Pool Chemistry and Other Tips
 

Since it is summertime, I thought that I would share a link for home pool chemistry that will save pool owners lots of money. I had a pool at my last house, and this is how I managed my pool water. When I first had the pool installed, I purchased my chemicals from the place I purchased my pool from and I couldn't believe how much they were charging me. I began to balance my water myself and I saved a lot of money and my water was just as clean. The only thing that I added directly to my skimmer were chlorine tablets. Everything else I dumped straight into my pool. Although I know I could have used household bleach, I preferred to buy buckets of chlorine tablets. Here is a link explaining how to do your own pool chemistry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzUI52P2XJ0

I also have several other tips that may be of use.

If you spray shaving cream on your mirror in your bathroom and rub it in and wipe it off, your bathroom mirror will not steam up. This is very helpful when you are in a hurry and you need to apply your makeup and do your hair. Yes, I'm talking to you men out there... Also, it is a very helpful thing to do to the inside of your car window.

I know a lot of you are gardeners and already know this, but for those of you who don't, this will be valuable information. If you grow petunias or pansies, make a point to deadhead the flowers daily if possible. To do this, find the dead blooms and follow the flower along the stem to the bifurcation where it joins the other stem, then cut it there. The job of all living things is to reproduce, and so the ambition of plants is to produce seed. If you don't deadhead your flowers, the plant will successfully produce seed where the flower was, and then the plant will slow it's blooming, but if you deadhead, (or if you prune) the plant will produce more blooms in an attempt to make seed. Vegetables are the same way. The more you pick, the more they produce.

If you call your grocery store and find out when their shipments are delivered, you can plan your visits accordingly to get the freshest fruits and veggies.

Certain foods contain polyphenyl oxidase and cause enzymatic browning ( like apples, peaches, bananas, and avocados, potatoes, shrimp) and should not be stored in plastic bags because they will quickly rot. And yes, I know that they are sold in stores in plastic bags. If you look at a bag of apples, you will see holes in it.

If you run the chain of necklaces through a straw, they will not tangle. Alternatively, if you roll the necklace up in a piece of fabric or a bag like a jelly roll, that also prevents tangling.

When you are buying melons, look for the end where the stem is supposed to be. If that area is green, that means the melon was cut before it was ripe and it won't have any flavor. What you want is to see is brown where the stem should be.

These are some of my tips. I hope you will share some of yours.

That is very helpful information. Thanks for the post.

Those are all very good suggestions/ideas. Thanks.

A jeweler told me years ago to always secure the clasp on a necklace before storing and it will not tangle.

thanks for sharing

Never use liquid bleach in a pool. It combines with the water all at once. The tablets slowly leach into the water to keep the ph steady. If your eyes burn in a pool the water is way off balance. Not good for kids at all. We have a pool and buy the chemicals at Wal Mart or Sam's Club for the best price we have found. I put laundry bluing in the pool. Wow!

Since I posted this, I wanted to make sure that nobody thinks I'm trying to suggest something that is dangerous to pool owners. I maintained my own pool chemistry for 8 years and none of my family or friends were ever harmed. I used testing kits to make sure everything was balanced, and felt very safe in what I was adding to my water. As I stated before, it saved a boat-load of money. The reason I chose to use chlorine tablets in the skimmer was because of their slow release, and also, I wanted to use the buckets for gardening and so on. Although that was my preference, I would never have been concerned about adding household bleach. You have to consider parts per million when you are thinking about these chemicals, and things become very diluted. Again, if you are using your test kit properly, your water will be safe. Clorox bleach is registered as an EPA approved disinfectant for drinking water. You pour bleach in your well and then drink the water. If that isn't safe then what is? Chlorox bleach is 6.15% sodium hypochlorite solution containing 5.84% available chlorine by weight. 94% of its ingredients are inert. The label on a Ultra Chlorox box states that "it is especially suitable for use in chlorinators as it is a liquid and has no insoluble particles. It is a quality source of chlorine for treatment in swimming and wading pools. It is widely used as a source of chlorine for swimming pool sanitation and does not have any adverse effects on materials used in pool construction including swimming pool liners." The only chemicals that I would purchase from a pool supply store would be stabilizer. I purchased my chlorine tablets from WalMart.

The newer varieties of petunias do not need deadheading. I have a beautiful petunia on my deck that stays in full bloom with no deadheading.

Good information!

For the first time in over 25 years of pool keeping, I tried using just the liquid chlorine (instead of 3" pucks) and had dingy green water every few days. Who has time to test and chlorinate water every day (if not twice a day)!

Three weeks ago I went back to using the 3" pucks of chlorine. After I shocked the pool, vacuumed and inserted the pucks, I have chrystal clear water. I believe it's the slow release and level amount of chlorine that works...with my schedule in my pool with this hot summer heat!

Moral of the story: Find what works for you and use it!

Nancy

Here's a tip I learned while living in Florida where its hot and humid. If you have a water fountain and you find it gets that green algae forming due to the heat, add a little of the swimming pool algae cleaner to it. It won't/shouldn't hurt the birds if you just add about a teaspoon or tablespoon of it depending on the size of your fountain. I get the foaming algae cleaner as I like to see it foam up when I add water. The foam disappears shortly. I also add a little to my bird bath too to keep the green slim from forming. I now live up in Iowa but we do have our hot days here too.