Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer a swimming pool cover is a major aid in maintaining your pool in top condition. Fall brings falling leaves that turn your pool into a pond. They bring bugs, bacteria and dirt with them. They can clog up a filter. They can also encourage the growth of algae. Algae rest [...]

Even in this day of high utility bills, it’s great to have a swimming pool heater. In most climates, there are only a few months out of the year at most where swimming would be comfortable without one. If you can’t use your pool, it’s just a maintenance headache with little upside. Fortunately, there are [...]

There are several types of automatic pool cleaners, and which one is right for you will depend on cost, brand, and a great many other factors. But apart from that, here are some general guidelines to get you started… Pressure Cleaners A pressure cleaner uses the force created by the swimming pool’s own pump to [...]

Jumping right in the water the day after your pool cover comes off isn’t a good idea. But, then, you knew that. The question is what should you do? Taking the cover off is the first step, of course. But if it’s a solar blanket and you’ve winterized your pool well when you closed it, [...]

There are few climates that allow using your swimming pool all year ’round. Even in those that do, there are times when vacations and other events provide incentives to close your pool up. But some ways for doing that are better than others, along with some tools that make it easier. A cover is the [...]

That green stuff you see hanging around the bottom and the edges of your swimming pool is algae. Those are microscopic plants that live in water, or near its edge and their sources are nearly endless. They can be carried in on the wind and rain, cling onto feet, or pour out of the hose. [...]

In-ground swimming pools are great. But they have some drawbacks. For one thing, they’re much more expensive than above ground pools. One of the major expenses of building a swimming pool is digging the hole. It also takes anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on how long it takes to schedule [...]

Chlorine and other chemicals have been used in swimming pools for decades. But in this era when the term ‘chemical’ has become a dirty word, it’s helpful to have some basic knowledge. Then you’ll see that pool chemicals are not only perfectly safe for you, but actually help the environment, too. Chlorine is a basic [...]

Solar blanket. Doesn’t that have a nice, comfy sound to it? Well, it’s far more than just a marketing phrase. These tools really work. Solar blankets, or solar pool covers, are a thin sheet of special plastic that can be used to cover your above ground or in-ground swimming pool. They do much more than [...]

A swimming pool is supposed to be a place of enjoyment. Yet, accidents occur near swimming pools around the world every year. To get more of the first and lower the odds of the second, some simple-to-install safety equipment is a must. A pool cover may sound like the last line of defense, it’s really [...]