Energy-Saving Suggestions
As energy costs skyrocket, keeping your swimming pool maintenance and operating expenses within your budget will become more and more challenging. We are will try to give some ideas to help you reduce the cost of swimming pool heating, filtering, cleaning, and treating your pool water.
Heating the swimming Energy-saving Tips
Use a swimming pool cover or blanket, the single best water and fossil fuel conservation device, and have it in place when the pool is not in use. The swimming pool cover will reduce heating bills by preventing heat loss, save on chemicals, and reduce water evaporation. A solar cover allows the swimming pool to collect heat from the sun.
- Set the heater's thermostat to 26°C, the most healthful swimming temperature, or below. An increase of 1° will increase your use of natural gas by 10 percent.
- Use an accurate thermometer to measure pool water temperature. When it reaches the desired level, mark the proper setting on the thermostat and allow no further adjustments. If your swimming pool is not used at all during the week, you can reduce the thermostat setting 8 to 10 degrees during the week, moving it back to its proper setting for the weekend.
- Set the filter time clock to start the pump no earlier than 6 a.m. During the pool heating season. It's a this time that the nightly heat loss stabilizes.
- During extended periods when the pool is not is use, shut off the heater and pilot light.
- Shelter the swimming pool from the wind with wind breaks – shrubs and other plantings, fences, or pool buildings.
- Follow a program of regular preventive maintenance for your pool heater.
Filter the Pool Energy-Saving Tips
To determine your pool's optimum filtration time gradually reduce the filtering time in half hour steps until water clarity and chemical balance begin to deteriorate; then increase the time in half hour increments until the water regains its clarity chemical balance. This can reduce electrical consumption by 40 to 50 percent. For periods of heavy swimming pool use, you may have to increase the filtering time to 8 hours or longer.
- Avoid running the filtration system during the peak hours of electrical usage. The best time to operate the filtration system s between 6 a.m. And noon.
- For maximum efficiency, follow a program of regular preventive maintenance for the pump and filter. Remove foreign material regularly from the strainer baskets in the pump and skimmer.
- When the swimming pool is in heavy use, turn on the filter manually, returning it to automatic operation after the swimmers have left the pool.
Cleaning the Swimming Pool Energy-Saving Tips
- If you have an automatic pool cleaner with its own pump, operate it for 3 to 4 hours a day during the swimming season and 2 to 3 hours a day during the off-season. If this doesn't adequately clean the swimming pool or if there's an abnormal amount of dirt entering the pool, increase the cleaning time by half hour increments until adequate cleaning is accomplished.
- Use your leaf skimmer and wall brush regularly and frequently.
Saving Pool Water Tips
- Trun off the tile spray device on your automatic pool cleaner – much of the water evaporates before it even hits the tile and scale formation will be reduced.
- Prevent splash-out by plugging in the overflow line when the pool is in use.
- Reevaluate your backwashing schedule, particularly if your filter doesn't have a separation tank. Backwashing too often wastes water.
Conserving Pool Chemicals
- Add chlorine during the evening hours whenever possible. If you have a feeder that uses pellets or cakes, you may have to supplement the chlorine feeding by hand.
- Keep swimming pool water chemistry in balance and check it regularly. Maintain swimming pool water pH between 7.4 pH and 7.6 pH.
- Keep the water conditioned to reduce chemical consumption. Maintain a minimum of 30 ppm of cyanuric acid.
- Trim back excess foliage around the swimming pool and keep the deck areas clean to reduce chemical cleaning and filtering needs.
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