Swimming pools
(2003-04-07 by www.immo7.com)

In a privileged region for it’s weather, like the Canary Islands, one of the first things people looking for Real Estates look for is a swimming pool. However we recommend reading this text for information about systems, maintenance, regulations, security, advantages and some disadvantages.

There are generally two types of swimming pools, built and prefabricated. Within the first type you can choose between the traditional construction with plank-moulds or reinforced concrete. Normally these are built with double hollow bricks and the gaps are filled with reinforced concrete to make it watertight. This surface can then be smoothened with potter’s clay, poliester or similar materials before painting.
The prefabricated are mostly made with poliester and there are with time more and more variations, designs and possibilities but they will never probably match the imagination of the custom built ones.

Once you have decided which type of pool you want we have to find out which waterpump and filters are neccesary for cleaning the pool water. Here the choice is even larger as there are several type of pumps: autofeeded, flood suction and booster.
Autofeeded pumps have a container (with a hair prefilter) that uses the water from a smaller deposit to help the main pump. These pumps are popular for subsurface pools although it can be also used in pools over the standard level.
The flooded suction pumps can only be used in pools over the standard level because the pumps must be installed lower than the pool in order to work.
The booster pumps are used in combination with autofeeded pumps when more pressure is needed to circulate water in waterfalls, upstream water flows, etc...

The most common filter types are: sand filters, cartridge filters and algae chlorophyl impregnated soil filters. All of these are very efficient although the easiest in maintenance are the simple sand filters. The cartridge filters are disposable implying no maintenance at all, except for exchanging it when dirty. The best filters are the soil filters because of the algae chlorophyl action but these filters imply a strict maintenance.

Another important factor in the pool maintenance is the water itself. Much too often the water from the tap has high levels of minerals and a low pH, both conditions that could ruin your pool and cause the sometimes expensive chemicals to be inefficient. It’s important to remember that for a healthy pool the water must be sanitized and balanced. The best way to sanitize the pool is with chlorine. The chlorine effect will hold longer and be more effective if we keep the 5 basic water component levels in their optimum ranges. These 5 components are: pH, total alkaline, calcium hardeness, total dissolved solids and chlorine stabilizer.

The measure units we are going to use is ppm (parts per million) which is standard for chemical concentration en swimming pools.
The total alkalinity should be average 100 ppm and tells how much of it is present in the water.
The PH level is directly connected to the total alkalinity and the range should be between 7,4 and 7,6. It is mostly important to keep the pH level right because higher levels eliminates the chlorine and too low levels make it inefficient by evaporating to fast.
The calcium hardness is important for the pool surface itself. If the level is too low the coating can be eroded and if it’s too much the water gets an unpleasant white creamy colour. The ideal range is between 200 and 400 ppm.
Chlorine stabilizer is used for exactly what the name says. To keep the chlorine balanced the values should be between 40 and 80 ppm.
Last but not least, the total dissolved solids. Unless the water is distilled it will carry minerals. When the water evaporates the minerals stay in the pool. If the levels of minerals in the water get to high then the chemicals used will be inefficient. If this level reaches 3000 ppm then the pool must be partially emptied to add new water.

Apart from the different types of construction we can also make a mention about interior swimming pools. The maintenance is quite similar and usually the interior pools are easier to keep clean. They also don’t have direct sunlight so there is less evaporation which contributes for longer lasting chemicals and generally less expenses. The greatest disadvantage is that you can’t enjoy the sun and get nice sun tan although defenders of interior pools say that at least you can enjoy the pool all year.

One last but very important subject is security. In the first place be very careful handling any chemicals and always in open air spaces, never in closed areas. Remember to add them seperately in the water because mixing them before can occur in unexpected reactions. No need to say how important it is to keep them secure from children. Be careful with breathing chemical toxic emissions and contact with your eyes. Some chemicals are inflammable so no smoking.
When swimming always be in company of at least another person and children must alwyas have an adult with them. It might be advisable to keep the access to the pool closed (with fences) to prevent uncontrolled use of the pool.

For further and detailed information we recommend to consult it with some expert before taking the wrong decision.