Blogs

High temperatures, a sunny day, and plenty of company — factors that make for a great pool party — also can energize a group of nasty intruders: algae.

Low temps can affect test results, reaction times, solubility within the sample, and reagent efficacy.

Winterizing/closing a pool or spa is not difficult, but it is necessary if you want to protect your investment. Who wants to find major issues when the next swim season rolls around?

As the person who handles hundreds of tech calls and e-mails here at Taylor each month, I get a lot of interesting questions…some great, some not so great, and some that are really out there!

Without any hesitation, I can tell you this is the number one tech question I get, almost daily. The frequency of this question causes me to see cloudy water in my sleep.

The subject can be intimating and a bit confusing. That’s why whenever I talk about total alkalinity I like to use a visual—an umbrella!

The average human involuntarily releases 5–10 mL of urine in the pool or spa…AND…10–25 mg of fecal material every time they enter the water. Every time!

The general rule regarding discoloration goes like this: If the discoloration is clear, it’s usually a sign of metals (e.g., copper, iron, etc.) in the water. A murky/cloudy discoloration indicates the presence of algae (mustard/yellow, green, black, etc.).

Mom always said, “patience is a virtue.” But is it? In the world of water testing for instance, patience is not always an advantage. In fact, patience can end up causing some odd and potentially incorrect results.

Did you know that some of the basic tools needed for diagnosing problems are actually free and with you every day?

You might compare opening presents on Christmas morning to the feeling you get when opening your pool at the beginning of the season: Sometimes you get what you had hoped for (no algae, crystal-clear water, no staining, etc.), but sometimes you don’t (green water, algae growing all over the place, staining, unidentifiable animal carcasses floating on the surface [okay…I added that one for dramatic effect]).

Ideally, you should obtain a sample at least 18" below the water’s surface (your elbow is a good stopping point) and away from any return lines.

“Why am I getting a zero or very low chlorine reading when I know there’s plenty of chlorine in the water?”

What do you do when you find out the spa you have come to service is treated with bromine, and you only have a kit in your truck for testing chlorine? No worries!

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly about a treatment product being used in the pool/spa industry that has gained tremendous popularity in the past 10-ish years: potassium peroxy-monopersulfate (KHSO5), aka monopersulfate or non-chlorine shock.

Let’s talk about salt…the stuff you put on French fries.

“Shocking” is a word that’s used a lot, but do you know what it means in the pool/spa industry?

Any form of chlorine added to water has the same chemical reaction.

Diligent testing is the cornerstone of any effective treatment program.

Deciding which test kit has the right features for your specific needs may be best determined by talking with an expert at your local retailer about these top ten features to consider when deciding which test kit is right for you!

Installing a new swimming pool can be both exciting and nerve-racking — not just for the homeowner — but for the pool builder as well.

Cyanuric acid (CYA) is a chlorine stabilizer that is widely used in residential and commercial pools and spas. So why are so many people, including health officials, split on whether it is beneficial or harmful?

In my opinion, the experience and the knowledge of the pool store professional makes the difference between a happy customer and a frustrated pool/spa owner.

Water balance is the dynamic interaction of five specific chemical parameters that must be tested on a regular basis to ensure that water in a pool or spa is neither corrosive nor scaling-forming.

It seems the total hardness test is the black sheep of the testing family.

Chloramines are responsible for the typical “chlorine smell” we find in pool and spa waters. This is NOT a good thing, especially in indoor environments where the exchange of fresh air is poor or non-existent.

Let’s talk about the most egregious “myth” that seems to perpetually hang around our industry and the real truth behind it.

So many questions and, unfortunately, so little time to get the answers when you have to visit 20+ pools a day for service and testing.

Remember the old adage: A square is a rectangle but a rectangle is NOT a square? Well, the same is true in the pool and spa industry.

Summer is here, and while temperatures are ramping up, so is business for pool/spa retailers and service technicians.

We get a lot of technical calls and e-mails here at Taylor. And the clear majority of those technical questions revolve around reagent freshness or “shelf life.”

We get tech calls and e-mails about reagent interchangeability almost daily.

Inaccurate test results are not always the fault of the water-testing equipment or because something in the water’s chemistry is interfering with the test.