Fall Season Means Heater Time!
With cooler air temperatures blowing in of fall, we also get cooler pool water. Oftentimes, this is when most pool owners use their heaters (or install new ones), so it’s a good time to review the basics of pool heaters and their operation.
If you think of buying a pool in the same way you think of buying a new car, see a heater the same way as adding a radio or air conditioning to an automobile. It’s an extra convenience you don’t use all the time, but it adds much more to your enjoyment. With a pool heater you can swim anytime you choose.
Gas Heater: Gas-fired pool heaters remain the most popular system for heating swimming pools, and it’s also one of Alex B Pool Service specialty. Gas swimming pool heaters use gas or propane, depending on the type of heater. The ones that burn natural gas must be hooked up to a gas line, and the ones that burn propane require propane tanks. They’re particularly useful for heating up water quickly, bringing a spa up to 101°F in less than an hour. The burning gas warms a combustion chamber, and the heat that’s produced is then transferred to the pool water. Today you can find new gas-fired heater models with much higher efficiencies than older models. A new gas heater will last six to eight years.
Solar Heating is an option but it only adds ten degrees to a pool’s temperature. Solar heaters heat best during sunny weather and warm temperatures of course, and they don’t heat at all at night, or during rainy days. Solar pool heaters work well in all parts of the United States but lose most of their effectiveness during winter. When solar is not enough, we turn to gas heaters.
Changes in Chlorine Use: During the warmer months of the year we use chlorine tablets for their ability to supply a continuous stream of chlorine as they dissolve. In the fall and winter, with the decreased amount of sunshine, lower pool temperatures and normally less pool use, we switch over to liquid chlorine.
Liquid chlorine is a bit different from tablets, not only due to its form (liquid vs. solid) but also in its strength and pH.
Sodium hypochlorite is the chemical name of liquid chlorine. It contains about 12.5 percent active chlorine and is commonly stored in yellow 2.5 gal. plastic jugs. Its pH is very, very high at about 13.
Tablet chlorine is often referred to as “trichlor” and is 90 percent chlorine. Its pH is the opposite of liquid chlorine, being very low (acidic). Trichlor tablets contain a stabilizer that protects the chlorine from sunlight damage.
Because of the greatly different pH values, we must make adaptations to your water’s alkalinity (related to pH) when we change chlorine forms. We take these and other actions to ensure your pool looks beautiful no matter the season.
For details or to schedule an appointment, call Moises Galvez at 661-373-5256. You can learn more online at mgpsllc.com.
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