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River Pools & Spas Blog
The most educational swimming pool blog in the country, providing fiberglass pool articles and videos, as well as information on inground concrete and liner pools.
Options and Accessories | Pool Maintenance | Swimming Pool Accessories
How many brands can there possibly be in the pool equipment industry? A lot, as it happens. Fortunately, you have us on your side. Pentair and Jandy are two big names you'll see when you're researching pumps and filters for your inground pool. It can be tough to see the differences in their products, especially if you're new to the pool scene. Worry not! Welcome to our guide comparing Pentair's and Jandy's similar cartridge pool filters.
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Options and Accessories | Pool Maintenance | Swimming Pool Accessories
Story time! Once upon a time, in Warsaw, VA, I was researching the different types of pool pumps and filters. I started with cartridge filters, and they made sense. When the spec sheet said, "Effective filtration area," it meant it. The filter took care of however many square feet of surface area the pool had. It filtered that area. Got it. The D.E. and sand filter spec sheets ruined my day. When the "effective filtration area" was 6 square feet, the filter processed 57,000 gallons of water in 8 hours. Obviously it's not for the world's cleanest bathtub, so what gives? What is the filtration area supposed to mean? Not to worry, my friends. I enjoy research, and I'm here to help.
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Don't blindly wonder if a fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl liner pool is right for you. Our educational ebook does a deep-dive comparison of the 3 types, all while noting the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Pool Closing/Winterization | Pool Maintenance
As summer draws to an end, we have to bid goodbye to our loyal friend, the pool. You can opt to close your pool yourself or hire a professional. They're both valid options. If you choose to DIY, though, be careful! Many pools across the country get damaged because they were improperly closed and winterized -- read our guide to proper winterizing here. River Pools specializes in manufacturing and installing fiberglass pools, and we educate on all three pool types through our blog articles and videos. We know pools. And we're here to help you take the best possible care of the backyard oasis you've worked so hard on.
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When I'm doing the dishes, I love the dishwasher-safe ones. I just pop 'em in the dishwasher, run the wash cycle, and move along until they're clean. So easy! Hand-wash-only dishes feel ridiculously high-maintenance in comparison. As I scrub them, I hate them. Sorry, Abraham Lincoln mug. Cleaning dishes is nothing compared to cleaning a pool. How can you make sure your pool is "dishwasher safe"—as low maintenance as it can possibly be? The TYPE of pool you have can make or break your maintenance satisfaction. The interior finish, durability, and more can significantly increase or decrease your to-do list (and your costs).
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Fiberglass Pool Information | Pool Maintenance
In my house, we take turns doing chores, but I’m exclusively in charge of laundry. My favorite (?) part is collecting all the stained clothes so I can apply stain remover and then scrub them like an old-timey washerwoman. It feels as if I should later buy hardened brown sugar in paper bags tied with twine like I live in a Laura Ingalls Wilder book. But that’s just washing clothes. How do you feel about being an old-timey washer for your inground fiberglass pool stains?
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Concrete Pool Information | Pool Maintenance
The following is a guest post from Diane Pierce at Authentic Plaster & Tile. Owning a pool can be a relaxing way to take a break after a long day, or enjoy the majority of your summer vacation. They’re the ideal location for any backyard barbecue where friends and family can gather together, connect with each other, eat good food, and splash around. They can also be a lot of work if not properly maintained in a timely manner.
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Hey guys, my name is Mike Harper, aka The Pool Care Guy, and in today's post I'm going to be talking about the pool water saturation index. It's a bit of a complex topic that involves lots of numbers, but I'll try to break it down into plain English as best I can. The water saturation index, officially known as the LSI (Langelier Saturation Index), is a scientific formula created to calculate the perfect water balance, or essentially whether it is corrosive or scaling. Specifically, it's defined as “an approximate indicator of the degree of saturation of calcium carbonate in water.”
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Patio and Coping | Pool Maintenance
The following is a guest article from Bill Michaels at Patterned Concrete. Nothing beats that “fresh, new look.” Unfortunately, too many things in life lose their luster if not properly cared for. That can be the case even for something as stable as stamped concrete, but it doesn’t have to be. Your new installation is beautiful, whether it's your patio, walkway or even indoor surface. With proper care it can keep up its appearance and luster for many years.
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You've invested so much into your pool. Time. Money. Sweat. Maybe even tears (although I hope not). And now some storm wants to come in and mess up your oasis? Not today, Satan! If a natural disaster is on its way, you can follow these guidelines to storm-proof your pool as much as possible. And this doesn't apply to only a hurricane or tornado per se, but any big storm, especially with high winds.
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Pool Maintenance | Swimming Pool FAQs
When I was a kid, I hated my mom’s chore charts. I vowed, with the seriousness of any 8-year-old, that if I had children, I would never make them do that. I now make chore charts for myself. Moms really do know everything. As you plan out the swim season, it may help to make a pool chore chart for your family—or at least to mentally review what you'll need to do.
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