Polaris pool accessories are known across the country for their excellent performance, innovation and eye for minute details. All Polaris pool products stand for out of the box thinking and are equipped with the most advanced features – culminating into an enhanced pool experience. Let’s take an in-depth look at the Polaris suction side automatic pool cleaner and see what it’s capable of.

 The Polaris ATV suction side pool cleaner is the most powerful and advanced automatic suction side pool cleaner available in the market.  This automatic pool cleaner has been completely redesigned and now has a translucent UV resistant housing and snap -on hubcaps. The pool cleaner boasts of spoke wheels and reversible tires, the second feature being a patented one.

 The Polaris ATV is a tough automatic pool cleaner and offers superb climbing performance. The ATV can vacuum pool floors and walls of all inground pools, irrespective of dimension and finish. The built in reverse mechanism frees the Polaris ATV from obstacles and this is the only automatic pool cleaner that offers reverse cleaning.

 The Polaris ATV directly deposits all debris into the pool filter. The flow regulator regulates the flow of water to the pool cleaner and facilitates hassle free vacuuming. There’s an auxiliary inlet that keeps the water flowing to the pump, eve when the throat gets clogged with debris.

 Usage – The Polaris ATV automatic pool cleaner is suitable for all inground pools.

The best part – The Polaris ATV automatic pool cleaner adds beauty to your pool with or without its agile parts in motion – it simply looks too good!

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admin | Uncategorized | 02 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

 Sometimes the all important job of keeping the chlorine level up in your pool is not so easy, especially when the weather is either very hot or rainy. When the chlorine level drops, bacteria and algae can grow, making your pool the not so healthy place to be. Although nothing will take the place of taking a daily reading of the chlorine level, there are some things that can make it a little easier to keep up with your pool.

       1. Using Floating Chlorine Dispensers – Test the pool water with the testing kit to see if your pool is low on chlorine.

       2.  If the water is very low on chlorine, place a chlorine dispenser that floats around in the pool with granular chlorine in it. The granular chlorine will dissolve fast and bring the level up to where it should be.

        3. Place chlorine tablets in the chlorine dispenser. The chlorine will dissolve over time and keep the water chlorinated.

            4. Using Automatic Chlorine Feeders – Install an off-line chlorine feeder made for an above ground pool to your filter system. Follow manufacturer’s directions for installation; they are easy to install.

         5. Set the control valve to regulate the feed rate for your size pool.

       6. Fill with granular chlorine and it will automatically dispense the chlorine at the rate you set for it. Test with a test kit every day for a week or so to make sure the feed rate is correct. Adjust if necessary.

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admin | Uncategorized | 02 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

You want to keep your swimming pool water at a level that will allow your swimming pool skimmer to work most effectively.  This is normally 1/3 to ½ of the way up the opening of the skimmer.

Any floating debris will not able to enter the skimmer if the water level is high enough to cover the skimmer opening.  If the water level is only above the half way mark, it may not pull in the debris since the water entering the skimmer is going at too slow of a speed.

The danger of having the water at too low of a level is that it could suck air into the system thus losing the prime, if it was to bottom out.  This then would cause the failure of the pool pump motor due to overheating.

Evaporation is another important thing you’ve got to keep track of if you want your pool to be perfect for that “perfect dip”. Yes, it might not seem too obvious, but evaporation leads to a loss of thousands of gallons of water from your pool every year. That not only brings down the water level, but also disrupts the water chemistry you worked so hard on. Make sure you know your evaporation rates and compensate for that loss. Do not add a lot of water at once…add a little every day if possible. A weekly regimen also works well.

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admin | Uncategorized | 02 8th, 2010 | No Comments »

Pool cleaning is a tedious task and something that scares most pool owners to death (if I’m not wrong). Automatic swimming pool cleaners can not only make pool cleaning a “I love doing it” phenomenon, but also clean pools most effectively.

Here’s a know-how of Automatic Pressure-Side Cleaners:

Automatic Pressure-Side Cleaners

Run by water pressure from a pump, either a dedicated (booster) or the main circulation pump, the cleaner is pushed around the pool.  The water pressure also forces debris into a bag that is designed to collect it.  A pressure side pool cleaner is a perfect choice if your pool collects a lot of debris or is positioned near trees.  The reason is your pool filter or pump basket does not get clogged up since this cleaner does not suck the debris into them.  This is then allows a longer interval between cleanings.

The walls of the pool are not cleaned as well with a pressure side pool cleaner.  Also they are unable to filter small particles through the cleaner bag. The pressure side cleaners do not act similar to a moving drain which a suction side cleaner does.  We have more information on a bit further down.

There are advantages to both types of pumps that run the pressure side cleaners.  A dedicated pump (booster) will get your pool a bit cleaner.  Since a non-dedicated pump will start to lose its effectiveness as your filter gets dirty plus it’s always operating when your main pump is on and subject to more wear, your cleaner will last longer with a dedicated pump.

A non-dedicated pump does not require a dedicated line and separate booster pump so they are less expensive to install, there are no additional expenses.  Also the pool cleaner is normally a lower price.

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admin | Uncategorized | 02 4th, 2010 | No Comments »

If you want the water of your pool not to pose any health dangers, you should get a pool filter system. Combined with some chemicals you will always have a clean pool.

Parts of the Filter System

A swimming pool filter contains various parts and you’ve got to know about them if you don’t want to spend extra on cleaning the pool filter system. Contrary to popular belief, pool filters need to be changed too often. Proper maintenance can restore the performance back to the pool filter. The following are the important parts of a pool filter. Check out your pool filter the next time you get a chance and look for the following.

A filter system includes:

Skimmer – the skimmer directs the water in the pool into the filter. The skimmer includes a basket that is used to trap the debris before it goes into the filter.

Secondary Basket – the second basket also functions the same way- it traps any debris that passed through the first basket. The water continues its course in the filter cartridge.

Filter Cartridge – a filter cartridge is usually round or square and it is most commonly made of cloth fiber material. The chlorine you use filters the water and removes all tiny debris left. The pump will most likely have this kind of filter or a sand filter.

Sand Filter – if you use a sand filter, the process is more or less the same: the water passes through the filter to be cleaned. The only difference is that when you use a sand filter, you should add the chlorine directly into the pool and have the pump activated before you do.

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admin | Uncategorized | 02 1st, 2010 | No Comments »

When you decide to purchase a swimming pool, you may feel the hardest decision is what size of pool you want or whether to get a in ground or above ground pool.  In reality the most important decision is purchasing a good pool liner.  You need to purchase the correct kind of expandable pool liner for your pool choice.  It is a very difficult decision to pick the correct one with so many choices on the market today.

Colorful pools are now the new pool trend, making the concept of just a white or blue pool a thing of the past.  Expandable pool liners today are able to change your entire pools design.  Special liners are designed with underwater scenery, or fish designs that are very attractive.  There are boulder designs that resemble an actual beach with water crashing against boulders on the side.  Themes are becoming more creative and imaginative all the time, so choosing one becomes a fun and time consuming decision.

There are many styles of pool liners.  There is beaded, overlapping and expandable which is probably the most efficient.  Overlap pool liners fit the pool and a extra liner overlaps the sides.  Coping strips are put in place, fastened and to cover the sides of the pool top covers are installed last.  An overlap expandable liner works in the same way, but is for pools having a multiple depth over the length of the pool.  The least expensive pool liner requiring the least amount of work to install or replace is the beaded pool liner.  The most popular and wisest choice for many reasons is the expandable pool liners.

There are protection systems for pool liners that must be purchased and installed before you install the actual liner.  These systems protect your expandable pool liner from stones and other debris that would cause wear and possible tear the pool liner.  These systems also extend the warranty in most cases if purchased at same time.  They will also extend the life span of your expandable pool liner.

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admin | Uncategorized | 01 27th, 2010 | No Comments »

You may be now thinking about getting the pool ready for use with summer coming up in the near future.  To prepare your pool for the upcoming season follow the steps below to achieve this in the most efficient way:

1. Using a leaf net dispose of any debris or leaves on the cover.

2. Pump off any standing water on the cover.  At this time note, if the pools cover has a hole in it.  You could inadvertently be pumping water out of the pool itself.

3. Remove the cover.  Clean and dry correctly and then properly put into storage.

4. Inspect to be sure that the pools water level is at the correct level.  It could be low due to evaporation during the time it was covered.

5. Remove all the items installed to keep your pool water from freezing such as freeze plugs.

6. If you did not clean your pool filters prior to storing the pool you will want to properly do that now.

7. You are now ready to start the filter system on the pool.  Purge all the air from the lines, remembering to release all the pressure prior to opening the pool filter, pool pump or chemical feeder since air does get compressed while priming the pool pump so you can start the pool filter system.

8.Inspect pool filters, plumbing, and all other areas of the pool for leaks.

9. Check to make sure that the water is clear and blue.  If it isn’t clean accordingly.

10. Vacuum the pool removing any debris, sand and algae.

Now that your pool is totally clean, verify your water pH and chemistry. The pH and water chemistry is probably even more important than your pool pumps and filters.  The wrong balance can ruin our pool time with algae, other microbes or even making swimmers sick.

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admin | Uncategorized | 01 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

GPM Calculator

We have shown that the oversized pool pumps we have been talking about are more harmful than good.  You can keep a proper size pool pump running for more hours which will furnish a cleaner pool as opposed to an oversized pool pump that requires too much energy to allow running for the same amount of time of a correct sized pool pump.

So how to get the ultimate efficiency from your pool pump without empting your wallet. Let’s look at the following example to calculate what your needs are from a pool pump to achieve the above mentioned goals.

1. The amount of water in your pool (pool volume) we need to think of is the pool volume times 2 (in a 24 hour period how many gallons of water that needs to be changed over)  For example if your pool holds 15,000 gallons it needs to circulate 15,000 more gallons (total of 30,000) in a 24 hour time frame.  Now since GBM (gallons per minute) are how the pump specs are measured we need to do some math.

2. You take the volume of the pool which is 30,000 gallons of water, divide by 24 (hours in a day) and that equals 1,250 gallons an hour.  You then take 1,250 and divide by 60 which comes to 20.8 GMP.  So we have shown that 20GPM what your pool pump needs to be circulating.

Since normally in a 24 hour period the pool pump only is operating about 8 hours that would mean that for 16 hours a day the water is not circulating.  It is during the time it isn’t circulating that most of the negative things happen to your pool.

A few of the things that happen during the non-circulating time are:

· The pool becomes contaminated with algae

· Debris and dust particles accumulate

· The pH in the pool becomes unbalanced

To assist in keeping an effective and easy maintenance routine and save you money it is better to operate the pool pump for 24hrs a day.  Since your pump is working all day and night you do not have to keep watching for the moment the water quality has fallen below standards.

I would imagine, the 2HP pool pump that you purchased, now doesn’t seem like the bargain that you thought it was, knowing the specific needs of the pool pump.

What is important when buying pool equipment is not the amount of money you first spend, but what it costs to operate over a period of time.

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admin | Uncategorized | 01 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

If 15,000 gallons of water is the amount of water in your pool then ever 12 hours there should be a complete change (turnover) of 15,000 gallons of water by your pool pump.  Unfortunately this may not be the way pumps really see it.

Similar to miles per gallon (MPG) your automobile gas mileage is quoted as and what your care actually gets are two different things so the gallons per minute (GPM) that your pool should have is not what the pump really does.  So to minimize the consumption of energy and maximize the “turnover” we have a plan for a green way of accomplishing this.

The problem

Most pool owners will purchase a swimming pool pump not on how simple it is to operate or how efficient it is.  They make their purchase on the total power or horsepower of the pump.  Many sellers are offering a larger pump as a free upgrade to beat out a competitors offer.  For this reason, the normal person ends up purchasing an exceedingly oversized pump.

1, 1.5, even 2 HP pool pumps are extremely common and for the average pool that is way too big.  Most pool pumps are not designed to work efficiently but are made to have a multitude of features and be attractive.

The Solution

California has enacted a law just recently putting a limit on your swimming pool pump, because of the how much of an issue oversized pool pumps have become.

If you are in the market to replace your pump you may want to consider the following. It is better to just look and purchase the right size of pump needed for your pool, because you could run a proper sized pump for 24 hours, as opposed to 12 hours of operation with an oversized pump. You not only will you save money, but since they run quieter they also will reduce noise pollution.

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admin | Uncategorized | 01 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

To ensure a safe and pleasant experience using your home pool, there are a few essential in-ground pool accessories you should have.  These accessories also have additional benefits such as furnishing a reliable and inexpensive way to maintain your pool.  These accessories are not hard to find and they are not expensive.

A definite need is a pool filter auto timer.  The fact is, to keep the pool water clean it is not necessary for it to run constantly.  Any type of home pool that is not used all the time or heavily this is especially true for.  Only about 12 hours of operation is needed for a pool that just has average use.  You save energy, and chemical use to maintain the water quality with the use of a timer.  It is an easy to program and simple to install.

To save money, difficulties and increase the durability of your pool, you must understand the importance of your swimming pool liner is.  If damaged it can break down parts of the pool operating system as well as facilitate personal accidents for someone in the pool.  The liner can sustain damage from the pool wall such as corrosion and degradation.  A simple remedy is the use of a wall foam cover.

If you have a animal at home, you may be like the majority of pool owners who do not see a need for a pet rescue ramp.  Many times, even if your pet is a good swimmer, this may not be sufficient to get out of the pool in a safe and timely manner.  There is another benefit for this pool accessory that is a great benefit.  It would allow wild animals to get out of the pool, preventing them from drowning and contaminating the water.  These ramps do not degrade the appearance of the pool area as they come in a white color, which will allow your pet to see it and are compact and easily installed

Most people do not see the need to use a pet rescue ramp for their in ground pool even regardless if they keep animals in their home or not. Usually, most domesticated creatures are good swimmers, but this is often not enough to get them out of the water safely and quickly. The ramps are compact and easy to install and come in white color so that the pets can see them, but this is also an advantage for you since such an item will not ruin the look of the pool area. Another superb benefit of these inground pool accessories is that they can allow for the prevention of wild animals drowning and contaminating the water.

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admin | Uncategorized | 01 25th, 2010 | No Comments »