Winter is Coming – How to Chemically Protect Your Pool

Winter is Coming – How to Chemically Protect Your Pool

Winter is Coming! No we don’t meant the Game of Thrones coming battles that looms on the horizon. Instead we mean that temperatures are going to drop and your pool chemistry is going to do some funky things. The hardest part about water chemistry is that it changes throughout the year! We are working with real elements that change composition and behavior due to outside factors, such as temperature. What this means for you is that you need to adjust your pool care treatment to adjust for colder temperatures.

If you’ve followed Matt’s Water Pool Service for some time, you’ve likely seen our article on the Langelier Saturation Index. In that article we speak about the critical topic of “water balance” and how varying factors can impact the chemical requirements of your swimming pool. For sake of time, we are going to build off of that conversation and assume you’ve read up on all that the Langelier Saturation Index has to offer.

But first a quick recap…

Based on our understanding of the LSI Index – water is known as “The Universal Solvent.” It will find a state of balance no matter what environment it is in. The troubling factor is that water interacts with its environment (a.k.a. your pool surface). It will take or deposit elements it needs in order to maintain it’s state of balance. What does this mean for your pool plaster and pool equipment? It means that you need to be conscious of water’s changing behavior from fluctuations in temperature.

Here you can glimpse the power of the Orenda Technology App. This amazing software allows us to measure the LSI index for your pool water. As you can see from the image, by booster the pH & Calcium of the pool water, we are able to restore the balance to this swimming pool. It's simple in theory and highly effective at saving you money.
Here you can glimpse the power of the Orenda Technology App. This amazing software allows us to measure the LSI index for your pool water. As you can see from the image, by booster the pH & Calcium of the pool water, we are able to restore the balance to this swimming pool. It’s simple in theory and highly effective at saving you money.

Water Becomes Aggressive at Cold Temperatures

The LSI is impacted by several key factors: Temperature, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium & Total Dissolved Solids (TDS – or salt). All of these factors play a critical role in the LSI Index (a.k.a. your water balance). Luckily, all but one of these factors can easily be controlled by Chemical alterations, which you can purchase directly from Matt’s Water eShop! All of these factors can be altered – except for Temperature.

Temperature is an interesting element because it impacts your water and causes your water balance to require constant alternations. It’s the only factor that can’t be controlled by another element – meaning it’s the most powerful and one that you shouldn’t neglect.

According to the LSI Index, the colder the water – the more corrosive it becomes. Left unchecked water can become highly aggressive and begin to remove elements from your pool surface to maintain it’s state of balance. As you may already know, the only element present in pool plaster that water is able to remove is: Calcium. Calcium is a natural mineral present in nearly everything. It’s able to be dissolved by water and absorbed (hence removed) from a surface to satisfy corrosive water conditions.

This wretched interaction can continue to take place all winter long and wreak havoc on your pool plaster and pool equipment. It will continue until the LSI reaches a state of balance and your water is satisfied.

Often times it’s not until the Spring that home owners turn on their pool heater (while going for a swim) only to realize that their heater won’t fire. They also notice that their pool plaster is rougher. Ironically as temperatures begin to heat up, they notice “scale” beginning to form on their pool surface.

Rather than allow this to happen to our clients, we believe it’s time to provide some insight and education to prevent this natural disaster from occurring in your backyard!

One of our favorite parts of the job is working with home owners to provide insight into caring for their swimming pools – the right way! Here you can see Matt and Cathey discussing the chemistry of this swimming pool after some water testing.

Prevent Corrosive Water Conditions – Use The LSI Index!

The first step in treating your swimming pool and preparing for winter always involves testing your current water chemistry. Before any alterations can effectively be determined, we first have to have a starting point to gauge what changes need to be made to your water chemistry.

Luckily Matt’s Water Pool Services offers water testing for our clients and we can even provide you with a consultation in your backyard! There’s nothing better than evaluating your swimming pool in person and obtaining advice from professionals who care for swimming pools all year long!

Once we’ve obtained a water test for your swimming pool we can accurately gauge what changes need to be made to your water chemistry.

Because water temperature does not change over night, our changes throughout the Fall will be subtle and accurate. We take weekly steps to maintain our water balance throughout the constant rises and dips in temperature. This ensures that we don’t go too far to one side or another of the LSI Index and cause scaling or etching on your pool surface.

Left unchecked all winter – your swimming pool can turn into a chemistry nightmare. Trust the experts when we say – it’s easier and cheaper to keep your swimming pool well maintained. Don’t neglect your pool and try to save on cost by not treating it until the Spring. This can cost your more than you expect and take longer than you think to fix it.

What Chemical Changes Can We Make?

So what are they key chemicals that we use to balance our LSI and prevent natural disasters in our swimming pools?

Changes in PH – Control Small Fluctuations in LSI

Again, we always start with the LSI Index. If the changes that we need to make are minor and require little adjustment, a small rise in our pH can shield your water against a small drop in temperature. Of course you need to make sure you don’t surpass a healthy pH

Ideally you want your pH to be between 7.2 – 7.6

Changes in Alkalinity – Keep Your pH in Line

Additionally, if our pH shows too move much and doesn’t seem to maintain a consistent number from week to week – we then look at Alkalinity. Alkalinity acts as a buffer to protect our pH from constant fluctuations. Raising the Alkalinity can also act as a buffer against decreases in the LSI due to cooler water conditions.

Ideally you want your Alkalinity to be between 80 – 120 ppm

Changes in Calcium – Control Large Changes in LSI

Lastly, raising our Calcium content in our water can shield greatly against changes in water temperature. The ironic aspect of calcium alterations is that we are adding the mineral that water craves directly into our swimming pool. Because cooler temperatures suck calcium out of our plaster – we can attack the problem head on by adding calcium directly to our water!

What’s the flip side of calcium alternations? Once added to the water, calcium cannot be easily removed (aside from draining your swimming pool).

Ideally you want your Calcium to range between 200-400 ppm (but this number must be determined by the LSI)

So What’s The Solution?

With so much variation in the behavior of water from temperature changes, what is the lasting solution to protect your pool surface and equipment? The short answer – there is no easy answer. Each swimming pool is a different eco-system with varying degrees of minerals, metals, phosphates, calcium and TDS. These differing minerals and fluctuations temperatures require our teams to test each and every swimming pool that we interact with.

The solution, therefore, is that we recommend professional care for your swimming pool! Many clients balk at this topic, but we ask the franc question:

If your swimming pool is the most expensive aspect of your home – why would neglect it and allow the pool surface to be ruined from lack of professional maintenance?

The truth of the matter is – many home owners don’t want to care for their swimming pools. They believe that water chemistry is confusing and difficult. Ironically, your swimming pool is a costly investment and resurfacing your swimming pool can easily cost your around $10K.

With such a high price tag, doesn’t it make more sense to have your pool regularly maintained by a professional service company than risking a ruined surface? We certainly think so and are here to help any client that calls on us for assistance!

Now Selling Loop-Loc Safety Covers

Now Selling Loop-Loc Safety Covers

Now Selling Loop-Loc Safety Covers

The Best Safety Covers In The Industry

Is there anything more important in life than keeping our families and children safe? At Matt’s Water, we provide the highest quality products designed to keep both your family & pool environment safe. To help us with our mission of enhancing our outdoor living spaces, we’ve signed up as a dealer for LOOP-LOC Safety Covers.

LOOP-LOC was first founded in 1978 with five employees. Co-Founder, Bill Donaton, first envisioned the business in 1957 as a way to keep animals from falling into swimming pools, while allowing rain water to pass through. Continuous improvements were made to the product line through the 1970s & 1980s in order to enhance it’s child safety measures. With the introduction of  “LOOP-LOC’s GAPGUARD® and SAFEDGE®, now known as CABLE-LOC™ Child Safety Intrusion Barriers,” LOOP-LOC led the way for innovation in the Pool & Spa industry.

Awarded with Patent # 4,982,457, Bill Donaton helped lead the way for industry-accepted performance standards. Since then, LOOP-LOC has expanded it’s product offering to include Vinyl Liners as well as Safety Covers. It’s all in an effort to provide the highest quality craftsmanship for the most vital components of your swimming pool. Here at Matt’s Water, we have aligned ourselves with LOOP-LOC’s mission of safety & quality. We’re proud to offer it as part of our customer focused initiatives!

We can custom measure a LOOP-LOC cover to fit nearly any pool shape. Here you can see a safety cover installed on a free-form pool. By capturing A-B Measurements, we're able to use a process of triangular to find our exact curvature and get a computer cut. Pretty cool stuff!

We can custom measure a LOOP-LOC cover to fit nearly any pool shape. Here you can see a safety cover installed on a free-form pool. By capturing A-B Measurements, we’re able to use a process of triangular to find our exact curvature and get a computer cut. Pretty cool stuff!

Using The Highest Quality Materials Available

Just how on earth is LOOP-LOC rated the highest quality safety cover manufacturer in the industry? For starters, the primary material is constructed of Polyester Bonded Threads that are 30% stronger than industry standards. Combine this leading material with:

  • Double perimeter webbing
  • Double thick straps
  • 302 stainless steel springs
  • “87% black yard in fabric for added UV resistance,” LOOP-LOC

All of these products are designed to enhance the safety of these safety covers as well as their durability over time. Safety Covers are designed to take a large amount of wear and tear over time. Designed to be put on at the beginning of Fall and and removed at the start of Spring, LOOP-LOC safety covers endure some of the harshest conditions of our fiscal calendar.

Therefore, it’s no wonder LOOP-LOC puts so much emphasis on the types of materials sourced for their safety covers. Because of their investment in their product lineup, that they can offer their industry-leading 15-year prorated warranty.

 

Elephant Tested & Approved

We love showing our customers the (above) video of Bubbles walking across a LOOP-LOC safety cover. Baby elephants can weight between 200lbs – 300lbs at birth. This provides us a perfect example of your average adult who may stumble upon this safety cover during winter months. Would you also believe that this LOOP-LOC cover is able to retain its durability despite being punctured by the elephant’s tusk during the video?

15-Year Pro-Rated Warranty & Replacement Parts

Despite the LOOP-LOC safety cover being backed by a 15-year pro-rated warranty, hardware and components can wear out. Wear and tear is a common part of any equipment ownership, and LOOP-LOC provides a great source for replacing these wear and tear items on their website. Of course, you can also call upon Matt’s Water Pool Service and we can replace any worn items on your LOOP-LOC safety cover if needed.

In essence, LOOP-LOC provides a great amount of support for our safety cover clients. For questions or product maintenance questions, they offer their toll free # 1-800-LOC-LOOP (562-5667). Whether you have a question about setting your cover for Fall, removing for Spring, maintenance, cleaning, repairs or storage – Matt’s Water & LOOP-LOC have got you covered!

Once we’ve installed your new safety cover, we will take care of completing your Warranty Registration Card. These warranty registration cards should be completed within 30 days of your new safety cover installation. It’s our way of abiding by the home owner agreement with LOOP-LOC and ensuring you receive the highest level of support and customer service!

Available in Cover Sizes & Shapes

If you’re not into the standard Green Mesh, that’s fine! LOOP-LOC offers a wide range of colors, ranging from Green, Tan, Black, Blue & Gray. These colors are designed to give you plenty of options for your own design & personal taste. They match beautifully with many types of decking, pavers & concrete patios. For example of LOOP-LOC covers installed in a variety of job sites, feel free to browse this gallery of installations.

Trust Matt’s Water With Your Pool Safety

At Matt’s Water, our business is keeping you and your family safe! It’s also, enhancing your backyard lifestyle and providing you with products and services to enhance that lifestyle. We want all of our customers to remember the joy of being outdoors. We also believe that our backyards are wonderful outdoor spaces that we can make our own with our own personalities and design preferences. Therefore, why trust anyone other the industry-leading professionals with the care and treatment of your outdoor living spaces.

We offer a wide range of services that complete any outdoor new construction & renovation job. For more information, we’ve included some links below to our products and services pages. Read on and find out just how much we can do for you!

Therefore, if you’ve got a backyard renovation project in mind or your looking to create something entirely new, give us a call! We’re here to meet your needs and provide you with a backyard lifestyle that your sure to love and enjoy!