HELPFUL TIPS
Below you will find a few helpful tips that may help you when you have questions about your pool or pool maintenance. If you have questions or concerns that are not addressed below please contact our office at (386) 439-0186 as we would be glad to help you with anything that you may need.
How to tell if my pool or spa has a leak
Normal evaporation is about 1-1/4" to 1-3/4" per week; this is up to 1/4" per day! When the days are warm and the nights are cool, evaporation is at its highest. If you think that you may have a leak, you can do a simple test by using an ordinary five-gallon plastic bucket. This test is best done during the twelve hours of night so that the evaporation caused by the sun is not a factor.
1. Bring pool water to normal level (center of your skimmer).
2. Fill bucket with pool water to about 1 inch from top and place on first or second step of pool.
3. Mark water level on inside of bucket with a piece of colored tape.
4. Shut off pump and mark pool water level on outside of bucket.
5. After 12 hours, compare the 2 water levels. If the pool water (outside mark) goes down more than the inside water level, you most likely have a leak.
How to prepare your pool or spa for a hurricane
Before the storm:
DO NOT DRAIN YOUR POOL! By draining your pool you are giving it the opportunity to "pop out" of the ground. When the water table below the pool begins to rise there is not enough weight in an empty pool to prevent it from rising with the water table and coming out of the ground.
Turn off all electrical power to the swimming pool pump, motor, lighting, chlorinators, etc. Remove all loose items from the pool area. It is not advisable to throw patio furniture or accessories into the pool as heavy furniture and sharp items may chip and damage the pool finish and the chemicals in the water will damage the furniture.
Add extra chlorine to your pool to prevent contamination. This is as simple as dumping an extra jug of chlorine or adding a couple of floating chlorine tablets to the pool. The pool provides a handy source of water for washing and flushing if your house water supply fails.
If your pool area is screened, you may prevent costly damage to the frame structure by letting one side or removing one or two panels of screen above the chair rail to allow the wind to blow through. Do not remove the lower panels or panels overhead. Slip the pins out of the door hinges and place the doors in a protected area.
After the storm:
DO NOT DRAIN YOUR POOL! High ground water can cause structural damage to an empty pool. There is a very good chance that your pool will lift right out of the ground if you drain it after heavy rains, floods or when the water table is high.
Have your water tested for proper balance. Heavy rain upsets the mineral balance needed for protection of your equipment and pool finish. You're sure to have several chemicals necessary to bring back into balance.
Remove all debris from pool with a rake and a skimmer before restarting the system to prevent clogged lines. Some chemical feeders require special care before starting the pump motor.
If the motor has been submerged, it should be removed for professional cleaning and drying. If the pump has not been submerged then it should be safe to reconnect the power supply and turn your equipment back on.
Check to make sure the pool is operating normally and that the water is circulating in the pool. Reset time clocks to show the correct time of day. Run the filter until the water is crystal clear and resume normal pool operation.
How to clean and maintain your salt cell
For those customers who have salt pools that generate the chlorine disinfectant, it is necessary to make sure to inspect and clean your cell to protect it from mineral deposit buildup called scale (appears as light colored, crusty or flakey deposits). Some systems actually let you know when it is time to clean your salt cell, but for those that don't a good industry standard is to check it every three months. You don't always see the deposits on the cell "fins" but the build up will cause your cell system to shut down and to stop generating the chlorine that is necessary for the sanitization of your pool or spa. It is extremely important to maintain the proper chemistry in your pool in order to help prevent this from getting out of control.
For a detailed explanation of how to clean the most common salt cells please click here or click the PDF download image below to view / print the PDF.
If you are a current maintenance customer of Not Just Another Pool Service, this service is already provided to you.
Choosing a licensed contractor
Florida Federal Law states that it is a felony for unlicensed contractors to operate in the State of Florida. Protect your investment by only dealing with licensed and insured contractors.
You can access this information under www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr. Then click on the "Verify a License" tag. This will bring you to a screen where you can look up to see if the company or individual has a valid and up-to-date license. If you are unable to find the specific Certified Contractor you are searching for, ask them for their Certificate Number and search by their number. They must have a Certificate Number to be licensed and operate in the State of Florida.
Not Just Another Pool Service operates under our Construction State License RP0067123 and our Liquefied Petroleum Gas License LI28602. We are also fully insured.
In case of an Emergency
If an emergency should arise, it is best to just turn everything off!
Go out to the pool equipment and locate the breaker box on the wall. Depending on your system you may have several boxes on the wall. Open the door and locate the breaker labeled pool pump or filter pump. Turn it to the off position and leave it that way until we speak with you.
Call our office and leave a message. Please remember, if you are not sure what to do or what is going on with the pool equipment, turning it off as we have described will stop what ever is happening and prevent any further damage that could be done.
If for some reason all of the water in your pool drained out, immediately turn it off as described above and put a garden hose in the pool and begin filling the pool immediately. There is a chance that your pool could pop out of the ground because of a high ground water level. Do not turn the hose off until the water level has reached at least the center of the skimmer. If you turn it off before it reaches the skimmer you could leave a permanent stain around the pool similar to a bathtub ring.
If it is almost full and you are afraid that it will over flow and you will not be able to keep an eye on it, turn the hose down to where the water is just barely trickling out of the hose. As long as there is some movement in the water until it reaches the skimmer it will be fine. You can turn the water back on full force in the morning or when you return home if needed until it is full.