Pool Maintainance, pool keeps going green

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 10:38

Has anyone had problem with pool going green and had pool maintainance company reccomend change sand in filter? Orhas anyone had their sand changed in filter recently?

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 10:54

Hi Rible



with the heat we have had over the past few months there are alot of people who have had problems with not only green pools but with also black algea



There are a few solutions to solve this problem.



Zerochlor is 1 of them.



If you want some advise feel free to pop into our office in catalkoy or phone.



Cheers

Geejay


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 475

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 11:35

Your pool company could be right. When they backwash, some of the sand is also washed away. This needs replacing or topping up say after 1-2 years. I had to do this last year after 2 years use. Not an easy job but because of the cost, I and a friend did this ourselves.

Also during the summer months pump filtration needs to be increased to say 6-8 hours a day. Also more chlorine, if that's what you use, should be applied (after testing) due to increased evaporation. You might also need to treat the water with algaecide and flocculant to rid it of the green taint. Flocculant will clump the algae and send it to the pool bottom for vacuuming

For a more professional opinion I suggest you contact TRNCvaughn at Octopus Pools. Contact by e-mail on his details at this site.

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 14:30

Hi Geejay.



Thanks for your reply. Its Octapus pools who are looking after our pool & it has turned green on 3 occasions during this summer & they took a long time to sort it out as a result some people have refused to pay us for the villas because the pool was unservicable for such a long time.



After discussion they sugested replacing sand in the filter at a cost of £360 when the estimate was £180. It was only after more chemicals were added by ourselves was the problem solved.



Just wondered if anyone has had similar problems? and does anyone know how much it should cost to change the sand in the filter?

bootneck



Joined: 23/06/2008
Posts: 242

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 15:11

Ridle is it a salt pool?

PoolDoctor


Joined: 30/07/2009
Posts: 8

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 15:17

mess 4



If your pool is a standard 4x8 it will cost you £150 to change the sand

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 15:31

Ridle,



You have a communal pool with 500kg of sand in your filter. Our normal price to supply AND change the sand (500kg out, 500kg in) through the small access lid on the filter would be 1.25 sterling per kilo. So our normal price for this job would have been 625 sterling and you were charged 360 pounds.



Shortly after we changed the sand, without reference to us, extra chemicals were added to the pool, by others. Whether they contributed to the recovery of the pool, we can't comment, largely because we don't know what they were or how much of them were added.



Please see:

http://www.havuz.org/pool_pool/pool_maintenance/filtration.htm



"REMEMBER too, that the useful lifespan of the sand in your filter is 3-5 years. If you neglect to change the sand, your filter will not be able to remove the finer particles of dirt and your swimming pool can never be completely clean. Have the pool filter opened for inspection at least every 2 years to avoid filtration problems."

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 15:32

Hi Bootneck & Pool Docter



No pool is not salt pool

Size 16mx6m

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 15:34

Hi pooldoctor,



How much sand would that be in a 4x8m pool filter?

About 125kg?

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 17:25

Hi TRNCVaghan.



The pile of removed sand is still onsite for all to see.

1) It does not look like 500kg to me. It can easily be weighed.

2) The sand which has been removed looks very clean & I would question wether or not it needed doing at all. The pool was still green for a long while after the sand was changed. It was only after chemicals were added the pool went o.k.again.

Lazy days


Joined: 24/07/2008
Posts: 847

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 19:06

Hi peeps.

This will have them squealing in the corridors

Try shopping around to find someone who is adequately qualified to look after pools, it is the norm here for peeps to use non qualified and underpaid people to simply hoover pools and charge you £50/60/70 a month but have no idea what to do when a pool starts to go off, they spout a lot of guff and always say they are the best, just shop around and you will find how many are actually qualified technicians and know their onions so to speak lol

MarkVPiazza


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 530

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 19:27

Ridle



If less than 500kg of sand came out, but 500kg went in, doesn't this tell you Vaughan was right, and your problem was probably due to lack of/old sand?



The sand can still look clean - I think I'm correct in saying the problem with continual use/back washing is that the fine grains which are needed to filter the tiny impurities are the first to be washed away, leaving bigger grains which only filter the bigger stuff.



Sounds like you got a very good price



NB we had our sand changed after about 3 years, as the filter wasn't working as well as it should have.



Mark

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
03/09/2009 19:32

Get hold of a couple of frogs, they like algae!



Richard

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
04/09/2009 07:51

Hi Lazy Days



Thanks, This is the sort of advice we are looking for. It did seen to us the people who managed our pool did not know what they were doing because the problem was re occouring over a period of 3 months. In the end it was down to lack of proper chemichals.



Hi Mark.

I am still not convinced the fine sand has been washed away, The sample is here onsite & there seems to be plenty of fine sand in the sample. Because no one was here to oversee the installation how do we know all of the sand in the filter was removed & then topped up, apparently it happens.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
04/09/2009 09:11

Mark is correct. The finer grains of sand are lost over time due to backwashing. Sand is a mechanical filter which depends on the irregular grains forming cavities which silt can be trapped between. Over time the agitation in a filter will round-off the grains until they are smooth and spherical. At this point they become inefficient. The other problem is that due to the very hard water here, limescale starts to coat the sand and it can start to clump into large pieces or even a solid block resembling concrete.

For all the above reasons the sand in your filter will need changing regularly - approx every 3-4 years.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
04/09/2009 09:51

Pooldoctor hasn't replied but at his rates a 500kg sand change would have cost you £600, so I guess our price wasn't that bad after all.

We have changed the sand in quite a few filters this year and in some the difference it made was quite obvious and almost instantaneous.

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
05/09/2009 08:43

Hi TRNCVaughan.



I had heard that you have changed quite a few sand filters this year, why so many? I would like to talk to these people to compare notes, maybe they are not on Cyprus 44?

I would also like to know where I could buy a bag of sand so I could compare the new sample with the old that has been removed.

I am also looking for a reliably company who would rewind a pump motor.

Geejay


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 475

Message Posted:
05/09/2009 09:38

Ridle......For filter sand try Splashpools, Pools R Us or any other well known maintenance company. My last enquiry about filter sand got quoted £16 for 25 Kg. This was a while ago and prices may have increased. My sand change last year took 4.5 bags for a 10 x 5 size pool. My next door neighbour was quoted recently £20 per bag by one company plus labour cost.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
05/09/2009 10:22

With about 200 pools under maintenance with us, and taking into account that sand changes are advisable every 3-4 years, it stands to reason that on average, during any one year, about 50+ pools (or 1 a week) will need their sand changing.

Castlemilk


Joined: 12/03/2009
Posts: 174

Message Posted:
05/09/2009 10:24

25kg Bags of sand cost around £17/£20 depending on the firm you get it from.



After doing a back wash and rinse for the new sand put in why then did they not just flock the pool and balance tank and vac. to waist when it had dropped to the bottom?

You would then have a clean pool and clean sandfilter to cope with further organic debris.



Stevie

JMBrin


Joined: 05/09/2009
Posts: 4

Message Posted:
07/09/2009 20:03

I also had the recurring problem with a green pool, even tho i believe the pool guys were doing a good job istarted to have my doubts when it happened almost every 2 days. They came out as soon as i phoned them, added more chemicals and ıncreased the number of hours the pump was running to 6. So far no more greeness. I would have no problem recommending these pool guys, let me know if you want their tel no.

They charge 50pound per month which includes all chemicals.

louise123


Joined: 15/05/2009
Posts: 14

Message Posted:
07/09/2009 21:56

Hi Dennis,



Please can you contact me on the following number I cannot see your email address.



05338868729



Regards.



Louise

stephenandtes


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 16

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 00:15

for pool maintenance, its jewels. not only clean pools but deal with every other aspect also. cannot tell you how happy we are with the service!

stephenandtes


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 16

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 00:15

contact jewels for your pool maintenance. you won't be disappointed.

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 00:30

Message 21



jmbrin



its ok adding more chemicals as you state.



But what chemicals?



if its just a hell of alot more chlorine im sure that cant be to good for your health long term?



What were the more chemicals they added to your pool as you say was going green every 2 days?



Hopefully next year Zerochlor will be able to offer you pool cleaning maintainance.

mia100max


Joined: 19/03/2008
Posts: 404

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 16:13

Hi, I kept on having the same problem and was advised to change the sand in the filter until someone advised me to lift up the grilles and check the gully's. This was where the problem lay, firstly used agicide with clear in the pool then I scrubbed all of the gully's down with it. I now lift the grills once a month and put a fine sprinking of chlorine all along the gully's. Perfectly clear pool now.

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 17:04

Hi Mia100max, Thanks for your advice, its nice to know some of the lesser known remedies.

Its funny you should have been advised to change the sand in the filter, was it by on e of the better known pool maint.companies? If you dont want to tell me here can you please send e mail to denis_ridley@yahoo.com

MarkVPiazza


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 530

Message Posted:
09/09/2009 17:40

It's a good idea to paint your gullies with a suitable sealer and paint (got ours from Marshalls/TAYF in Karaglanoglu) - it's a rubbery finish that resists dirt and will stop water soaking in to the concrete thus reducing evaporation.



It may get a bit dusty, but we've never had any algae forming



Mark

PoolDoctor


Joined: 30/07/2009
Posts: 8

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 10:42

Mess 9

Hi TRNC Vaughan



It will take between 125-150Kg

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 11:20

Hi Pooldoctor,



Thanks for that info. That makes our price to change 500kg of sand quite good.

What would you charge to maintain a 16x6m communal pool with chlorine?

PoolDoctor


Joined: 30/07/2009
Posts: 8

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 11:26

It depends on how many houses on the complex, But I should say something around £120-£140/month

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 11:29

So 70 pounds per month, including chemicals would be very reasonable, would you say?

PoolDoctor


Joined: 30/07/2009
Posts: 8

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 12:02

That is a very silly price, ı wouldnt go any where near it for that price.

Nil_Offsetsan


Joined: 03/08/2009
Posts: 16

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 12:47

Ridle,

We can offer you 12.5€/25kg if you still need to change the sand of your filter.

Regards, NiL.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 13:10

Hi Pooldoctor,



Thank you for confirming that both our sand change price and our monthly maintenance price of Ridles pool are more than reasonable.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 13:38

So if we bought the sand from Nil Offsetsan it would have cost us 217 pounds (plus KDV?).

We charged Ridles 360 pounds (PoolDoctor would have charged him 600 pounds), leaving 143 pounds for labour (2 men for half a day) and profit (not much).

PoolDoctor would charge Ridles about 130 pounds per month for the maintenance of his pool whereas we charge him 70 pounds.

Now either our figures are way out or PoolDoctors are but by my reckoning Ridles hasn't done too badly.

The fact actually is that the maintenance price for the pool and the cost of the sand change were concessionary rates which are very unlikely to be repeated.

mia100max


Joined: 19/03/2008
Posts: 404

Message Posted:
10/09/2009 21:19

Hi Ridles, I was advised by 1 pool company and about 3 pool cleaners. It was a neighbour that told me about the gullys. Another of my neighbours has painted his gullys wiith the white, rubberised special paint but still the algea forms so unless you think you may have leakage there, I wouldn't bother doing it. As I said, my pool is sparkling now!

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
12/09/2009 20:01

denis.turn your phone on

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
13/09/2009 10:37

Hi TRNCVaughan



I have done a lot of research in the past 2 weeks & quite a few people have contacted me on the various aspects of this forum & my conclusion is this.

I does not matter how inexpensive the pool maintenance charges are if the pool is offline for 2 months because it is green are we getting good value for money? It is not about money, its about having a fully servicable pool when friends, family, & holiday makers come to cyprus to enjoy their holidays. A green pool is not what you want for 40% of the time. Yes your charges are on maintanence a maybe a bit low & we as a group of 8 people would not protest at slightly higher charge as long as we get what we want.

However we do not want to pay pool doctors rates.

A few people have been in touch & we all have had similar problems & one thing we have learned is that it would not be a huge step for us to carry out our own maintainance in the future.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
13/09/2009 12:17

Hi Ridle,

If you are able and willing to carry out your own pool maintenance, I would encourage it every time.

AquaStar


Joined: 10/09/2009
Posts: 2

Message Posted:
14/09/2009 18:21

Hi Ridle



Let Me first introduce my self. I am the pool shop on the Çatalköy road opposite the Lemar.

If you dont pay Pool Doctors or any other maintenance company the going rate you no other chance than having a green pool.

Lets do a simple calculation on my chemical selling prices.

16x16 pool with an average depth of 1.5m holds 160 Tons of water including the balance tank.

which means you nead approx 2-3 Kg of clorine every visit since it is a shared pool.

1.5-2 Kg of PH down

0.5 Lt Algiside

0.5 Lt Floc

Labour



There are 9 visits in a month. So lets start calculating

Chlorine 90% 50Kg = £110/50Kg = £2.2 per Kg x 3Kg x 9 Visits = £59.4

Lets not calculate the rest if you want because the £70 has already finnished.

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
15/09/2009 09:20

Hi AquaStar,

We agree with all you say. As I have said its not about the money. There are 8 of us here sharing the cost of maintaining this pool. We did not set the rate for maintanance. What we want is good service, suppose it costs a little more on the monthly charges. We do not want a green pool for 2 months in the summer. We have not had good service & if you want me to list the complete history of events over the past year I can easily do that.

MarkVPiazza


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 530

Message Posted:
15/09/2009 10:38

Ridle



It's a free country, if you are not happy with a supplier, why don't you go and get another, instead of continually bleating-on about it?



Mark

yorgozlu



Joined: 16/06/2009
Posts: 4437

Message Posted:
15/09/2009 11:06

Is any one of you aware about the fact that in a country like Turkey,where the cost of living is so much cheaper, you'd have to pay minimum of double the amount that you pay in Cyprus to have your pool maintained?



It's all fine wanting to live in a house/apartment with a swimming pool,but when it comes to maintaining it,want it "free"?



Guess what!!??



Its all you lot coming over to live here and out of not having nothing to do (bordom)keeps lowering these prices.



Whats the matter?You dont like working for 1000tl a month?



Well,neither do I.But I dont go round nicking other people's work.



awaiting for replies.

Ridle


Joined: 01/01/2009
Posts: 144

Message Posted:
15/09/2009 12:30

Hi Mark.

It was almost put to bed then Aqua Star chipped in.

All in hand now

AquaStar


Joined: 10/09/2009
Posts: 2

Message Posted:
17/09/2009 12:10

Ridle



I have bean in this trade for 10 years and that means I am older than most companies and Cowboys that clean pools or think they can clean pools. Beleive me you will have the same problem next year.

Good Luck



Aqua Star

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
17/09/2009 16:06

Message 46



Hello aquastar



im sure he wont have the same problems next year if he discovers the beauty of Zerochlor





Happy chlorine free swimming folks

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
17/09/2009 16:09

message 46



im trying to access your website.



im getting a message that it doesnt exist



http://www.pool-experts.com



can any 1 else open this website?

MikeWilson


Joined: 05/09/2009
Posts: 10

Message Posted:
22/09/2009 21:53

Hello Zerochlor



No, can't open web page



Can i have your contact details please so i can get quote ready for next year? Is it possible/expensive to change from chlor to salt?

straitasadie


Joined: 14/09/2009
Posts: 450

Message Posted:
15/10/2009 12:58

to take the cloudiness out of a 10/5 pool. how much flocculant to circulate back to the pool and for how long.

then how long do i leave the pump off for.is it best to put the flocculant in pool or expansion tank.

thanks

straitasadie

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
15/10/2009 14:28

1. Turn off your pump.

2. Dilute 1 litre of floc in a couple of litres of water.

3. Broadcast the floc across the surface of the pool using a tea cup or similar.

4. Leave overnight.

5. Hoover to waste.

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
15/10/2009 16:05

Message 49



hello mike



http://www.zerochloreuropean.com



hope ur pool is sorted out now.

jewels


Joined: 06/06/2009
Posts: 73

Message Posted:
12/11/2009 18:42

hi please call me on 0533 831 64 69

will cme to sort out your pool problems a.s.a.p



regards jewels