HASA POOL TIPS

The weather is getting hotter and everyone is looking forward to long summer days in the swimming pool.

Now is a great time to take a water sample from your pool into your neighborhood pool store. Improper water balance will damage expensive pool equipment not mention the irritation to swimmers eyes and skin.
The store should check the water for pool conditioner, pH, alkalinity, chlorine, and calcium hardness.

Once your neighborhood pool store has tested the water and they can advise you on what chemicals should be added to your pool.

Keeping the water balanced is much more than just keeping the chlorine level right.

How to Take a Water Sample:
When taking a water sample, use a new bottle that is just for water samples (many local retail pool stores give water sample bottles for free). This may sound a little extreme but you should never use glass around a pool because of the possibility of accidental breakage around the pool area. And many plastics will absorb some of the products that were in them. Because many of the test are measuring levels in the parts per million or parts per billion just a tiny residue can change the test results giving false readings. False readings can cause you to make the wrong adjustments wasting time and causing you to purchase products you don’t really need.

 Water samples should be taken from the deep end of the pool as far down into the water as you can safely reach. Take the sample to the pool store right away. Storing the sample or leaving the sample in a hot car while you do “other errands” will degrade the sample.

ESTIMATING POOL CAPACITY IN GALLONS

Rectangular Pool: Capacity in gallons is equal to the length times the width times the average depth (in feet) times 7.5
L x W x D x 7.5 = gallons of water in pool

Round Pool: Capacity in gallons is equal to Pi (3.14) times the radius squared time the depth (in feet) times 7.5
3.14 x r2 x D x 7.5 = gallons of water in pool

Oval pool: Capacity in gallons is equal to length times width times average depth (in feet) times 7.5
L x W x D x 7.5 = gallons of water in pool

OTHER USEFUL MEASUREMENT CONVERSIONS

One gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds
One cubic foot of water contains 7.5 gallons