All Blog Posts (624)

I've been asked to consider developing a 'sturdier' version of Hayward part # G1-046323 (pictured top) for their part # G1-046316 ( bottom) which are components of the 'ColorLogic' LED lighting system. This is not part of my daily ops wheelhouse and I'm informed that this is a '...install and forget...' operation. If that's the case, it's not worth my time and resources to pursue, but I'd like…

The research and consulting group onBalance has decided to conduct new plaster research studies to generate additional evidence regarding the cause of unsightly plaster discolorations and defects. The plaster issues of concern are gray mottling discoloration of white plaster, white spotting of both colored and white plaster, calcium nodules, spalling, flaking, and craze-cracking.

One aspect of the study will be to construct two demonstration pools, each with sections of various…

After a few months of beating my head against the wall, I could not stand it anymore. So I wrote a letter to anyone that would listen. Not many did, but a big thanks to Service Industry News. Maybe we can get some answers, maybe not.

I want to understand why the APSP, an association that is supposed to be “dedicated to the growth and development of its members businesses,” would propose a residential pool water chemistry standard.

There are so many reasons that this is…

For at least 40 years, many pool service companies have been successfully maintaining their residential pools on a once-a-week visitation basis. Empirical evidence has shown that pool water can be kept safe and properly sanitized without harmful bacteria and algae developing with weekly treatment programs.

Also, pool service companies provide a great service by keeping hazardous chemicals out of the hands of pool owners and their children.

One reason that pools can be kept…

It is amazing how incorrect information gets started, and gains traction despite being wrong, and not based on science. For example, contrary to some pool literature and manuals, it has been shown that a pH of 8.0 to 8.4 is workable, and sometimes is best for some pools.

Another misconception regarding pool water maintenance involves the recommended “Ideal” alkalinity range of 80 to 120 ppm. While that may be a good range for some pool situations, it is not necessarily the best when…

Experienced service techs know that the pH in many of their pools generally rises above 7.8 within four to seven days following chemical treatments.  It is a chemistry reality that when water contains 80 ppm to 120 ppm of carbonate alkalinity, and is left alone and untreated by additional chemicals, the pH will rise to 8.0, and sometimes as high as 8.4 and stay there until chemically treated again. 

What does this mean?  It means that thousands upon thousands of residential pools are…

My product has never had a  call back. We don't have the calcium nodules and we don't have the streaking in the plaster; We have done 2 pools with color plaster and the color is still in the plaster and this was done in 2010. We have pools that are 10 years (meaning the surface) and they have no stains. 

We don't always have to take the old plaster off, if it is in good shape we  can go right over the old plaster.  If it is peeling and blistering we can sand blast it or chip.I don't…

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Just got my latest SIN and was really surprised by the satement that APSP made about the latest ANSI Standard they are working on.

Why would they worry about a solid requirement for water quality when the one that they got approved for plastering was FAR from "solid"!

Whats the deal?

New gunite pool as of July 2015.  Opened this season 2 weeks ago and found tens of thousands of small, sharp dots all over pool.  Perhaps calcium nodules, but so many.  Everywhere.  Cut knuckles on them.   Help? Plaster bonding massive…

Some plasterers are occasionally finishing pools so fast that it detrimentally affects the quality and durability of plaster surfaces, and are not even aware of the consequences. And the NPC is enabling for this to happen. This needs to stop. Improper practices can speed up the finishing process, but they also lead to a short life-span for plaster, lasting only five-ten years instead of twenty. They are not doing the consuming public right by condoning, and by omission endorsing, those…

Imagine, service techs: from day one, you maintain the pool water in perfect balance, yet get blamed for causing various plaster discolorations or defects. That is not a pleasant thing to deal with, especially if you are being told to pay thousands of dollars to re-plaster the pool.

Yes, some plastered pools (including quartz and pebble finishes) may develop either white spotting and streaking, calcium nodules, gray mottling discoloration, spalling (flaking), severe craze (check)…

Ocean Blue Pools LLC is widely recognized for extravagant swimming pool construction and unmatched customer service. …

The swimming pool publication, Service Industry News and its’ PhD chemist, recently peer reviewed the NPC/Cal Poly (NPIRC) Phase 2 pool plaster study report and concluded that white spotting (soft spots, spot etching, and spot alteration) of their plaster pools was not caused by aggressive water, and that the claims (by the NPC) regarding that study are false. In fact, every plaster study of the past twenty-five years has exposed that the NPC is wrong, and that aggressive pool water does not…

If NPC leaders would just acknowledge what improper plastering practices do to pool plaster, there would not be a controversy within the industry - and there would be fewer plaster defects and discolorations occurring.

Case in point: Adding calcium chloride (hardening accelerator) to plaster and water troweling enables pools to be plastered faster and easier. But adding calcium chloride (CC) to a color pigmented plaster can also lead to blotchiness and mottling, which pigment…

Instead of writing a “he said, she said” article about the plaster spotting controversy, Service Industry News (SIN) thought it would better serve the pool industry by conducting their own investigation to determine what information is true, and false. They started on that goal by analyzing the Cal Poly test pool studies. In their July 31, 2015 issue, SIN presented credible evidence (from the Cal Poly Phase 2 report) that the white spotting of the plaster test pools was not caused by…

So I just got a Power Vac PV2100 and filmed it for my YouTube Channel. It is a pretty awesome product and will speed up my time out in the field tremendously.

It seems even in my area the Hammerhead is more popular and was wondering if it was just better marketing or better product that makes this appear so. So a little informal survey. Which do you use and which would you think about purchasing? And has anyone used both and can compare that way?

Here is my blog article on the…

As we know, sales of newly constructed in-ground pools have plummeted in recent years, however there are builders who are thriving in this new environment through various methods which include adding value and differentiating their businesses from competitors.

The explosion in the health and fitness industry works to our advantage. This is something that should be focused on when proposing a new pool to a client. The health benefits of an aquatic work out are considerable. Swimming…