Tips - What Every Pool Owner Should Know About

Pool Safety

Although swimming remains one of the healthiest and safest forms of recreation today, the need for awareness about pool safety cannot be overstressed.

When people (especially children) come to a pool, a full explanation of pool rules should be given before any activity around the pool begins. This not only helps prevent accidents from occurring, but it helps you win the respect of your guests. Swimming in your California Pool should be regarded as a privilege. Be sure to point out any slippery areas around the pool, as well as all of the underwater steps and ledges.

Splash Pools Presents 25 Rules And Tips To Make Sure Everyone Stays Safe

1. Never swim alone.
2. No running around the pool.
3. No rough playing or “dunking”.
4. No glass containers around the pool.
5. No bobby pins or metallic objects around the pool.
6. No long-distance underwater swimming.
7. Use pool toys with care.
8. Swim to the floor of the deep end before diving. Dive only when and where it is safe (not on top of swimmers and not in shallow water.)
9. Children should not use the pool without adult supervision, and the adult should be a competent swimmer.
10. No electrical appliances or wires should be allowed near the pool.
11. A first-aid kit should be kept near the pool.
12. A selected list of emergency telephone numbers should be on hand which includes the nearest available physician, ambulance service, hospital, police, fire and/or rescue unit.
13. The pool deck should be kept clean and clear of debris. Dirty surfaces can become slippery and can cause accidents.
14. Be careful with inflatable toys and mattresses. REMEMBER: those items are also deflatable.
15. Pools are like driving an automobile; they don’t mix well with alcohol. Keep inebriated guests out of the pool.
16. Allow a meal to “settle” before going into the pool. If you are overly tired, go to bed….. not for a swim.
17. Swimmers with open sores and infections should not use the pool.
18. Be careful--do not overexpose yourself to the sun.
19. Children, particularly, like to use the diving equipment and slide. Give them good supervision and make sure that there is no horseplay. Allow jumping and diving only from the front of the board. Residential pools’ diving boards were not designed for use in Olympic tryouts; keep the dive simple.
20. There should be a periodic safety and maintenance check for all pool appliances and equipment.
21. Children should rest periodically to avoid over exhaustion.
22. Begin teaching your children to swim at the earliest possible age. Until they learn to swim well, teach them to scream in the event they should fall in the water. This will greatly increase the chance of someone hearing them and coming to their rescue.
23. Learn mouth-to-mouth resuscitation prescribed by the American Red Cross. For more information about these and other life saving techniques, contact your Red Cross chapter for training.
24. Regularly check gate latches, 2nd springs, and check the batteries in pool alarms to ensure a safe and secure swimming pool.
25. Always keep floating toys and games out of the pool after being used. Children have a natural tendency to reach for those first.

Submitted By: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland serves all of Maryland, Baltimore, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools and Complete Concrete Swimming Pool Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland at www.SplashPoolsMD.com or Contact us at Info@SplashPoolsMD.com or (443) 766-9663.

How To Properly And Easily Maintain Your Pool

After Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland completes your new Backyard Oasis, you have to decide on the best way to maintain it so that stays clean, safe, and fun for everyone to enjoy. The easiest way to maintain your swimming pool is to hire a reliable pool maintenance professional to do most of the maintaining for you. Ask your friends, neighbors, and family who own pools for their recommendations and remember that you're looking for someone who is trustworthy, thorough, and responsible. After shopping around and considering your options, you'll be able to decide which service will best meet your needs.

If you prefer to maintain your pool yourself or if you want to be sure that the pool maintenance professional you've hired properly cares for your pool, you will need to adhere to a maintenance schedule. The following is a good guide.

The Essential Pool Maintenance Guide

WEEKLY MAINTENANCE:

• Brush* the entire surface of the pool, including any tiled areas.
• Manually vacuum* or brush any dirt and debris, which has not already been removed by your cleaning system, toward the main drains.
• Net any debris off the surface of the pool water.
• Clean out the skimmer and pump baskets.
• Check the filter pressure to determine if backwashing or cartridge cleaning is necessary.
• Test the levels of chlorine, pH and alkalinity.
• If the pool has a chlorinator, check the level of chlorine and add as needed.

FILTER MAINTENANCE:

• Cartridge Filters: When the pressure gauge increases 10 psi, tear down the filter by removing the cartridge element. Clean thoroughly.
• D.E. Filters: Every 6 months, or whenever pressure gauge reads "dirty," tear down the filter by removing the grids. Clean thoroughly.

BEYOND WEEKLY MAINTENANCE:

• Every month, the ceramic tile and grout should be cleaned using a tile cleaning solution.
• Every month, if the pool has a salt chlorinator, check the salt content level.
• Every month, the mastic should be inspected for cracks and separation. Repair or replace any damaged mastic.
• Every 12 months, have a complete pool water analysis done by a professional pool company.
• When necessary, "super chlorinate" or "shock" the pool water after heavy usage or a heavy rainstorm.

• Brushing Your Pool

Brushing in an important part of the initial "new pool" cleaning process but, even after your pool is clean (and even if you own an automatic cleaning system), it is important to occasionally brush your pool to remove the dirt that will adhere to the wall and floor. When brushing your pool, start at the top of the walls on the tile line and work your way down to the bottom of your pool or spa. Using steady, firm strokes, always brush the dirt toward the recirculating drain, overlapping your brush strokes.

• Using Your Vacuum Cleaner
  

Many pools may not require a vacuum cleaner when an automatic cleaning system is installed, however, there are always those special times when heavy use of the pool, wind storms or children throwing dirt or debris into the pool may overtax the cleaning system. The vacuum works as part of the filter system and is attached through the skimmer. The pool water, along with dirt and leaves, are drawn through the vacuum and flow through the normal filter system. Leaves, and other large objects, are caught in the strainer basket and small particles are removed in the filter.

Submitted By: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland serves all of Maryland, Baltimore, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools and Complete Concrete Swimming Pool Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland at www.SplashPoolsMD.com or Contact us at Info@SplashPoolsMD.com or (443) 766-9663.

Glossary of Frequently Used Swimming Pool Terminology

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland takes the opportunity to

educate our readers on the many confusing terms used

in the swimming pool industry.

Everything you always wanted to know about pools

Before you invest in your swimming pool or spa, you need to know exactly what your contractor is talking about. The more you know, the more able you are to get exactly the result you want from your renovated pool. So here are some important terms to understand:

Auxiliary area: A dressing, locker, shower, toilet area, or building space intended to be used by bathers.

Backwash: The process of thoroughly cleansing the filter media and/or elements, and the contents of the
filter vessel.

Bottom suction outlet: See main drain.

Cantilever Deck: Monolithic poured concrete that overhangs the edge of the pool waterline
(See Vertical Mastic).

Chlorine Generator: Apparatus by which salt is transformed into chlorine by means of an electrical charge through a cell.

Clear swimming pool water: Pool water that is free from cloudiness and is transparent.

Clean swimming pool water: Pool water that is free of dirt, oil, scum, algae, floating materials, or other visible organic and inorganic materials that would sully the water.

Coping: The cap material installed on top of the pool edge that finishes flush with the surrounding deck.

Deck: An area surrounding a pool Drain: A fitting or fixture, usually at or near the bottom of a pool, through which water leaves the pool--normally to the recirculation pump.

Effective particle size: The theoretical size of sieve (in millimeters) that will pass 10 percent by weight of the sand in a high-rate sand filter.

Equipment area: an area used for pool recirculation and purification equipment and related piping.

Expansion joint: Non-corrosive material used to separate two structures and allow for movement.

Elevation: Height at which the top of the pool is set in relation to other structures. The elevation of the pool usually denotes the top of the finished coping material.

Epoxy Injection: Process of installing non-structural epoxy at high pressure to seal cracks in a
gunite structure.

Gunite: One sided dry mix application of pneumatically placed concrete used to create the structure of a pool or spa. Also known as shotcrete.

Inlet: A fitting or fixture through which circulation water enters the pool. Ladder: A series of horizontal treads or rungs, either connected by vertical rail members or independently fastened to an adjacent vertical pool wall.

Main drain: A fitting or fixture at the deepest portion of the pool, through which circulation water is removed from the pool for the purpose of recirculation or draining.

Mastic: a soft, pliant, joint material that forms a seal between the coping and the concrete deck.

Medical pool: A special-purpose pool used by a state-recognized medical institution engaged in the healing arts under the direct supervision of licensed medical personnel.

Overflow system: Perimeter overflow gutters, surface skimmers, surge or collector tanks, other
surface water collection system components, and their interconnecting piping used to remove excess
water from pools.

Overlay: Process of installing rock, tile, or thin concrete over and existing concrete deck.

Plaster Preparation: The means of preparing a pool or spa for replaster by means of sandblast
or hydro-blast.

Pool volume: The amount of water, expressed in gallons, that a pool holds when filled.

Recessed steps: A riser/tread or series of risers, extending down from the deck and terminating at the pool well that creates a stairwell.

Recessed treads: A series of vertically spaced cavities in the pool wall that creates tread areas for step holes.

Recirculation system: The interconnected system traversed by recirculated pool water. For example, from the pool through the collector or surge tank, recirculation pump, filters, chemical treatment, and heater, and back to the pool.

Shallow pool: A pool with a maximum depth of less than six feet.

Skimmer: A fixture mounted in the side wall of a pool, through which surface water is removed from the pool for the purpose of recirculation.

Strip: Removing the existing plaster from the pool exposing the original gunite structure underneath.

Surge tank: Large vessel for capturing overflow water in competition pools equipped with a gutter recirculation system.

Trim tile: 1” or 2” non-skid tiles installed on each step or bench to mark the edge of the vertical riser.

Turnover time: The period of time in hours, required to circulate a volume of water equal to the
pool capacity.

Vertical Mastic: Mastic installed between the waterline tile and a cantilevered deck.

Waterline: Either the midpoint of the operating range of the skimmer(s), or the top edge of the overflow rim.

Water treatment: The process of conditioning and disinfecting pool water by filtration and the addition of chemicals.

Submitted By: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland serves all of Maryland, Baltimore, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools and Complete Concrete Swimming Pool Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland at www.SplashPoolsMD.com or Contact us at Info@SplashPoolsMD.com or (443) 766-9663.

Tips to Prepare Your Swimming Pool for the New Season

Tips - What You Need To Do To Prepare Your Pool

For The New Swimming Season

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland says that it's almost summer, then backyard BBQ's and swimming pool parties are just around the corner! Now you've got to think about preparing your fiberglass swimming pool for use after the Maryland winter months. Seem like a chore? It doesn't have to be... especially if you have taken good care of your pool during its hiatus. Here's a checklist that will help you make sure your fiberglass swimming pool is ready when summer rolls around.

Swimming Pool Opening Checklist

1. SUPPLIES

• Sort through all your swimming pool supplies. Throw away those that are in poor condition.
• Check the date on chemicals and replace items that have passed their expiration.

2. COVER AND DECK

• Pump, hose, or sweep away water, dirt, or debris from the swimming pool cover and then do the same for the swimming pool deck.
• Carefully remove the cover and clean it. NOTE: Proper cover removal helps keep the pool relatively clear. Allow the cover to dry to prevent mildew and then fold and store it for the summer.
• Reinstall deck ladders, diving board, and other deck fittings. NOTE: The remainder of the petroleum jelly used to coat exposed metal fittings will need to be wiped clean with a terry cloth towel. Lubricate all bolts on the dive board, ladders, or rails.
• If the pool water is low, bring it up to normal.

3. EQUIPMENT

• Reinstall or reassemble the pump, filter, and other removed items.
• Raise the underwater lights from the bottom of the pool and install them in their niches.
• Have the heater professionally serviced before you use it.
• Remove the plugs and replace return outlet fittings.
• Check for leaks and proper operation.

4. ELECTRICAL

• Restore circuit breakers, switches, and the time clock trippers to normal operating positions.
• Turn on the electric power and start up the support system.

5. WATER CLEANING AND CHEMISTRY

• Super chlorinate, or “shock” the swimming pool. Test the pH and total alkalinity and adjust the levels. NOTE: Be sure to check the levels frequently during the first few days until they stabilize.
• Restart the circulation equipment to further clean the pool. Run the circulation system 24 hours straight for the first three days or until the water has cleared completely. NOTE: Don’t forget to backwash the filter frequently during this time.
• Vacuum out any debris from the bottom. Retest the water. Treat the water with an algaecide. Do not go into the pool until the water is crystal clear and the chlorine level is under 2.0 ppm.
• ENJOY YOUR POOL AND PLAN A POOL PARTY!

Submitted By: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland serves all of Maryland, Baltimore, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools and Complete Concrete Swimming Pool Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland at www.SplashPoolsMD.com or Contact us at Info@SplashPoolsMD.com or (443) 766-9663.

10 Great Reasons to Have a Pool

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

10 Great Reasons To Have A Pool

1. Encourage Family Time
When you build a swimming pool, you're actually creating a fun and relaxing space for your children and family to spend time together without ever leaving the backyard! You'll make lasting memories as you teach your kids to swim, play with them in the pool, and bar-b-que by the water.

2. Create An Outdoor Resort At Home
A well-designed swimming pool isn't just a bunch of water. It can turn your backyard into an elegant outdoor oasis. With waterfalls, vanishing edges and other unique amenities, a pool can serve as a relaxing and inviting centerpiece right in your own backyard.

3. Throw A Party
When warm afternoons and cool summer evenings roll around, a pool is a great way to entertain. Invite your friends and neighbors over for a poolside bar-b-que or a dip in the water.

4. Stay Healthy And Lose Weight
Instead of driving to the gym, you can spend time exercising in your own swimming pool. Research shows that swimming provides a better total body workout with a low risk of injury. It also helps you to lose weight faster.

5. Unwind And Relax
When you get home from a long day at work or need to escape the busyness of life, take a quick dip in your pool to unwind. Spending time in the water helps your body relax and get rid of stress. You'll also sleep better than you ever have before.

6. Increase The Value of Your Home
Recent studies show that owning a pool increases the value of your home by as much as 15%. It also makes your property more attractive to prospective homebuyers. If it comes time to move, owning a pool may be the difference between selling your home quickly or keeping it on the market.

7. Stay Cool
Instead of hiding out indoors by the air conditioning, you can beat the summer heat by lounging in the cool waters of your own pool.

8. Keep An Eye On Your Kids
With a swimming pool in your backyard, you can give your kids and their friends a place to play that is both convenient and safe. You can also rest easy knowing that your children are close by.

9. Save Some Money
A pool is easier to finance and maintain than most people think. And in the long run, pools are less expensive than big family vacations and other entertainment options - and they last longer.

10. Long Lasting Fun
Building a pool is a great investment that will reap rewards for a lifetime. A vacation, a movie, or a visit to a theme park will all come to an end, but a pool will be enjoyed by your friends and family for years to come.

Submitted By: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland serves all of Maryland, Baltimore, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. We specialize in the installation of Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools and Complete Concrete Swimming Pool Renovations including Tile and Coping, Natural Stone and Paver Decking, Pool Resurfacing with Pebble Tec. Visit Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland at www.SplashPoolsMD.com or Contact us at Info@SplashPoolsMD.com or (443) 766-9663.

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland Introduces Four Installation Options

Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland is proud to offer our clients four different installation packages to cater to their expectations and budgets. Unlike our competition, we are happy to do as much or as little as our clients' desire. This flexibility allows our clients significant cost savings. Please review the following packages and their corresponding price ranges:

• Signature Installation (Turn-key): We understand that the majority of our clients would rather have the entire project taken care of for them. Splash Fiberglass Pools is one of the few companies that offer our clients a complete Turn-Key Signature Installation. This package includes everything you need for a complete backyard oasis. We provide a complete design and installation including all or some of the following: Pool, Spa, Landscaping (Including Plant Name and Location), Lighting, Outdoor Kitchen, Outdoor Fireplace, Cabana, Pergola, Fencing, Electrical, Gas, Irrigation and any other feature you request to complete your outdoor living area. Most clients budget between $35,000 - $80,000 but, the sky is the limit. Most of our Signature Projects fall within the $40,000 - $65,000 range.
  
• Platinum Installation (Pool with deck): This package includes a preliminary outdoor living design and installation of the following: Pool, Water Fill, Premium Pool Equipment, Stone / Paver / Concrete Deck, Electrical Work, and Rough Grade. Most clients that chose this package prefer to complete the landscaping, irrigation, landscape lighting, fence, etc. themselves. Most clients budget between $30,000 - $65,000 with the majority of the projects falling between $35,000 - $50,000 depending on size and options.
  
• Gold Installation (Pool without deck): This package includes a preliminary outdoor living design and installation of the following: Swimming Pool, Water Fill and Premium Pool Equipment. Most clients that chose this package are familiar with construction and feel comfortable completing a fairly large project. The client is responsible for proper deck installation, final grading, electrical, landscaping, fencing and final cleaning. Most clients budget between $20,000 and $50,000 depending on the size and options.
  
  Please Note: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland will provide all necessary permits and initial pool chlorination for all the options listed above.
  
• Self Install: This package includes the pool shell shipped to your house with all of the pool equipment. Before the pool arrives we will provide you with installation instructions for your review. You may call us at any time with questions. You will be responsible for the entire installation of the pool. We will however send a qualified representative to your site for 2 hours while the pool is being lowered into place. We will provide technical assistance during this phase but you will need to supply all necessary labor and materials. During this time we will be glad to answer any questions that you have about any portion of the project. Additional site visits can be scheduled with adequate notice at our company's standard rate. We recommend self installation for clients who have experience with excavation and construction. Most clients budget between $10,000 - $40,000 depending on the size and options.

Submitted by: Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland

Splash Pools is proud to offer Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools & Spas as well as Outdoor Kitchens & Fireplaces, Natural Stone & Paver Decks & Walls, Complete Landscaping, Pool House Construction, Waterfalls, Koi Ponds, Irrigation & Lighting. Splash Fiberglass Pools of Maryland is proud to serve all of Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia. Contact us at (443) 766-9663 or Info@SplashPoolsMD.com for a free site evaluation and to discuss your new Backyard Oasis.