Swimming and/or water exercise can be a huge benefit to your health. With the resistance of the water, it makes your entire body work. It also removes gravity so it’s not so hard on your joints and lessens the impact.

Swimming is a great all-round exercise that provides a great full body workout. There are numerous benefits to enjoying a water workout. For one, it keeps your heart rate up, it’s an excellent source of cardio. Another benefit to working out in the water is it allows us to float so it takes off the impact stress of more common workout routines. It also builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness, all while maintaining a healthy weight, heart and lungs.

Swimming laps in your pool is not the only workout you can use your pool for. There are many different variations of exercises that target certain areas or help relieve pressure off other areas. A few examples would be walking laps, treading water, or basic noodle exercises.

There are many other ways a pool can improve your health, that go beyond a simple exercise.
We list a few below:
• Alleviating stress
• Improving coordination, balance and posture
• Improving flexibility
• perfect low-impact therapy for injuries
• relaxing, peaceful form of exercise

Overall, water is known for its calming, peaceful effects. Better sleep, reducing stress and anxiety, and relieves depression. A nice yoga session along the side of your pool will do you wonders. Explore, enjoy it to the fullest!

Read more >>> 5 Summertime Pool Safety Tips

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Solar pool covers can be one of the most useful tools that a pool owner can have at their fingertips. They help save time, money and energy.

If you have owned a pool cover for some time or you are new to this subject, I am sure the information we are proving below can at least teach you something new and useful about solar pool covers.

What IS a solar pool cover?

Did you know that 75% of heat loss in your pool water is due to evaporation? Imagine having a cover on your pool and then making it solar…Oh yeah, now we are talking! The covers trap heat and reduce evaporation. It also helps keep out debris, leaves and such.

Solar pool covers or also known as solar blankets, is made up of a thin, lightweight sheet made from a special plastic that is UV resistant. The covers are typically double sided, with a smooth side and a ‘bubble wrap’ side.

How DOES a solar cover work? 

Most days in Florida are filled with a lot of sunshine that give your pool water natural solar heat. With that sunshine however, can also come rain in the bling of an eye. Either way, it doesn’t provide enough heat for a steady, comfortable swim year-round.

A common purchase to fix this is a pool heat pump — they’re a reliable source for on demand heat. However, even with the best pool heater, evaporation is still a major problem.

But….if you use a solar pool cover, the story ends differently. The solar pool cover creates a barrier between the water’s surface and the air. This keeping it in and making it warm. Without the cover you water easily evaporates while also burning away chemicals and heat, along with your pocketbook.

How to use a solar pool cover

Using a solar pool cover is a very easy and simple process. The most important thing you can ensure is correctly placing the cover on the pool. The best way to make this happen is to do a few simple adjustments. If you are using a brand-new cover out of the package it may need some customizing. Typically, they won’t fit your pool perfectly. So, simply grab a pair of scissors and shape the cover to fit snug around the surface of the water and it’s edging. Be sure to lay the ‘bubble-wrap’ side down, facing the water. This ensures the cover with indeed, float.

Your pool cover should span the length and width of your water and your water only. To be clear, you don’t want any extra cover draped onto any of the ledges, as this greatly reduces the cover’s effectiveness and allows for evaporation.

That’s it! Now you can place and remove the cover as needed with no other custom needs. 

When to use a solar pool cover

Basically, the best time to use a solar pool cover is anytime you’re not swimming. This will help maintain your water level and keep your pool water to a nice heated swimming temperature. Especially during the nighttime when temperatures are most likely to drop.

Benefits of using a solar pool cover

A few simple but HUGE benefits to using a solar pool cover are:

• Smaller water bill – using your solar pool cover will reduce the amount of natural water evaporation, which means you don’t need to add water to your pool as often.
• Less chemical use – because of the reduced evaporation this also leads to less chemical evaporation, so you don’t need to add chemicals as often.
• Less pool maintenance: Solar pool covers help keep out debris such as leaves, branches and animals, so you won’t have to clean up as often.
• Last but actually the best part, you can swim year-round in warm, comfortable, clean water!

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There are three different types of in-ground pools that are offered in Florida. Below we inform you on what each provides or doesn’t provide for you and your families needs.

Concrete

Concrete in-ground pools are the most common. A concrete swimming pool is an entirely customized pool solution. You can install it virtually anywhere and provide you with limitless design options. You can select the depth, shape, and size, and incorporate features like steps, vanishing edges, beach entries and much more. Finishing choices include vinyl lining, colored quartz, ceramic tiles, natural pebble and a variety of other finishes. Concrete lasts for years, so your maintenance will be minimal.

Concrete and plaster were the first in-ground pool building materials used when residential pools first became popular. Why does it work so well? The plaster shell holds water well, provides stability, and can be re-plastered when needed, providing a longer life. Concrete is durable and porous.

Alternative finishes can be added to concrete or plaster, like tile or stone.  For example, Pebble Tec, a glass option can last about 8 to 12 years! These options can bring a unique artist or natural style to your pool design.

Fiberglass

Typically, fiberglass pools are made in factories and delivered to your home. They are offered in specific shapes and sizes, so your options are limited. Steps, spas, and benches are usually pre-formed. They are manufactured from fiberglass-reinforced plastic. They are delivered and ready for installation when they arrive. Fiberglass is a non-porous fiber with a smooth finish to the touch. It prevents algae growth and is very easy to clean. Fiberglass is popular because of its low maintenance benefits and low cost on pool chemicals.

Fiberglass makes the pool-building process quick and easy. However, fiberglass can be more costly. After 10 to 15 years of exposure to sun and chemicals, the fiberglass deteriorates. Re-coating it is not easy because the new coating does not stick easily to the older one.

Vinyl Liner

Vinyl liner swimming pools are the cheapest of your options. Installation typically takes about 3 weeks. Vinyl pools options are also built and offered to you only in certain shapes and sizes. They also offer a range of liner colors and patterns. It is also non-porous, like fiberglass, which reduces algae growth. However, it does offer a few drawbacks. Sharp objects cannot be around the pool as they could potential cut a hole in the liner. The material also deteriorates in time from exposure to the elements, regular use and chemicals and usually needs replacing every 10 years or so. Some liners come equipped with fungus and UV inhibitors, which can extend the life of a vinyl liner from 10 to about 18 years or so.

Pools that are lined with vinyl are built with metal or plastic frames into the ground. Pre-made panels made of plastic, steel, or aluminum are added to the frame, making a form that is then lined with heavy vinyl to form the pool shell.

What Size Backyard is Needed for a Pool?

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Let’s be honest, the subject is awkward and uncomfortable, but if you own a pool it’s important to know what your ‘getting yourself into. ’Pretty much anyone who has swam in a pool, has peed in it in their lifetime. So, it’s safe to say basically any pool will has a certain amount of pee in it. Even Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer, has admitted to it himself. He stated, “chlorine kills it, so it’s not bad.” However, science is telling us otherwise. Not only is it just gross, but it’s harmful to your health.

In fact, a new study found that chlorine does not kill contents of our urine, but does however react with it to create potentially dangerous chemicals. The research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, used a technique called membrane introduction mass spectrometry to measure the presence of dangerous byproducts in pools. Uric acid from human urine mixes with chlorine to create the cyanogen chloride (CNCI) and trichloramine (NCl3). CNCI is a toxic compound that can harm organs like the lungs, heart, and central nervous system. NCl3 has been linked with acute lung injury.

You know that familiar “pool smell”? It kind of stings your nose when you breathe in? Well, it’s actually not chlorine, but chloramines. The stronger the smell the more pee there is in the pool and its reacting to the chlorine to give off that smell.

Researchers recommend that all swimmers avoid urinating in swimming pools to prevent these chemicals from forming. The study found that a chemical in urine and sweat, called uric acid, undergoes a chemical reaction with chlorine to produce two substances– cyanogen chloride and trichloramine. This is where the danger begins.

Trichloramine is known for aggravating upper respiratory conditions like asthma, however it’s known for causing them in professional swimmers, because they spend so much time in the water and around pools. Mostly likely you won’t have Olympic trainers in your pool however, chloramines are also known to trigger asthma attacks and make the condition worse. On the other hand, chloramines are irritating to people in good health, however it does sting the eyes and burn the throat.

Often the reason why people do pee in the pool is due to laziness. They simply don’t want to get out of the pool, dry off, go inside and use the toilet. So we recommend posting a sign in your pool area, maybe 2 and encourage your guests to use the bathroom when they do need to go.

Overall, there really is no need to panic if someone does or avoid a pool because you are now paranoid. Don’t let us spoil your fun, go ahead and enjoy the pool, just use jump out and use the bathroom when needed.

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You’re ready…the sun is out, you have the day off, your suit is on and you step outside to see a cloudy pool. UGH!!! Well, we are here to help guide you on how to clear your cloudy pool water fast.

Supplies you will need:

Water testing kit, a pool brush and a bottle of clarifier.

Step #1: Turn on your pool pump and filter system. Let it run for 24 hours a day until your pool is clear.

Step #2: Clean your pool! Grab your pool brush and brush your pool walls, behind the steps and the stairs.

Step #3: Test your water. Make sure your pH level is between 7.4 and 7.6

Step #4: You will need a bottle of pool clarifier. Follow instructions on the bottle and entire it into the pool directly. You can add more clarifier daily until your pool becomes clear. It is also recommended that you wait about an hour after adding pool clarifier to the pool before jumping in to take a swim. Typically, after using clarifier, your pool should clear up in 24 hours.

Clarifiers help your pool filter pick up those tiny, little particles that are making your water cloudy. They do this by coagulation. Meaning they take those tiny, little particles and bring them together to form bigger particles so that your filter has a better chance of catching them.

Common Pool Maintenance Mistakes >>> Read More

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When I think of pool party foods, the first thing I think of is finger foods. Quick easy to grab and easy on the stomach foods. Refreshing, tasty and easy to make foods. Life is complicated enough, we like to make things easy. So, I searched for some of the best recipes focusing on just those things. These are sure to make your party a hit!

Watermelon, Mozzarella, Basil Skewers – These are so easy to make and SOOO delicious and refreshing at the same time. Cut up some watermelon into squares, the best you can. Also, some fresh mozzarella, balls or cut into squares. Then rinse and tear off a few hands full of basil leaves. Keep these whole, we don’t want to cut them. You will also need some balsamic vinaigrette to top it all off.

  Now you can start to build your skewers. Please a piece of watermelon, mozzarella to follow, then fold a basil leaf and place on the skewer, then repeat over and over and continue onto additional skewer sticks. I like to do about two rotations per stick, but you decide what is best for your party.

Once all have been completed. Lay them down on a pretty plate and then drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over them all. Refrigerate until ready to be placed out when the party begins.

Popcorn Finger Chicken – Simple, healthy pop in your mouth finger food. Depending on how many guests you are having, I like to average about 5-6 per person. Ingredients you will need: chicken breasts, eggs, flour, panko crumbs, salt and pepper. Prepare by cutting your chicken into small bite sizes. Then crack a few eggs into a bowl and whisk the eggs until mixed. Brag another bowl and add some flour in it, and then another bowl for the panko crumbs. I like to add spices to the flour bowl to give the flavor a kick. My favorite mix is salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and mustard powder. A few dashes of each should do the trick. Also, prepare your baking sheet with a nice layer of oil and set to the side. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Begin by grabbing one chicken bite, place it in the flour bowl and cover it completely with flour. Then move the chicken bite to the egg bowl and cover completely with the egg. Then you move it to the panko bowl and cover it with panko crumbs. Then place it on the pan. Continue with the rest of the chicken bites and place all evenly on the baking sheet. Place in over for about 15-20 or until internal heat is at 165 degrees. Be careful not to overcook.

Once done, put on a plate and add toothpicks to each chicken piece for easy grab and go.

This last recipe is actual quite genius. Who doesn’t love a 7 layer bean dip? But after a few bites, it starts to get mushy, messy and germs from multiple mouths start to add up. So THIS is the perfect solution given to us by https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/individual-seven-layer-dips. For a complete recipe check out the link.

Individual Seven-Layer Dips

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 cup guacamole or make homemade guacamole
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 cup chunky salsa or pico de gallo; or make homemade pico de Gallo
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• 2 Roma tomatoes , diced
• 1/2 bunch of green onions , sliced
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can of sliced olives, drained
• 8 (9 ounce) plastic tumblers
• Tortilla chips

You won’t have the leave your pool float for this dip. You can eat it all in the pool. Enjoy!

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It’s common for blondes to have issues when they spend a lot of time in the swimming pool with their hair turning a slight shade of green, especially towards the ends. Don’t get discouraged, it’s common and you are not alone.

Often the misconception to the hair turning green is the chlorine. It’s not 100 just the chlorine though. It’s also copper. Copper is a metal that can often be found in your swimming pool water. The copper and chlorine bond together in the water to form a film that sticks to the proteins in your stands of hair, causing it to turn green. So the biggest culprit is the copper. Even tap water with a high copper content can turn your hair green as well.

Good news! It’s NOT permanent! It can be fixed and even prevented with a few simple steps.

To prevent the onset of green hair, we provide a few options below.

Stop using copper based algaecides in your pool water. Keep your chlorine level and maintained and you won’t need to use algaecides. Because some of the contain copper, although its great at killing algae it can also stain your pool and also green blonde hair.

Wet your hair before going into the pool, copper and chlorine won’t hang onto your hair as tightly when you enter with wet hair.

Apply a leave-in conditioner on your hair before you go in the pool. Then the pool water won’t stick to your hair as easily.

Wash your hair with shampoo immediately after getting out of the pool and you are done for the day.

Or if your hair is already green, you can try some at home remedies below to see what works best for you.

Rinse with Tomato Juice, ketchup or lemon juice. Soak your hair as best you can with tomato juice, then let it set for 5-10 minutes. Or try ketchup. After coating your hair with it, you will need to wrap your hair in tinfoil or wrap a swim cap and let it sit on your head for about 30 minutes. If you decide to give the lemon juice a try, put the lemon juice in your hair and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. Whichever you choose, wash and condition your hair after you have fully rinsed.

Try aspirin, baking soda or lemon Kool-Aid as a rinse. Use ¼-1/2 cup of baking soda with water and mix to make a paste consistency. Massage paste into your hair and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. If you decide to give aspirin a try, crush about 6-8 tablets in a bowl then add warm water to it for it to dissolve. Put the rinse in your hair and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes. If you use the lemon Kool-Aid mis the package with water and apply to the green areas of the hair. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Again, whichever you choose, wash and condition your hair after you have fully rinsed.

If you prefer to not do at home remedies, there is a professional shampoo that can help as well. It removes the chlorine and copper from your hair to help remove the green tint.

With these easy tips and tricks, you’ll have your golden locks back in no time. Now go enjoy that pool!

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Read more on Essential Equipment for your Swimming Pool

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It’s very common that pool owner’s make some bad choices when trying to tackle pool maintenance on their own. However, mistakes are the best way to learn. Owning a swimming pool provides numerous chances to make pool maintenance mistakes, big or small. So as soon as you discover you made a mistake, it’s best to call a professional or do some research and study how to fix the issue. Educating yourself on common pool maintenance mistakes will help keep your pool safer, cleaner and running well without the high cost of some mistakes. Below, we provide some of the most common mistakes made in hopes to help prevent you from doing the same.

Ignoring Your pH and Alkalinity Levels

Testing your pool water is done for a reason. The results need to be acknowledged and action taken behind it. Low pH in your water test indicates acidity which can seem to be a good thing at first, however we learned that many negative things can happen if this were to be ignored. While a high pH level indicates alkalinity, your water probably looks and appears pristine and clear, however ignoring high or low pH is not good for your pool.

For example, a low pH can damage your pool pump and filter, vinyl liner, heater, automatic pool cleaner, chemical feeder, your solar blanket and maintenance equipment. This can become costly very quick.

Not Brushing Your Pool

You run a vacuum on a regular basis and think it’s enough, but we don’t agree. To really have a clean pool, you need to brush and scrub your walls, behind the ladders, the steps, corners and even the water line. These areas build up a level of scum that can only be brushed off and keeps algae at bay. Just like brushing your teeth, they need to be brushed to be fully cleaned and be at their cleanest. Do this once a week for the best result.

Adding Shock Directly to Your Pool

Pool shock is better known as concentrated chlorine. It’s a very strong chemical that needs ot be treated gently and with caution. If you have a vinyl liner in your pool, shocking directly to your pool will reek havoc. The shock granules will sink the bottom of your pool and bleach out your liner. This causes the area to become brittle, fall apart and cause leaks.

Be sure to mix the shock with water in a bucket first before adding it to your pool. However, please fill the bucket with warm water FIRST, then add the shock. This way is safest route.

Using An Automatic Pool Cleaner When You Have An Algae Problem

Dealing with pool algae can be challenging to say the least and unfortunately, using your automatic pool cleaner won’t help the issue. They only push the algae and debris through a mesh bag and causes the algae to simply move around in the pool, NOT remove it. Use an older

To resolve this issue, you will have to bring out your manual vacuum. Yes, it’s more work but does the job needed to make sure your water is clear again. Make sure you switch your filter to “waste” or remove the drain plug.

Shocking Your Swimming Pool During the Day

The sun is not welcomed by pool shock. It burns off 1 ppm each hour, reducing the efficiency of your chemicals, and wasting your money. Best advice is to simply shock your pool at night, then it will have plenty of time to do its job throughout the nighttime.

 

 

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When a storm or rainfall is heading your way, the best thing to do is to try and do what you can in advance to prep your pool for the oncoming storm. For example, cover your pool and shut off the pumps, clear your pool of any floats, toys, etc. However, many of us have busy days and work, so often we aren’t available to tend to our pools before a rainstorm. More so, storms are not always predictable, and can even swing through the night while asleep. No worries, we are here to provide you with some simple steps of what you can do after a rainstorm to help keep your pool and pool water in swimmingly shape.

The simplest and easiest of things to do first is to clean your pool. Begin brushing off the steps, behind the ladders and walls. It may look like nothing is there but all the rain that has entered your pool has affected your chemistry level and if left alone will affect your water quality.

In most cases, with rain comes wind. So, the next thing to do is clean out any loose debris that may have entered your pool during the rainstorm. Tree branches, leaves, twigs, and garbage are all common to see in your pool water after a rainstorm. Make sure these items are removed to prevent clogging and increasing your chances of dirty water.

While cleaning the debris out of your pool, check the water level. Especially if the rainstorm was major or a hurricane, which is very common here in Florida). More than likely your water level is past the point of where it should be, which is the middle of your skimmer opening. If this is the case, gradually drain your pool to bring the water level back down to its suggested location.

Continue to clean by bringing out your pool vacuum and clean what you can. Then turn your filters on now that nothing can clog them. It’s time to get your pool water to circulate.

Next, we suggest you shock your pool. After a heavy rainstorm, your pool’s chlorine levels will lower and by shocking your pool it will replenish the chlorine lost from the rain. Be sure while shocking your pool that you keep the pump running.

Quick Tip: You can shock your pool in the rain, YES, it’s safe! Just keep note that rainwater adds contaminants, so it wouldn’t be as effective if you were to wait until after the rain has stopped.

Next, test your water. This is an important step that will give you answers as to what your water needs to stay clean.

Last but not least, adjust your chemicals to rebalance your pool water. After you test your water which chemicals need adjusting.

If the rainstorm is more of a light shower, I wouldn’t worry too much about the pool chemistry. A light rain will have very little effect, if any, on your pool water. However, it wouldn’t hurt to test your water anyway, if only for good measure.

 

What’s the perfect water temperature for your Florida pool during the winter?

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Although you may be thinking why would you close your pool when you live in Florida? Typically, we don’t. The weather here most likely will not freeze the water and many pools have water heaters.

However, often we have travelers they may be gone for an extended period of time. We are also accustomed to the weather. While it may be snowing in the northern hemisphere, its chilly to us here when the weather gets down in the 40’s and 50’s, even 60’s, let’s be honest! And we may just want to put it to rest for a few months.

Typically, ‘winterizing’ your swimming pool consists of draining the pool, emptying the pipes, and covering the top. This helps to prevent pipes and plumbing from freezing and creating costly damage. However, in Florida, it’s a different story, all this is not necessary. Actually, draining your pool in Florida can be dangerous with the amount of ground water we have here.

Also, it never get near cold enough for algae to stop growing, if you drain your pool half-way, clear the pipes of any water, and turn off your pump, your pool will most likely turn green.

Below, we provide a few simple steps to keep your Florida pool crystal clear on the down months.

1. Clean your pool. Simple cleaning steps like removing debris, floating leaves, also sunken debris that sits at the bottom of your pool. This will help prevent staining and algae growth and when you reopen your pool, leaving the debris long-term will increase your pool bills later to fix and/or clean up.

2. Keep your chemicals balanced as you normally would in the summer months. Balance them at least one week before closing your pool.

3. Run your pump. Run your pump about 6 hours every day. If there is a rare threat of frost, try to run it throughout the day and night. This helps circulate the water and chemicals and also lessens the risk of plumbing damage.

4. Cover your pool. This helps keep it clean by not allowing debris to enter the pool, also lessen he amount of chemicals you will need to ad.

So as long as you keep your water balanced and your pump running, here in Florida, you are set for the winter. However, it’s not necessary to ‘winterize’ your pool during the winter here in Florida. So, feel free to enjoy the cold dip or heat your pool and enjoy the hot tub feel.

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