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Contact: Red1 enquiries@x-scale.com


Swimming Pool and Spa Maintenance Routine and charges

Regular maintenance and consistent pool and spa care are the best way to ensure a safe and healthy swimming environment. Although every pool and spa is unique and has its own characteristics, some general maintenance and cleaning guidelines can be followed.

X Scale pool and spa management will customize a maintenance schedule to suit your pool and spa needs based upon the following key elements.


➤ Annual Pool Commissioning visit March 2010

The cost for our commissioning service in 2010 is subject to quotation and includes VAT covering labour and all chemicals used. 2 or 3 gallons of chlorine shock to be added to the pool in the beginning of March 2010 prior to commissioning.


➤ Ad Hoc Maintenance in 2010

The labour cost is subject to quotation per hour and includes VAT. Materials used subject to additional cost, with quotations sent in advance.


➤ Weekly visits during March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October 2010

The cost for our pool service in 2010 is subject to quotation and includes VAT covering labour and all chemicals. Fortnightly is the minimum frequency with minimum agreement of 6 months.

Note:

The reason behind quotations being required is that not all pools are built to a similar size and therefore the labour and chemical requirement will vary.


Each visit during March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October 2010 to include

• Check pool water level – top up as required
• Check chlorine level – adjust as required
• Check ph level – adjust as required
• Clear all floating debris
• Suction vacuum pool
• Brush pool bottom & sides
• Scrub water / tide line
• Clean skimmer filter
• Clean pool deck area
• Clean steps & handrails
• Check operation of pump timer & set for conditions


In addition to these scheduled tasks, we will also carry out the following procedures as required:

• Shock / super chlorinate  to kill off & prevent algae
• Check total alkalinity & calcium hardness – adjust as required
• Check cyanuric acid & TDS level  -  adjust as required
• Clean pump housing filter
• Clean & backwash filter ( for sand type filters ) 


➤ Annual Winterization visit October.

The cost for our winterization service in 2010 is subject to quotation plus VAT, which includes labour and all chemicals used. Please email or call X Scale.


X Scale will:

  • Backwash the filter to clean it out.  On sand filters, unplug the filter drain plug and leave off. Put drain plug with other removed items in the pump basket. Ensure the multiport valve has no water in it. Blow it out with a compressor if necessary.

    • Disconnect your pump and filter.  Make sure that pump is totally drained out of any water.  Remove any drain plugs from the pump.  Any small plugs or parts to be stored in the pump basket. 

    • If there is a heater, drain it and make sure there is no sitting water inside.  Any water to be blown out with a compressor. Drain heater totally and remove all drain plugs (if any). Put drain plugs in the pump basket for safe keeping. 

      • Unscrew and loosen any quick disconnect fittings or unions at the pump and filter system.   If the water is all drained out of your pipes and fittings, it cannot freeze and expand and crack.

      • Remove all return jet fittings (the entire fitting). Remove all skimmer baskets. Put fittings and any other items that are removed in one of the skimmer baskets or the pump basket to avoid loss (this includes the dive board bolts too ).

      • Blow out all return jet pipes using an air compressor. Connect the air compressor to the return lines at the filter system or screw the compressor fitting into the drain plug of the pump.  Maintain the air

      • Blowing until the air bubbles start to become visible from the return jets in the pool.   Place a plug in the fitting under the water when the bubbles are blowing at full force. This will indicate that 99% of the water is out of the pipe. 

        • Blow out all skimmer (suction side) pipes in a similar way as noted earlier. Put black rubber plugs in the skimmer when bubbles start to become visible along with a water expansion vessel. X Scale does do not recommend putting anti-freeze type products in the pipes. The anti-freeze can cause a mess in the spring when the system is restarted as it gets sucked into the filter and blown back into the pool. 

        • Blow out main drain line (if any). As bubbles are seen coming out of the drain, the pipe on the other end to be plugged or the gate valve closed.

        • Put duct tape on all exposed pipes to prevent anything from getting into them.

        • Remove rope and floats from pool and put with the rest of the supplies.

        • Remove dive board and ladders along with the pump and filter.

        • Mix granular winterizing chemicals until totally dissolved. Dump mixture into the pool.

        • Test the pool for pH and Total Alkalinity.  Adjust to normal levels using pH plus or minus and Alkalinity plus.  pH should be between 7.2 - 7.6 and Alkalinity between 100-150 ppm.  One of the winterizer chemicals will consist of a shock type product. The chlorine level in the pool to be high (over 3.0 for winter).

        • Vacumn the pool clean

        • Fit any winter cover that might exist, reporting any rips, tears of areas of obvious fatigue.


        Water Level


        It is unnecessary to drain any water out of the pool provided that it has been properly blown out and all underground pipes plugged as outlined above; and the pool does not have decorative ceramic tiles at the water line. 

        Some pools are drained down past the skimmer. This is usually done instead of blowing out the pipes and using black plugs. The higher their water level is through the winter, the better it is for the pool cover. Pools that are drained down low cause a lot of undue stress on the pool cover thereby shortening its life - as well as exposing the pool liner to the air and causing it to prematurely dry out.

        The use of water expansion vessels prevents the skimmers from cracking, plugs the pipes and allows the water level to remain high for the cover so that rain water does not cause a lake on top of the pool cover - possibly causing it to fall in.

        Only drain the water down in a pool if it has tiles at the water level because the surface water will freeze and expand over the winter and this could cause those tiles to crack. 



        Swimming Pools - dosing


        In order to achieve crystal clear water that is inviting to use, healthy and free from any infections, the pool must be chemically balanced and correctly sanitized.

        Pool water testing is an essential and critical part of all swimming pool operation. To maintain clean and fresh pool conditions, chemicals are consistently added, and chemical levels should be continually monitored.

        In order to achieve immaculate results         X Scale pool management will carry out the following tests on a routine basis.


        Ph

        ph is a measure of the waters acidity or alkalinity. It has a scale of 1 -  14 with 7 being classed as neutral . Below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is alkali. For swimming pools the ideal ph range is 7.2 - 7.4 . It should be noted that this is also close to the natural ph of the human eye and skin, so in keeping within this ph range maximum comfort is achieved.


        Chlorine


        Chlorine is the most common form of swimming pool sanitation, and must be tested for in 2 forms, free chlorine and combined chlorine.

        The free chlorine is the amount of chlorine which is available to kill bacteria, and destroy pollution. Combined chlorine is chlorine that has reacted with ammonia from human sweat etc, and has formed chloramines.

        The acceptable range for free chlorine can differ depending upon the type used, but for stabilized products, such as Tricholor, a range of 1.0  -  5.0 ppm should be the target. As combined chlorine is spent, and has no function as a sanitizer, its level should be kept as low as possible, and " shocking " should be carried out at any level over 1.0 ppm.

        If you notice a chlorine odor or smell from your pool, a common myth is that the chlorine level is too high, when in fact the odor is actually the chloramines, so the course of action would be to increase the free chlorine content to " burn off " the waste product.

        X Scale pool management test for chlorine content by using the DPD method, this enables us to test free chlorine level and then total chlorine level. We can then subtract the free from the total to calculate the combined chlorine level.  Any testing using cheap supermarket type test kits should be avoided, as these use the OTO method of testing which will only read the total level of chlorine, and cannot distinguish the free available chlorine from the unwanted combined.


        Cyanuric Acid


        Cyanuric Acid is added to chlorine to act as a stabilizer to prevent the free chlorine from being dissipated by strong sunlight and UV rays. The level of cyanuric acid must be carefully monitored as if it is allowed to rise too high it will shield the chlorine making it less effective and efficient. Cyanuric acid does not get used up or burned off, so continued use of stabilized chlorine will cause the levels to rise over time . The acceptable range is 30 - 80ppm. 

                 
        Total Alkalinity


        Total alkalinity is the sum of all the alkaline substances which are in the water, this acts as a buffer to stabilize the ph from erratic changes or spiking. When using stabilized type chlorine a range of 80  -  120 ppm should be the target .  


        Calcium Hardness


        Calcium hardness is a measure of all the calcium salts dissolved within the pool . If the level is too low, the plaster or grouting can be damaged and too high a level, scale will form around the pool. The acceptable range is 100  -  400 ppm.


        Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)


        TDS is the term given to all the substances which have accumulated in the pool water, from chemicals, pollution and other impurities. High TDS levels can lead to cloudy water, and will reduce the chlorine effectiveness. These small particles including dead algae, carbonates, silica and skin cells are collected together by the X Scale pool additive.

        This process is called flocculation and causes the particles to increase in size and drop to the floor for easy vacuuming. The lighter particles are removed by the filters. In outdoor pools the TDS will build up over time as the strong sunlight will give a high rate of evaporation, leaving excess dissolved solids behind.    The maximum TDS level should not exceed 1000 ppm above the mains or fill water TDS level. The         X Scale pool additive will return the water to a crystal clear clarity.