MAINTAINING WATER CHEMISTRY
1. BEFORE ADDING CHEMICALS
A newly painted pool should not be filled with water for at least 10 days in summer or 14 days in winter. After filling, filter newly added pool water for a minimum of 12 hours before addition of any chemicals.
2. ADDING CHEMICALS
Any accumulation of chemicals on a newly painted surface may cause bleaching or colour change. To avoid this, all additions of pool chemicals or salt should be performed by first mixing them in a bucket of water, and then quickly dispersing the dilute solution into the pool with agitation. For salt water pools, salt may be added immediately after initial filtration. For chlorinated pools, SUPER CHLORINATE on the THIRD night after filling, vacuuming any sediment from the floor the next morning. Continuous filtration should then be carried out for 24 hours or until the water becomes crystal clear. NOTE: In winter these programs may be delayed by up to a week after filling.
3. BALANCING AND MAINTAINING WATER CHEMISTRY
If your pool water chemistry is managed professionally (normally by a pool shop), it is important that you specify the pool type as Epoxy Paint as opposed to fibreglass, marblesheen or concrete, as this is the surface exposed to the water. Faulty specification can lead to chemicals being maintained at incorrect levels, and may result in faster rates of degradation and shorter life expectancy of the LUXAPOOL coating. The four most important chemical levels that should be balanced for a LUXAPOOL Epoxy pool are Total Alkalinity (TA), pH, Calcium Hardness (or just Hardness), and Chlorine.
Total alkalinity (TA): Adjust close to 180ppm, and maintain within the range 160-180 ppm.
The TA balance is most critical to extending the life of a LUXAPOOL Epoxy coating, so it should be checked regularly, and maintained in this range all year round. TA levels lower than 140ppm are likely to lead to early degradation of the epoxy coating. Low TA may be indicated by white powdery deposits on the coating surface, or early pick up of colour on the feet of pool users. When using Cyanuric Acid stabiliser, take care not to exceed 55 ppm, as this will give a false reading of TA.
pH: Adjust close to 7.6, and maintain within the range 7.4-7.8.
Calcium Hardness: Maintain within the narrowest possible range between 280–320 ppm.
Chlorine: Keep under 3ppm, ideally between 1-2ppm.
4. CLIMATIC ZONES
All quoted water chemistry levels are based on extensive experience with LUXAPOOL Epoxy under Australian water and climatic conditions. By comparison to other countries, Australia experiences relatively high average temperatures, harsher UV, and pools which are filled all year long. As such, it is important to manage pool chemistry according to these levels throughout ALL OF THE YEAR. Even within Australia it should be noted that pool water in climatic zones that are hotter or prone to higher levels of UV is likely to require much more regular maintenance.
USEFUL HINTS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR LUXAPOOL COATING
CLEANING & MAINTENANCE:
Epoxy coatings in both salt and chlorinated conditions work in a sacrificial manner. This means that the coating surface is slowly eroded by the chemicals to which it is exposed, until after many years it requires renewal. The erosion will most commonly present itself as “chalking” which is covered in more detail earlier in this guide. Both the chalk itself as well as soluble salts which have been deposited onto the pool surface can result in reduced life of the coating, due to the abrasive action of automatic pool cleaners on the paint surface.
To avoid this, it is strongly recommended that periodic maintenance of the pool be carried out to remove any chalking and deposited salts. An effective way to do this is by VIGOROUSLY brushing down the walls and floor areas of the pool using a stiff bristled broom or long handled scourer. After scrubbing back the surface, allow the residues to settle, and GENTLY vacuum to waste or coagulate/flocculate before filtration and back-wash. Then follow with 8 hours filtration. Finally dose the pool with Bi-carb Soda so as to bring the Total Alkalinity back to recommended levels.
This should be done monthly during summer, and every 6 – 8 weeks in cooler periods.
NOTE (for Sand Filters): The chalked product rubbed off as above is too fine to be trapped by a sand filter under normal operating conditions. This can be addressed in one of 2 ways:
either first turn off the pump and allow this material to settle, then second, turn the pump back on and GENTLY vacuum TO WASTE or
Flocculate fine material and coagulate before filtration, then back-wash. However, this option runs the risk of clogging the sand filter.
Following this procedure will assist in maintaining a smooth, glossy and hygienic (non-algae supporting) surface to the pool water, and will greatly enhance the life of the coating.
Please note all epoxy coating will chalk under UV and what we can do is slow down/reduce the chalking by balancing the water chemistry, cleaning and maintaining the pool as above.