Tech Questions

Water loss through evaporation, backwashing or splash out is common. However, if you feel that your water loss is more excessive than this check out the following: 1. Check around the equipment to ensure that there are not any wet areas as equipment can develop leaks which will result in water loss. 2. If you have a vinyl liner check that there are not any tears around the lights, ladders or in corners. Check the ground around the pool. 3. Inside the skimmer box put a mark where the water is and recheck it a day later. Your pool should not lose more than about 7mm per day. 4. Fill a bucket with water and place a mark where the water level is. Leave next to the pool for a day. The amount of water loss from the bucket should be similar to the water loss from the pool. 5. If there is a noticeable difference you will need to call a leak detector to ascertain where the leak is coming from.

The first step is to ascertain what is causing the stain. Staining can sometimes be caused by incorrect water balance. Check your water balance and adjust if necessary to the correct levels. Stains can also be caused by metal contamination and tannins from leaves. The following is a checklist to assist in determining the likely source of the problem:

• Water is emerald green in colour - Copper
• The walls and floor have turned blue-green or black - Copper
• The water has a greenish yellow tint - Iron
• The walls and floor have a rusty colour - Iron
• The areas where the leaves settled have gone brown - Tannins

The longer a stain is present in a pool, the harder it is to eliminate. Contact your nearest Focus Products Authorised Dealer for information on the treatment and prevention of stains.

Pools can get calcium levels that build up over a period of time, particularly those pools utilising Calcium Hypochlorite, which can cause hard scale to form on the surface of the pool. New pools particularly can have a scaling issue as they “adjust”. In areas of high water hardness the problem is unavoidable. To prevent scale from forming Aquashield 3 should be added every three months. This will inhibit calcium scale and assist with the cleaning of the salt chlorinator cell. To remove deposits that have already formed it will be necessary to conduct a treatment involving Hydrochloric Acid and Aquashield 3. Contact your nearest Focus Products Authorised Dealer for assistance.

Every year over 35 children under the age of 5 drown, 50% of these deaths occur in private swimming pools. Queensland has recently experienced changes in its fencing regulations which are enclosed, however all States will follow with amendments in the future. Legislation is different within each State and information is obtainable from the State Government but the following checklist is a minimum requirement for all States:

• The swimming pool gate must open outward from the pool.
• The latch must be more than 1.5m from the ground and must be self-closing and self-latching.
• The Pool fence must be secure and in good working order and no more than 100mm from the ground.
• The Pool Fence should be at least 1.2m high with no vertical gaps more than 100mm apart.
• There must be a CPR sign prominent in the pool area

Residential swimming pools constructed after 1 December 2009 in Queensland

Stage one took effect on 1 December 2009 and applies to new residential swimming pools. It includes: pool fencing to comply with the latest pool fencing standards. Compliant temporary fences to be permitted for a maximum period of three months during the construction of a pool, after which compliant permanent fencing will be required. Both the temporary and permanent fences will need to be inspected and certified by the building rectifier who approved the application if the required final inspection has not been done, building certifiers will be required to undertake a mandatory follow-up inspection within a set time frame after giving a building approval for a swimming pool. The time frames will be six months for new pools or two years in cases where building approval is granted for a swimming pool and a new residential building. If the building approval is due to lapse earlier then six months or two years, the final inspection must be done before it lapses pool owners to display a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) sign that reflects the current CPR method adopted by the Australian Resuscitation Council.

Some other requirements under existing Queensland pool fencing laws:

• Owners must ensure that a compliant fence is in place and maintained
• Owners must display a warning sign advising that a new pool is under construction
• Owners must ensure pools constructed on or after 1 October 2003 display a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) sign
• Local governments can only grant exemptions in circumstances where an occupant of the building has a disability that will not enable them to gain access to the pool area if a complying pool fence was constructed.

This is dependent on which State you live in (water balance is affected by temperature), where the pool is situated (shade or no shade), the bather load of the pool, the size of the pool, the sanitation process you are using and other factors. As a rough guide in tropical climates during the warmest months of the year the recommendation would be a minimum of 8 hours up to 12 hours separated into 2 cycles. This can be reduced back to 2-3 hours during the cold months or non-swimming times. Inadequate filtration time is the primary cause of cloudy, green or unsanitary water. Check with your nearest Focus Products Authorised Dealer for the correct advice on running times for your pool.

There are currently 3 types of pool cleaners on the markets; suction, pressure and robotic in addition of course, to good old fashioned manual vacuuming.

Manual vacuuming is time consuming and most consumers these days are very time poor. When considering what type of cleaner is best for your pool take into account your lifestyle, the finish of your pool, the size of your pool and the environment in which your pool sits. These will be paramount in selecting the correct cleaner for your needs.

Automatic cleaners are either suction or pressure. Suction cleaners are very popular and are often considered the most economical choice. The hose basically attaches to a vacuum plate in the skimmer and is driven by the suction generated by the pool pump. The cleaner then proceeds to move around the pool in random patterns. The filter must be kept clean as the suction cleaner is dependent on filter pressure. Suction cleaners are not always a good choice if the pool is subject to heavy leaf deposits.

Pressure cleaners are generally more expensive but are considered by some to be more efficient. These cleaners work by attaching the hose to the pool return and require a boost pump which pushes pressure through a line into the cleaner. This creates a vacuum effect which drives the cleaner and the dirt and debris are collected and deposited into either the filter or sometimes a bag. Pressure cleaners are excellent for use in a heavy leaf scenario as the bag helps prevent them from clogging the filter. Another type of cleaner is a robotic cleaner which operates on a timer utilising a transformer than converts the power to a safe level. Robotic cleaners are considered the quickest method to clean a pool. They come with their own filtration system and do not attach to a pool pump of filter. These filters are normally only put in a pool when it requires cleaning and then removed. Traditionally these cleaners were used mainly in Commercial situation but more and more backyard pools are seeing them as a viable option.

As the population ages, many people are finding it harder and harder to lift drums of liquid pool chlorine for their automatic feeder systems. Until recently, however, there have not been other options that allow people to utilise their feeders effectively. The addition of 1 kg Focus Stabilised Chlorine in 20 litres of water will give the same benefits for automatic dosing without the weight, spillage and pH adjustment To ensure that the feed lines are kept clean and flowing freely, 30ml of Aquashield 3 should be added each time. This will sanitise the pool water at the same measure as liquid pool chlorine but is a lot easier to handle.. The reduced pH of Stabilised chlorine will also remove the need to add Hydrochloric Acid into the pool, Stabilised chlorine, unlike liquid pool chlorine, is also classified as non-dangerous providing peace of mind for your storage. No fuming acid to worry about and no risk of the acid and chlorine drums getting mixed up resulting in a nasty and potentially life threatening accident. Contact your nearest Focus Products Authorised Dealer for more information on how to utilise this system.

Blonde hair particularly can experience this problem. It is generally caused by incorrect water balance, excess copper or high chlorine levels. Pay particular care to your water balance to eliminate the likelihood of it occurring.
It can be removed from the hair by any of the following methods:

• Dissolve a couple of disprin in a glass of water and rinse the hair. Follow with your usual shampoo and conditioning treatment.
• Wash hair in Sunlight soap and follow with a conditioning treatment.
• Rub tomato sauce into the hair and then shampoo. (Kids love this one!)