hold after a while being in the water. I have had much better luck with the debris bag with the plastic zipper.

Swimming Pool Water Testing

At least once a week swimming pool water needs to be tested to ensure certain levels of pool chemicals are present in the water to do the necessary work of keeping the swimming pool water sanitary and clear. This is most conveniently done after backwashing the filter.

A well balanced swimming pool only needs to have the pH and chlorine levels checked and adjusted on a regular basis, the other chemical values being measured less frequently.

A good pool test kit is a must - preferably one that uses tablets rather than liquid drops. Expired tablets/ test liquids (reagents) should be thrown out as they very often give inaccurate readings, resulting in us pouring unnecessary (expensive) chemicals into our swimming pools. Always keep the test kit in a cool dry place out of the sun and out of the reach of children.

When testing the pool water, rinse the cells of your test kit thoroughly before filling them with water from at least 12 to 15 inches below the surface of the swimming pool. When you're finished the tests, pour the test liquid down a drain. Never pour the test liquid back into the swimming pool.

On a weekly basis you need to check the:
pH
Chlorine


If there are no obvious problems in your swimming pool, the following tests need to be performed every month, or at least every three months. These tests can be performed by a professional swimming pool technician, who comes to your pool, or the tests can be done at many swimming pool supply stores. You will only need to take them a pool water sample (in a clean glass jar!).

Monthly pool water testing consists of the following tests:
Total Alkalinity
Calcium Hardness
Total Dissolved Solids
Stabilizer

If the water in your area is free from any metals and your swimming pool shows none of the symptoms of iron or copper presence, the test for these metals is unnecessary. If, however, you notice a brown/gray stain on the walls and floor of the swimming pool, you should have the levels of these metals checked.

Chlorine Smell In Swimming Pool Water

Pool owners complain that their swimming pool water is not really clean, but has a strong odor of chlorine so, it seems as though, there must be enough in the water to ensure proper disinfection.

It is normal to think that a strong smell would indicate an abundance of something, but with chlorine it is actually the opposite. What happens with chlorine is, if you can smell chlorine, the swimming pool hasn't got enough - strange, isn't it?! What you are smelling are chloramines. These are formed when insufficient levels of free available chlorine react with ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (swimmer waste, sweat, urine, etc.), resulting in the wastes only being partially broken down (creating halomethanes and odor).


To confirm this, measure the free available chlorine and total chlorine. You will be able to calculate the unwanted, irritating combined chlorine compounds as follows:

Combined chlorine = total chlorine - free chlorine

You will probably find that there is little or no free available chlorine and too much combined chlorine. A chlorine shock treatment or other pool water sanitizer is necessary to complete the disinfection and dissipate the combined chlorine.

The combined chlorine in the pool water can also be destroyed with a non-chlorine powder based shock if you prefer not to use large quantities of liquid chlorine.