Your swimming pool is a valuable water source when faced with drought conditions and water restrictions. Remember to maintain the correct water balances and run your pool pump/filter optimally to keep your pool sparkling blue pool.
Consider alternative water sources when topping up your pool
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Source |
How to treat before adding to pool
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Backwash water |
- Collect water in suitable container - Restrict access to prevent container becoming a drowning hazard
- Calculate and add the correct amount of HTH® Extreme Flocc (NB: 1L of HTH® Extreme Flocc treats 50 000L of pool water)
- Stir thoroughly
- Allow to stand for 24 hours. Debris will accumulate at the base of the container
- Add water to the pool, ensuring that the debris remains in the container
- Resume Basic Pool Care routine
- Divert the debris from the container into the garden
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Borehole water |
- Add 2 L of HTH® Metal Remover per 50 000L pool to prevent stains on your lining
- Follow on-pack directions
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Well point water |
- Add 2 L of HTH® Metal Remover per 50 000L pool to prevent stains on your lining
- Follow on-pack directions
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Rain water |
- Collect water in a suitable container
- Prevent roof contaminants from the container by using a device to filter out debris
- Leave water to stand to allow debris to settle to the bottom of the container
- Add water to the pool, ensuring that debris remains in the container
- Correct pH and shock treat your pool water (refer Basic pool Care)
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Grey water |
- Greywater is recycled bath, shower, basin and laundry water
- Do not add Grey water to your pool, as the oil/fats/detergents will float on the surface of the pool, cause scrum on the tile and compromise the effectiveness of your pool filtration system
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How to keep your pool sparkling blue?
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BASIC POOL MAINTENANCE |
MAINTAIN LEVELS
To prevent staining & damage to linings & fittings
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- pH: 7.2 – 7.6 in marbelite pools or 7.0 – 7.2 in fiberglass pools. Test weekly
- Chlorine: 1 – 3ppm. Test weekly
- Total Alkalinity (TA): 80 – 120ppm. Test monthly
- Stabiliser (cyanuric acid) < 50ppm . Test at least once per season
- Copper/Iron: 0. Test once per season
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FILTER |
- Summer: 12 hours per night
- Winter: 6-8 Hours per night
NB: Filtering hours may vary due to pool volume and pump/filter throughput
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BACKWASH/ RINSE
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- Backwash the filter every 2 weeks or when the automatic pool cleaner becomes sluggish
- Backwash the filter for 2 minutes
- Rinse the filter for 20 seconds
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REMOVE DEBRIS |
- Clean pump and weir baskets weekly
- Brush pool walls & floor weekly
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Shock |
- To treat algae, discoloured water or due to extreme conditions ( i.e. extreme weather, high bather load, etc.)
- Test and adjust pH
- With pump running on filter setting
- Add 3x normal dose of HTH® Granular+ or 1 bag of HTH® Shock It
- Test & correct pH after 12 hours. Only enter pool water when chlorine level is <3ppm.
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Important Do’s & DONT’s
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- DO cover your pool – you can conserve up to 95% of water lost through evaporation
- DO test your Stabiliser levels regular – if too high, switch to using HTH® Granular+ Mineralsoft which is Non-Stabilised
- DO turn off water features in your pool to reduce evaporation
- DO fix water leaks to prevent unnecessary water loss
- DO reduce splash-out – curb boisterous activities in the pool
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- DON’T Leave pool water untreated – contaminated water is a health and drowning risk and a breeding place for mosquitos
- DON’T over-stabilise your pool water – this will result in having to drain a portion of pool water. Test with HTH® Quick test strips
- DON’T empty your pool – there is a risk that the pool surface may crack, and the pool shell may lift out of the ground
- DON’T add “grey water” directly to your pool
- DON’T allow pets to swim – this requires additional filtration and backwashing
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