Money-Saving
Swimming Pool Tips

Want to save money, energy and water while properly maintaining your swimming pool? To help you, we've talked to local experts and put together money-saving tips on these important topics: pool covers, leaks, solar heating and pump and filter systems.

Pool Covers

  • Using a pool cover regularly reduces evaporation by 90 to 95 percent.

  • Without a cover, an average pool of 18 feet x 36 feet loses about 1 inch of water per week in the peak of summer. This can add up to an annual water loss of 7,000 gallons.

  • One of the most important benefits of using a pool cover can be enhanced safety.

  • You can cover a pool without being concerned about gaseous exchange, unless you are using chlorine gas. If you are using chlorine gas, you should let it air.

Pool Leaks

If you suspect your pool is leaking, there are several reliable ways to check. Try one of these:

  • Use a grease pencil to mark the water level of the pool at the skimmer. Check the mark 24 hours later. Your pool should lose no more than 1/4 inch per day. Otherwise, a leak is indicated.

  • Try the bucket test:
    1. Place a bucket filled with pool water on a pool step (weight it with a rock or brick).
    2. Mark the water level on both the inside and the outside of the bucket. The starting point levels should be about the same.
    3. Check the mark 24 hours later. If there's a greater drop in the line on the outside of the bucket, a leak in the pool is indicated.

  • Be a sleuth. Here are clues to look for:
    1. Algae or other persistent water quality problems indicating imbalances in the chemistry can occur when a leak prevents the water level from staying constant.
    2. Loose tiles or cracks in the pool deck can indicate a leak.
    3. Cracks and gaps in the bond beam also can signify a leak.
    4. Water-saturated soils in the area around the pool, pool pumps or plumbing.

  • If you determine that your pool is losing water, turn off the filtration system and note where the water stops dropping.
    1. If the water stops at the skimmer, the leak is probably in the filtration system. The lines may crack at vulnerable elbows and fittings that are under stress from shifting soils.
    2. If the water stops at the light, the leak is probably there.
    3. If the water drops below the light, then there may be a leak in the drain at the bottom the pool.

  • If you suspect you have a leak in the filtration system these clues may help you pinpoint the location:
    1. If you see bubbles in the return water when the pool's pump is running, it's likely there's a leak in the suction side of the filtration system.
    2. If the pool is losing more water while running the pump, then water is being lost on the return side of the system.

Solar Heating

  • One half of all pools in Marin are solar heated.

  • Solar heating your pool can help extend your swimming season from April 15 to October 15.

  • The newest solar panel technology is 90 percent efficient.

  • If you convert your heating system from natural gas to solar, you can recoup your costs in as little as three years.

  • Solar heat collectors are made of copper or plastic. Copper ones have a longer life, but are more pH sensitive and more expensive. Plastic ones are less conductive than copper but are inert to chemicals. They have about a 10-year lifespan.

Pumps, Filters and Water Quality

Pumps

  • A pump should be able to circulate pool water at least every 24 hours, but every 8 hours is preferred.

  • Most existing pool pumps are oversized for the size of the pool and plumbing, which reduces filter effectiveness and causes more wear and tear on plumbing.

  • For the average 1-1/4 inch to 1-1/2 inch plumbing pipes, a pump of only 1/2 horsepower is necessary. Many pool owners have bigger pumps, which dramatically increases electrical pumping costs. For example, a 1/2 horsepower pump will cost about $300 per year to run, while a 3/4 horsepower pump will cost $450.

Filters

  • Current cartridge filters are now almost as effective as diatomaceous earth filters, are much easier and safer to maintain, and require very little water for cleaning.

  • Each time you backwash sand and diatomaceous earth filters you use about 500 gallons of water.

Water Quality

  • Proper chemical balancing can prevent and cure most water clarity problems.

  • When is it appropriate to dump your pool water? Not as often as you may think. Pools can often go 10 or more years without draining and refilling. Here are some guidelines:
    1. When the water that is being added to your pool is consistently hard. This is more likely to happen during drought years when the water is being drawn off the bottom of the reservoirs. On the contrary, rainy years provide additional soft water.
    2. When the total dissolved solids (tds) get too high.
    3. Water quality problems often can be solved by draining only a portion of the water.

  • If you have to drain your pool, make sure you take steps to prevent the pool shell from popping out of the ground. Using a hydrostatic valve or drilling holes in the bottom of the pool can prevent this problem.

  • Dispose of your pool water properly. Contact you local wastewater treatment plant for instructions before draining your pool.

 
Our thanks to David Metzger, Pool Covers Inc.; Jim Kany, American Leak Detection; Bill Stewart, SolarCraft; and Don Koss, Marin Aquatics for sharing their expertise and experience with our customers.

Copyright 1998 Marin Municipal Water District. All rights reserved.