Wow what a summer! This summer has been one to remember. It is much easier thinking about closing our pools after a season like this one, when everyone has been able to enjoy their pools. On a personal note and as many of you know, I rode 192 miles in the Pan Mass challenge August 7^th and 8^th. It was such an incredibly powerful experience!  And all of the money raised went directly to the Jimmy Fund. I truly can’t wait to do it again next year. Those beautiful kids made all of our efforts so worthwhile. I want to sincerely thank everyone who supported me with all of your generous contributions.

I would also like to personally thank each and every one of you for another successful season!  Your continued patronage is and has always been appreciated, along with your many referrals and kind words.  It is always our pleasure to provide courteous and professional service. We’ve also added a website, for your convenience. Please check us out at:  www.watersworks.net 

Please remember that your comments and feedback are always appreciated, and very important to me, as I continually strive to deliver only the best service to my customers.

I am also painfully aware of this strained economy. Like most of us, I have felt the pinch this year. Just like in the past, I will NEVER resort to insulting my customers’ by charging a “travel charge.”  We all know that traveling is an expense, incurred by just about all of us.  It is simply not necessary to gouge customers or Insult them this way.

Now let’s talk about getting that pool of yours, closed.  Proper winterization is perhaps the most important thing that you can do for your pool, especially if we are to survive another winter like last year’s.  The correct steps need to be taken to ensure optimum condition of your pool’s winter season.  These steps consist of chemically treating the pool [as it will be dormant 6-8 months], cleaning the pool, removing all of the water from the pool’s plumbing [to prevent freezing].  Winterizing chemicals can and will be added upon request, at the time of closing.  The pool needs to be cleaned before the pool is covered.  This needs to be done before we arrive to winterize your pool.  These steps will provide your pool with its best defense against staining and discoloration.

Having your pool professionally winterized is the only way to guarantee that all water will be removed from your pool’s plumbing.  Waters’ Works guarantees all closings against freezing.  This means that your pipes will not freeze throughout the winter months.  Waters’ Works is proud to deliver superior service to you and will continue to be the owner-operated company that it has always been, with an uncompromising commitment to fulfilling your winterization needs.

**If winter covers are needed, please call us AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that we can give you a quote in enough time to get your cover here for winterization.  Also, any customers considering new mesh safety covers, please call immediately, as we are running out of time for this year’s orders.

We will offer two types of pool closings:

FULL CLOSING

Full closings consist of Waters’ Works lowering the pool water to 4 inches below the skimmer, removing and manually cleaning filter grids [when applicable], winterization of all pool plumbing and equipment [with compressed air], removing all overhanging rails and ladders, and professionally installing the pool cover, according to your pool’s contours.

PARTIAL CLOSING

Partial closings are for people looking for the assurance of having their pool’s plumbing winterized, but want to save some money, by doing the manual labor themselves.  With a partial closing, the customer should clean the pool, remove the filter grids [from all diatomaceous earth filters] and/or cartridges [from cartridge filters], and lower the water level to 4 inches below the skimmer [please call with any questions about this].  To prevent the pool from getting dirty, the pool’s cover should be pulled over and covering the pool.  The cover can be secured with water tubes at this time, but be sure to not fill the water tubes where the return lines are.  Winterizing chemicals can be added to a partial closing, at the time of closing.

**We strongly recommend that you call us as early as possible to schedule your pool closing, as availability becomes much more limited later in the season. 978-263-4200 or email at waters.works@yahoo.com  Please clearly state your desired time/days.**

I look forward to speaking with you very soon.  Let’s enjoy these last warm days of summer and hope for some gorgeous foliage this year! 

Warm Regards,

 Al Waters

© 2010, Waters Works, Inc.. All rights reserved.

What causes Algae problems? 

Every pool owner has, at one time or another, done battle with the occasional algae bloom. Algae spores constantly enter the pool, brought in by wind, rain or even contaminated swimsuits or equipment. When conditions are right, an algae bloom can occur seemingly overnight. These conditions include out of balance water, warm temperatures, sunlight and presence of nitrates and/or carbon dioxide. Of course, a lack of proper circulation, filtration and sanitation may be the primary cause of the algae. The best process is one of elimination.

Algae is a living aquatic creature that multiplies rapidly on warm, sunny days. Containing chlorophyll, algae utilizes photosynthesis to grow. That is, they take in carbon dioxide and expend oxygen as a byproduct.

What problems can Algae cause? 

The first noticeable problem is that no one seems to want to go swimming. The second problem is that it requires work and effort and money to rid the water completely of algae. It is therefore best to use preventative chemicals and techniques, described later. Algae can cloud and color the water, making rescue attempts difficult and reducing depth perception of a diver. Algae itself is not harmful to swimmers, but pools with algae may also be harbor to pathogens like E-coli bacteria.

In addition to clogging up sanitation pathways in the water, algae also clogs up the pores in a filter, decreasing filter effectiveness and requiring more backwashing or medium replacement. Algae creates a chlorine demand in the water for itself, actually consuming chlorine that should be working on other contaminants. Algae are kind of like weeds in your garden. Unsightly, unwanted space takers that create more work for the gardener, and sap up nutrients and resources from the flora we wish to grow.

What types of Algae are there? 

There are over 21,000 known varieties of algae! In the pool business we avoid all of the complication by referring to algae by the color they exhibit.

• Green Algae:

An extremely common variety, green algae will usually rear its ugly head immediately following a hazy condition in the water from a lack of proper filtration and/or sanitation. It is frequently found free floating in the water, although it also will cling to the walls. It reduces water clarity and is thereby distinguished from severe copper precipitation, which will impart a clear, green color to the water. Varieties of green algae also appear as “spots” on surfaces, particularly rough areas, or places where circulation is low. They also show up as “sheets”, where large wall sections, or even the entire pool, is coated in green slime…UGH!

• Yellow Algae:

A wall clinging variety, also called mustard algae, is usually found on the shady side of the pool. It is sheet forming, and can be difficult to eradicate completely. Once begun, a pool owner could spend the entire season fighting yellow algae; re-infection is common. This variety is resistant to normal chlorine levels and must be dealt with firmly. Hit it hard!

• Black Algae:

Perhaps the most aggravating strain of algae, it has been compared to herpes; “once you’ve got it, it’s there for life.” This is not entirely accurate, but the difficulty in eradication is due to the strong roots and protective layers over top of the black algae plant. Black algae will appear as dark black or blue/green spots, usually the size of a pencil eraser tip. Their roots extend into the plaster or tile grout, and unless the roots are destroyed completely, a new head will grow back in the same place. The heads also contain protective layers to keep cell destroying chemicals from entering the organism. Like yellow algae, black strains can bloom even in the presence of normal sanitizing levels and proper filtration. I was once told that this form of algae commonly enters a pool inside the swimsuit of a person who’s recently been to the ocean.

• Pink Algae:

Not really an algae at all, but a form of bacteria. Appears as spots or streaks in corners and crevices. It is slow to spread and rare that it will bloom over an entire pool.

Too late to prevent it…How do I kill algae? 

First off, balance your water, paying particular attention to pH. Secondly, check your filter system and clean if necessary. Adjust valving for optimum circulation and allow it to run 24 hours a day until the pool clears. Turn on automatic cleaners to help stir things up. Backwash as necessary.

For suspended green algae, shock the pool…hard. Put in as much hypochlorite as it takes to turn the pool a cloudy, bluish/gray color. Brush the walls and floors towards the main drain. Backwash the filter when the pressure gauge indicates the need (8 – 10 lbs. above clean reading, after backwashing.) Using a flocculent may be a good choice if the pool is extremely “swampy”. If you cannot see the bottom of the pool, and it is filled with leaves and debris, it may be wise to drain the pool, acid wash and refill it.

After the chlorine level has come down below 5 ppm, add an algaecide and brush the pool again. When it all settles, vacuum the pool (to waste, if possible). Check and re-balance the pool water if necessary.

For algae which is not suspended, but only clinging to the walls, follow the same advice above, first shock with brushing, then add an algaecide, brush again, vacuum to waste (preferred) or vacuum and then backwash the filter. Use of a steel bristled brush is recommended for algae on plaster pools (use nylon brush on vinyl). Filter, Filter, Filter!

For black algae, the brushing part is very important. You must tear through the protective layers so the chemicals can destroy the plant from the inside out. Pumice stones work well to knock off the heads of black algae. (Don’t forget to vacuum them up later, and backwash them out of the filter ASAP). Also effective on the black algae nodules is sprinkling granular trichlor over the spots (of course if they’re on the wall this is next to impossible). Rubbing the spots on the walls with a trichlor tablet or stick can also be effective to knock off the heads and get trichlor directly to the roots. Follow up with a dose of copper algaecide, or high strength polymers. An herbicide, was a very effective black algae treatment, but is no longer available in America.

If algae has been an ongoing problem in your pool for several years, you may do well to drain the pool.  Many years of algae builds up dead algae cells and lots of other solids in the water that contribute to its rejuvenation. Acid washing and/or pressure washing is preferable once drained, to kill the roots of the algae embedded in the plaster. NEXT: Change the sand if you have a sand filter or change the cartridge if it is a cartridge type. Sand should be changed every 5 – 7 yrs (or every 2 if you use Baquacil), and cartridge filters should  have new elements every 1 – 2 years. If you have a D.E. filter (good for you!), you should remove the elements, spray clean, soak in a 10 : 1 water/ bleach solution, rinse and replace. A well functioning filter will prevent algae.

Another item to look at is the method of sanitation and the type of filtering you have. Far too many pools out there were sold with marginal filter systems, meant to run 24 hrs per day. Well, these systems get old and tired, or the new owners only run it 12 hrs per day (or less). For good algae prevention, we need a combination of good filtration, sanitation and circulation. It may be time to consider changing the old pump and filter. It’s cheaper and easier to pay a little up front for more chemicals, electricity or better equipment than all the money and aggravation spent on fighting algae blooms.

We can help you with your algae!

Call us at:  978-263-4200

© 2009 – 2010, Waters Works, Inc.. All rights reserved.