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Swimming pool service contractor

Is it time to hire a commercial pool contractor

The heat is relentless and if you’re the manager or owner of a commercial swimming pool in Scottsdale, Arizona you may be wondering, is it time to hire a commercial pool contractor? The swimming pool service contractors from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair have tips on what a commercial contractor can do, and why it matters and offer insights on how to hire a professional you can trust.

Managing and maintaining a commercial swimming pool like one at a condo, apartment complex, hotel or school is a bonus for those who use it, but it can be a headache and a source of worry for the person managing it to keep it clean and safe for all who use it.

Who’s going to clean your commercial pool may be a question you’re asking when you jump into the new role.

Keeping up with commercial swimming pool maintenance can be a daunting task. Even if you’re great at caring for your home pool, a commercial pool is a different animal indeed. Caring for your own pool is infinitely easier because you’re not contending with hundreds of people using it.

Is it time to hire a commercial pool contractor

Caring for a commercial swimming pool requires extreme skill and that can be brought to your community pool by hiring one of the reliable, experienced commercial swimming pool and spa service contractors from SwimRight Pools.

A commercial pool contractor will perform the following tasks:

  • Clean the water, balance the chemicals, vacuum
  • Leak detection
  • Equipment repair and replacement
  • Inspection of accessories such as diving boards and slides
  • Inspection of the deck for any trip or fall hazards

Ask this when requesting an estimate from a commercial contractor:

  1. What is included in the contract price and does it include the cost of chemicals
  2. How many times a week he will visit
  3. Are there emergency after hour calls. What is the fee or is it included? How long will it take for a contractor to get there
  4. It’s as important to know what’s included as to what’s excluded in the contract. Don’t get blindsided by add ons you didn’t anticipate.
  5. In-depth cleaning of the filters
  6. Backwashing the pool when needed — is it included, how often will it be done, how long will the pool be out of commission.
  7. Add chemicals to bring water to safe levels
  8. Perform thorough cleaning and vacuuming of the pool and cleaning the filters
  9. Can show you how to test the water chemistry between service visits in case there is a drastic change and you can call for an additional service visit (if you do this, is there an extra cost?)

Some commercial contractors provide free inspections and some even offer a free cleaning so you can gauge the quality of their work. Give us a call if you’re looking to negotiate your contract with your current commercial pool contractor or if you’re taking on a new role and it includes a pool on-premises.

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Swimming pool service

What’s behind the walls of your swimming pool?

What is lurking behind the walls of your swimming pool? Nothing too scary, but there is an intricate set of piping and plumbing. The swimming pool contractors at SwimRight Pool Service & Repair understand that the plumbing is something a pool owner hopes to never have to think about but, if there is a leak or a broken pipe then it’s all hands on deck to see what’s behind the walls of your swimming pool.

Unless you’re a trained and experienced plumber, not many pool owners would — or perhaps should — attempt addressing plumbing issues in the pool. If you have been measuring water levels in your pool and suspect that it’s going away more quickly than evaporation or splashing out would suggest, it might be time to start looking for a leak as a cause of the disappearing water level. Keep in mind that evaporation is a true and ongoing concern for Arizona pool owners but there are times you will notice the water going down much more quickly than it should be.

Anyone interested in fixing or installing plumbing traps or drains should know there are little secrets to making life easier.
The first of our secrets include “hand tightening.”  Whether you’re installing a new drain or repairing a sink trap you need to ensure that everything that has been put together is first and foremost tight enough to not cause leaks but not so tight that it could cause problems if you needed to work on it later. Snug is better than too tight.

What’s behind the walls of your swimming pool?

The plumbing is designed to make hand tightening the best for pool plumbing. This just means you need use all your strength in tightening it but simply put the plumbing drain trap and other parts required for the drain assembly, not just together but hold up tightly.

After the plumbing has been installed, your pool contractor will test everything before closing up the walls and sealing the plumbing inside.  Test the drain by running water through the plastic drain pipes and look for any leaks. If any leaks happen, tighten the plumbing and joints a little bit more. Tighten slowly but surely until the leak stops.

Pool plumbing involves fitting shower heads and taps and other sections that run to and from your pool. For most homeowners, the right kind of tools is another secret to easy plumbing. One such tool you’ll need is a pipe wrench. These wrenches can be adjusted to fit whichever pipe dimension you’re working with. Other tools that are included in the must-have list to secrets of great plumbing are screwdriver, washers and some PTFE tape.

If you are a DIYer you can give the plumbing a go but if you doubt your skills it’s best to leave pool plumbing to a pro — after all a pool is a major investment that you want to protect.

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Swimming pool chemicals Swimming pool service

Quick pool cleaning tips for AZ pool owners

Pool maintenance is part and parcel of owning a swimming pool. Pools require ongoing and constant maintenance. We don’t want to talk you out of owning a pool, but if you’re going to DIY maintenance and upkeep you need to know what you’re in for. We have some quick pool cleaning tips for AZ pool owners.

You can do these between service visits from a pool maintenance professional at SwimRight Pool Service & Repair in Scottsdale, Arizona to help keep the pool water cleaner, longer. When having a pool installed, you need to consider the long-term needs to keep it clean and swim-friendly.

Thankfully there are many automated tools you can invest in to keep the water clean of debris and leaves, but a pool requires more than scooping up leaves and cleaning the skimmer basket. It’s for that reason that swimming pool owners hire a “pool guy” to come in and do deep cleaning then all you need to do is come home and enjoy the pool, worry-free.

Quick pool cleaning tips for AZ pool owners

  1. Keep water clean- This is very important so that people who are swimming don’t contract any diseases. If the water isn’t pure, your swimmers can be bothered by burning eyes and noses. Using water filters and pumps, the dirty water is removed and fresh water is infused into the pool. Ensure the correct mix of chlorine and bromine are added to the water to keep it free of germs and bacteria.
  2. Chlorine is necessary to sanitize the water because it neutralizes urine and saliva and other bacteria and organic materials people bring into the water. But if chlorine content in the water leaves a smell and irritates the eyes, the level needs to be adjusted.
  3. A green pool is another issue that can plague a pool owner. Cleaning the sides and bottom of the pool regularly ensures that algae and moss don’t grow in it. Bromine is effective for spas and chlorine is used for swimming pools. Disinfection and sanitization are the two most important methods to keep the pool clean.
  4. Water pump usage- This is essential for circulating the water in the swimming pool. A variable-speed pump is one of the best investments you can make in pool equipment.
  5. Adding Chemicals- try to add chemicals after sunset when everyone has had their fill of swimming for the day. Keeping the water clean and drainage effective will ensure that your pool is clean always and ready for use.

If you want to DIY your pool maintenance, ask us for a pool cleaning 101 lessons or two and you can keep the water clean between service visits.

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Swimming pool chemicals

How To Maintain Proper Pool Chemistry

If your pool is clean you should be able to smell the chlorine, right? Does that mean it’s doing its job? No. If you can smell chlorine that is a sign that the water chemistry is out of balance. Many pool owners in Scottsdale, Arizona work with our team at SwimRight Pool Service & Repair on how to maintain proper pool chemistry.

How do you know if there is too much — or too little — chlorine? It’s a delicate balancing act that we are experienced with but if you are a DIYer, we have guidelines and answer some questions:

  1. How much is too much chlorine in my pool? 
  2. What is the minimum amount of chlorine that I need for the water to be safe to swim in? 
  3. Is chlorine just a liquid? No. It’s liquid, gas, solid tablet or granular forms. 
  4. If I use a salt system does that mean there’s no chlorine in the pool? No. These generators produce their own chlorine. 
  5. Why does chlorine matter? It is important to maintain sufficient levels of chlorine in your pool to kill microorganisms that cause disease, some of which can be deadly. The effectiveness of chlorine can be affected by temperature, pH levels, and different forms of contamination. I recommend maintaining the proper pH level at 7.2 to 7.8 per my previous blog in order for the sanitizer to be the most effective.

How To Maintain Proper Pool Chemistry

There are three terms in regard to chlorine that every pool owner needs to know:

  1. Free chlorine is the chlorine that is available at any given time to disinfect the water. The free chlorine level should be maintained at between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm (parts per million). The minimum should not drop below 1.0 ppm and the maximum should not exceed 5.0 ppm.
  2. Combined chlorine
  3. Total chlorine.  

When you smell chlorine, it’s not what you might think. A test of the water chemistry might show very little chlorine. It doesn’t mean that there is too much chlorine but is caused by a reaction of free chlorine with ammonia or organic compounds from sweat, urine or other sources from nature. This is called combined chlorine or chloramines. 

So how do you get rid of it? The way to get rid of that strong smell is to achieve what is called Breakpoint Chlorination. This is done by shocking or super-chlorinating the water. That is done by adding free chlorine at ten times the amount of combined chlorine. If the chloramines are organic, they cannot be removed by breakpoint chlorination.

Other methods must be used such as clarifiers added to the water, ozone treatment, or replacing the pool water with fresh water. The ideal amount of combined chlorine is zero. The max reading should be no more than .2 to .5 ppm.

Total chlorine is simply the free chlorine and combined chlorine added together.

Something else that is concerning about chlorine is that it is a very unstable material and is especially affected by sunlight. Let’s face it, that is in full supply in our area of the country! In Arizona, a chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid) needs to be added to act as a sunblock to maintain balanced chlorine levels. The ideal amount of cyanuric acid should be 30-50 ppm.

If you have any questions or concerns about chlorine and pool water chemistry, please give us a call!

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Scottsdale Swimming pool chemicals

How to clean mold off the pool cover

We always tell our pool and hot tub customers to be diligent in the use of a pool cover. There are so many benefits from trapping the heated water, slowing the rate of evaporation, and keeping dirt and debris out, among others. We also know that mold can build up and here are tips on how to clean mold off the pool cover for Arizona pool owners.

The swimming pool contractors from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair understand that anytime you can take a swim or soak in the hot tub is one of the best times of the day. They do know that if you use a pool or a hot tub cover — which you should — there is the potential for mold growth.

It’s not the end of the world, but you certainly don’t want to use a cover that is dripping mold spores into your water.

How to clean mold off the pool cover

Her are tips to clean the pool or hot tub cover.

  1. Remove it
  2. Lay it in the yard in a space it won’t get walked on
  3. Prepare a bucket of a gallon of warm water, a teaspoon of mild detergent and a cup of bleach
  4. Wear gloves to protect your skin
  5. Buy a soft brush or a sponge. If you can find one with a long handle, your back will thank you
  6. Thoroughly clean off all the mold
  7. Rinse with clean water
  8. Let the cover dry thoroughly
  9. Use

If you’re new to pool ownership or if this is the year you decide to use your free time to swim or soak and not clean, give us a call!

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Swimming pool chemicals Swimming pool service

Pool cleaning basics for DIY pool owners

There is so much to know when you’re having a swimming pool constructed. The swimming pool and service professionals from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair also know that Arizona pool owners need to know all about pool cleaning and who to hire for that task. We offer pool cleaning basics for DIY pool owners, but remain available for those pool owners who want to use their free time to swim — not clean!

Keeping the pool water clean and bacteria-free and ensuring the pool equipment is operating as it should, is a lot of work! This information is great even if you have a pool maintenance professional because you will want to take on some light pool maintenance between service visits. It’s always great to be an informed pool owner, too.

Pool cleaning basics for DIY pool owners

What goes into pool cleaning and maintenance?

  1. Raking and skimming off any floating debris before it falls to the bottom of the pool.
  2. Brushing the pool walls and floors should be part of the daily cleaning even if you have to spread the brushing over a couple of days, the pool should be brushed thoroughly and completely at least two times a week.
  3. A vacuuming of the pool after the brushing has been accomplished is part of pool cleaning basics. You can use a manual or an automatic vacuum — ask us to explain the differences.
  4. Testing the water chemistry regularly.

Ask us what pool supplies and equipment you should keep on hand and for a quick lesson on reading and understanding the water chemistry readings so you’re prepared to add the chemicals necessary to bring the chemistry back in balance.

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Scottsdale Swimming pool service contractor

Is it time to resurface your Arizona pool?

How do you know whether it’s time to resurface your Arizona pool? The swimming pool service contractors in Scottsdale, AZ from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair can help you decide whether the time is right. There will come a time in every pool owners’ life when the pool resurfacing project will need to be planned.

Gunite pools need to be acid-washed occasionally and that might mean it won’t need a total resurfacing. A pool resurfacing project is typically beyond the skill level of the average DIY pool owner. Give us a call and let’s talk about what goes into this project and you can decide whether you want to attempt it.

We can recommend ways to extend the life of the pool plaster and how to make the surfaces last longer and allow you to put off — for a while — the resurfacing.

Is it time to resurface your Arizona pool?

Why should you resurface?

  1. Breathes new life into the beauty of your pool
  2. Protects the pool’s integrity by addressing any potential cracks or leak-prone areas
  3. To remove stains

Resurfacing the pool can be a stand-alone project combined with a complete remodel. Resurfacing the pool pays itself in the additional years of life it adds to it. If you’re wondering whether your pool needs this project, just ask us the next time we pay a service and maintenance visit.

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Scottsdale Swimming pool safety

7 tips for adding pool safety measures

With all the decisions you’re making when you become a swimming pool owner, are you giving safety enough consideration? The swimming pool service and repair professionals from SwimRight Pools in Scottsdale, Arizona offer 7 tops for adding pool safety measures.

Pool safety needs to be front of mind all the time. This is especially true when you have young children and pets in the house. That being said, no one should ever swim alone because you just don’t know when a medical emergency might happen and if you’re alone it could turn into a tragic event.

One of the many layers of protection we recommend is pool alarms. With so many options for pool alarms available, how do you know what to choose?

Consider this info from the US Consumer Product Safety commission about the various types of alarms:

  1. Subsurface disturbance sensors. These are affixed below the surface and sound an alarm when the water is disturbed
  2. Surface wave sensors. These float on the water and sound an alarm when the water is disturbed.
  3. Wristband sensor. This is worn by a child and the alarm goes off if the wristband gets wet.

The CPSC study tested different alarm devices in six different types of backyard pool shapes and depths. Its goal was to determine whether surface and subsurface wave sensors would alarm when a test object entered the pool. It also tested whether the wristband would alarm without fail when exposed to the pool water. It also tested for false alarms like rain, wind, a pool toy or debris dropping into the pool.

7 tips for adding pool safety measures

The test results indicated:

  1. surface sensors didn’t operate with as much reliability as the subsurface sensors did.
  2. subsurface sensors were more consistent in alarming when they were supposed to and less likely to trigger a false alarm.
  3. wristband sensors reliably sounded an alarm each time it was submerged to pool water and other water sources – a hose or faucet.

Here are features to talk with us about and consider when making a pool alarm decision:

  • Ease of installation
  • Tamper-resistant/tamper proof
  • Remote receiver with a range of up to 200 feet or more
  • Low battery indicator
  • Choose one that is recommended for the size, shape and depth of your pool
  • Ability to detect an object as light as 10 pounds
  • An alarm that is loud and distinct enough to not be mistaken for background noises and one that sounds within 20 seconds

Give us a call and let’s talk about layers of safety for your pool. Don’t forget the pool fence, automatic locking mechanism and an alarmed fence gate.

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Scottsdale Swimming pool service

5 Reasons To Get A Concrete Pool

As swimming pool service contractors in Scottsdale, Arizona we clean concrete, fiberglass and vinyl liner pools. Each one has a unique way of cleaning and maintenance and our experienced pool service contractors can keep your pool running and looking like new. When it comes to pool construction materials we know there are 5 reasons to get a concrete pool.

Regardless of the pool construction material you opt for, make sure you plan for how — and who — will keep the pool water clean. There is nothing worse in an Arizona summer than not having access to your backyard pool because it’s algae-ridden. When you’re diligent in cleaning the pool or when you hire a pool maintenance pro you can rest assured that the pool water will remain clean and ready for you to use when you’re ready to jump in.

5 Reasons To Get A Concrete Pool

If you’re new to pool ownership and are still on the fence about what construction material to get, here are a few concrete aka gunite considerations.

  1. Concrete, more than any other pool, will increase your home’s resale value.
  2. They are a great investment for the long term. You get your money’s worth with a concrete pool project.
  3. They enhance the beauty and ambiance of your yard and make you want to be outdoors in an Arizona summer.
  4. They won’t spring a leak.
  5. With concrete, you have more design options than with any other material. If you have a dream for a unique pool shape, concrete should be your go to.

The bottom line: A concrete swimming pool is a unique choice for families seeking a unique flair with their swimming pool design. They do take longer to construct, but the wait is worth it once you know you’ll be spending decades enjoying your custom built swimming pool. Give us a call during the construction process and let us give you an estimate for your pool maintenance needs.

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Swimming pool service contractor

Why in pool steps need to be cleaned

Pre-pool opening and during the season swim maintenance should involve a thorough cleaning of the pool walls and floors during pool maintenance visits. This thorough cleaning also involves cleaning the swimming pool steps. Whether you have metal steps or built-in pool steps, they need to be cleaned, the top, bottom, sides and behind the steps and ladder. We have tips for why in pool steps need to be cleaned, how and why.

Ignoring these areas of your pool could lead to algae bloom and a green pool — no one wants that. When we pay a service visit to your Scottsdale, Arizona pool, the contractors from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair will pay special attention to the steps. They know, from experience, that algae are sneaking and if they can hang on through a few pool cleanings, they can take over your water and make it unswimmable.

Because the steps in your pool are constantly surrounded by water, they can become slimy and could become resistant to the pool chemicals. Also, slippery steps could lead to an accident.

Why in pool steps need to be cleaned

Here are some of the, um… steps… we take to clean the pool steps:

  1. If this is a first-time clean, we may recommend lowering the water levels so the steps can be thoroughly and completely scrubbed to loosen any bacteria or algae. Any larger pieces will be vacuumed up and after the first cleaning, a brushing without having to lower the water should be sufficient.
  2. A pool cleaning solution will be applied to the brush and the steps and it will be cleaned and vacuumed.
  3. Between service visits, you may want to invest in a robotic cleaner because it can be dropped onto the steps and will move around and brush off any debris or bacteria and then vacuum it up as it moves forward. Sometimes, though there is no substitute for gold old-fashioned elbow grease.

Give us a call if you’d like an estimate for a pool cleaning — either for the season or for an occasional deep clean before or after parties, or prior to closing the pool or opening it for the season.