How to test pool water properly

Muy buenas dias, all you lovely swimmers, its still hot here, expect it will be for a couple of months. Well lets get on with todays tip.   

Get an empty, clean plastic container, dip it down into the pool till your elbow is below the water, unless you have very short arms cos you will fall in.  You will probably be using either DROPS, TABLETS or TEST STRIPS FOR THE TEST.  If you are using teststrips you can dip into the container directly to achieve your result. If you are using one of the other methods, you will have to pour a little of the water into the 2 recepticals before adding the Tablets or drops. You can then get your reading by holding the container up against somthing white, this will show a truer colour. On most modern test kits, it will show the correct reading with O.K. By testing your pool water regularly, you will be able to keep a close eye on the P.H. and chlorine etc., in the water and adjust it accordingly. Now, the reason you need to go in deep to get a sample of the water is because the surface water holds the majority of all the residues from spent chemicals, body fluids and other waste products. This is because the water itself is more dense than anything else in it. Think of an Irish coffee. The proper name for this residue is.......Total Dissolved Solids. Now you can show off at the next barbeque. Adios, from Octopussy

Its been a tough few weeks............

Ive had a bit of a bad time recently, my partner went in for a standard op and wound up in intensive care.
I know alot of people suffer from illness or withstand love ones suffering, but I never thought it would happen here, now to us.  I have been so afraid that he would die that it was unbearable. If it wasnt for the support from my family, I dont know what I would have done. I want to thank everyone that has shown kindness and love.  A special big thankyou to my son, who was so loving and caring and there for us. Its funny, but I think somtimes God sends an Angel to earth in a human body and these people shine. They dont have to be goody two shoes, they can be rebels and little gits, but there is that loyalty and love and the ability to make you laugh in the most impossible situations. They are the ones that you are always pleased to see.  These people always seem to get the rough end of the stick, but they stand it and think of others. I am blessed with two sons who have so much compassion for others that they both shine out amongst men. Here is an example of that love working its way around. We had a wheelchair, but when we recently went to use it, it was broken. At the moment my son was fixing it, a friend of his offered to get a good one. It turns out that this guy works in the care profession and normally we would be charged for it, also his wife is a nurse, by the way, I dont know him. To cut a long story short, he got the wheelchair and his wife offered free nursing care for my partner. He popped his head into our shop and left his phone number, so I asked him why he was doing this, he said it was because my son was his friend......... Maybe you dont think its much, but it touched my heart to think my son had left an impression on him like that.  My brother is another one, he is so generous and giving always.
He isnt a fool but he genuinly cares about others.  Its a great thing to have this around you. My partner cares about me so much and I hope I show how much I care about him. He is an intelligent, handsome, funny, lovely man, I hope he gets his strenght back soon and is his old self again.  I just wanted to put my thoughts down in writing, and I have. x  

Relentless sunshine

Oh, its been hot here. We had a speck or 2 of rain but not enough to do any damage to the pools.  Living in spain has a lot of pluses and a lot of minuses. The food in this area is very fresh and cheap. If you like a tipple then you can buy for example, 12 cans of beer for 2.69 euros. People come here mostly to retire, the vast amount of them cant settle because they miss the shopping and gran kids.  The houses are built mainly with swimming pools already included in the price. Its difficult for people to know how much work a swimming pool can involve. Some people pay to have their pools looked after by pool cleaners, this is a bit hit and miss as most of the cleaners know very little about pools, and do a poor job.There are a few exceptions, only a few. The best thing for anyone who is about to take on a pool to do, is to seek professional advice. We hold classes on pools and spas in the winter and everyone that attends can look after their pool themselves from then on. It is like a desert here, lots of dust and cacti.  There is a place not to far away where they made spaghetti westerns called little hollywood. Its very popular with tourists. I will try and describe where I live. Its like a Clint Eastwood movie, hang em high etc., but first thing in the morning before the sun comes up, its so peaceful and majestic. There are mountains all around and I can see for miles. There is normally a misty look to the landscape which makes it look untouched by humans. There are fields with Olive trees that stay green all year. It will do me fine untill I die. I have just had loads of customers in my shop, all wanting different things, I actually broke into a sweat for a while. One person wanted a top for a filter, another wanted his pool water tested because its all misty, another wanted a ladder with a platform on the top because she had a knee replacement and she needs help getting in the pool and yet another lady brought in a jar with a black insect swimming around in it, she said it bit her on the bum. After a lot of research I decided its a water flea. I am only kidding, I am not David Attenborough. All good stuff. Adios from Octopussy

Wasps in the pool

Read my blog to get rid of them

please help me

I have written a couple of blogs about pools, the swimming kind and I dont know if anyone is reading them. Please, even if you arent at all interested, let me know if you see them. Many thanks, Octopussy

Sun sand filters and wasps in the pool

In every pool you should have some type of filtering system, the most common being sand filterisation. The sand filter act like the kidneys of the human body, filtering out all the bad stuff leaving behind clean clear water.  The sand in the filter should be changed around every 3 years to ensure proper function. On a monthly basis it wont hurt to pour some liquid P.H. minus into the filter to rid the sand of calcium and other minerals. There is a danger that if left untreated for a long while, the sand can become solid at the bottom. There are very fine filters at the bottom of the sand filter, that if they become clogged can impair the function of the filter, leading to all types of problems,cracking lids, leaking, and somtimes explosion. Remember that your filter is under a lot of pressure and it needs to be looked after properly.  If you dont, then you could face buying a replacement that can be very costly.
Heres a tip for people suffering from WASPS in and around the POOL.
Take an empty squeezy bottle, pour a little washing up liquid into it, then top up with water.  During the day, look to see where the WASPS land the most and lightly squirt the area of the pool with the mixture. The WASPS will drown and after a few days they will be wiped out. For more info, get in touch. Adios, Octopussy.

Green algae in pools

Living in Andalucia has its own difficulties with regards to swimming pools. The intense heat and hard water add up to problem after problem. After paying out a small fortune on your swimming pool build, you now have to maintain it. Green algae ridden water is a major problem. In most cases a dose of shock chlorine will get rid of it. This product can be granular or liquid.  The best way I have found to add the shock, is to add the chlorine shock in the evening with the pool turned off. In the morning, you should be able to see through the water again and start to clean up. Never swim whilst there is green algae in the pool. Apart from it looking ugly, it harbours a multitude of yukki bacteria and viruses such as e coli. I have been in business here for nine years advising people and providing them with answers and chemicals. There are so many things that can go wrong with pools, that it would take a lifetime to know all the answers.  I dont know all the answers, but with your input, I think we can solve a lot of problems together. Adios, from Octopus.