H20 Conservation
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Given this years serious drought conditions, North Carolina’s spa and pool industry is urging the state’s pool owners to practice strict water conservation. Although most swimming pools require less water to maintain than it takes to irrigate landscaping replaced by the pool, simple conservation steps will go a long way to reducing even this water use.
- Keep a pool cover (solar, solid, mesh or liquid solar) on the pool when it is not in use. This can reduce evaporation from the pool up to 95%, almost eliminating the need to add water to keep the pool “topped-off”.
- Plug all drain and overflow lines (where pools types allow) – see your pool industry professional to make sure there will be no adverse effects from doing this on your pool. This will enable rain water to be captured and eliminating the need to add water to keep the pool “topped-off”.
- PROHIBIT water fights and the use of diving boards during the time of drought. Inform any pool users about the potential loss of water due to splash out.
- Turn off fountains, slides and waterfalls. You increase evaporation rates when you run these types of water features.
- Backwash ONLY when necessary. Make sure you only backwash based on the actual need, not a pre-set schedule. Most residential pools only need to be backwashed every 2-3 weeks.
- Reduce the pool’s water temperature, if heated. The less heat, the less evaporation.
- Check for leaks often and repair those that exists immediately. Normal evaporation rates are 1/8”-1/4” loss a day, anything in excess should be evaluated by a pool industry professional immediately to minimize water loss.
- Pay close attention to proper pool chemical maintenance. Properly maintained pools should not have to be drained and refilled to repair cosmetic defects due to improper chemical balances – water shortages simply do not allow for cosmetic work to be done which necessitate draining and refilling the pool. Any structural leaks or breeches in your pool surface should be evaluated and repaired by a pool industry professional immediately to minimize water loss.
- Re-use your spa water. When you do drain your spa, let it sit uncovered for 48-72 hours with no new chemicals added (or ask for a neutralizing chemical from your pool industry professional), and then use the water on garden plants. Make sure to have proper safety barriers in place to prevent unsupervised use while the spa is uncovered.
- If it’s clean, don’t drain. Drain spas only when you have a water quality problem. Water only needs to be changed in a spa 2 to 3 times a year if you maintain your spa properly.
We all want to conserve in this time of drought and being a conscientious pool or spa owner, and using common sense, can not only save water, but money too. Good citizenship during the current water shortage requires responsibility and we are here to help.
Please contact us for more information on any of the items you see listed here. We carry a full inventory of solar covers, solid covers, and liquid solar blankets and will be happy to assist you in your effort to conserve.