Swimming Pool Maintenance

[Dalyansteve]

Yes I know we all love our pools, but what we don't like is the cost of maintenance, having nasty chemicals around and that chlorine smell ,you know the itchy eyes and skin.
Coming soon to Dalyan is a system that can be fitted to your pool cost effectively and will give you year round lovely clear,fresher water, that needs minimal maintenance(a free monthly check the first year) and no chemicals, no replacing the water, minimal running costs and it is environmentally friendly. This system is used throughout the southern hemisphere extensively, especially where water supply is a problem.
If you keep the pool running on tickover when you are not using it, mainly during the winter, you will always have a pool ready to use,saving water not using chemicals and saving money. You are more likely to have problems with pumps, motors and pool integrity if you empty it during the winter.
This is of course is in complete contradiction to what your pool maintenance provider will tell you but then they seem to love telling people the motor is broken or you need regrouting etc. etc. This is how they make extra money.
I am also looking at pool covers, automatic cleaners and solar heating.

[Andy]

To be honest i use the tablets on my pool and have no problems with nasty chemicals around and that chlorine smell ,you know the itchy eyes and skin i dont have that problem

but would be interested in knowing more of this new method please steve

also solar heating sounds good for the cooler nights and winter

more info please

anything that can cut running costs always gets a big thumbs up from me

[John Codling]

i would also be interested. If you could let us know cost of installation.

[Dalyansteve]

Yes the tablets are a better method than chlorine and acid and of course some of you may not be as sensitive to chlorine as I am (bless). But if you send me the dimensions of your pools I will get some facts and figures for you. Please send to my home email or private message.
This system is fully automatic and will tell you if it is inside or outside the normal parameters, so no need for daily testing it also gives a softer feel to the water.
I am not advertising the system properly until I have all the details and legalities sorted. I just thought I would mention it as Dalyan will be the base for Turkey and to see what responce I get just from this little mention, I already have orders for 4 units without even trying.You can google saltlogic for more details in the meantime, this is the manufacturer, they have a base in Cyprus but because of the difficulties have no route into Turkey from there. So for the time being they will come direct from the factory to Istanbul.
The solar heating I want to get sorted by the middle or end of the season as I want to manufacture localy to keep costs down.

[John Codling]

Hi Steve, I have had a look at the site and as you say it looks to be minimal maintenance however it does mention that salt needs to be checked monthly, this would in most cases require someone to visit and check and add the salt required if no one is there permanently.

Also just wondering if I am reading the table right regarding the amount of salt. I have calculated the volume of my pool at roughly 40,000litres and the table reads as an initial requirement of around 200kgs of salt for an initial charge.

Would this salt be available locally?

[Dalyansteve]

John,The initial fitment includes the salt and yes the salt is available localy for top up, you might only need a kilo or two in a year. Initially I shall be offering the monthly check free for a year, this is a learning curve for me too, I am also looking at offering an electronic tester as part of the package.
If you Know any Australians, New Zealanders or South Africans who have pools, you will find that the majority have this system and if you ask them what they do when they go away for a time, they will look at you blankly and say 'nothing'. We being from the cold nothern hemisphere are not used to having pools and salt chlorination is relatively new to us. My cousin in Aukland NZ was fitting these 20 years ago.
By the way the control panel will tell you if there is a problem with the salt, it is automatic and there is a sensor fitted in the system. The monthly check is for peace of mind and to physically see if there is any calcium build up on the electrodes, the system uses a reversing polarity electrical method so that calcium build up will be minimal. If there is any initialy I can easily get rid of it on the monthly check there will not be an ongoing problem with calcium as the system will neutralize it.

[Andy]

This does sound good and i have done some research on the net and good feed back on it

my only concern is the bloody power cuts we have regular in the area its not to bad with a pool guy at the moment as he calls every two days so its no problem

would seriously look at this when i move over to Ockular

[tarla kusu]

I've had a salt system in my pool in Dalyan for three years! installed by Utopia. It works a treat. The system monitors itself and the only maintainance is wahing the catylizer unit maybe once a year r . Fully programmable to shock as required. Water is soft and free of chlorine smell. this is for a 25000 gallon pool.
I buy approx 45 kilos of salt at the start of the season and maybe have to add another 10 kilos during the season. Just like that. The system tells you when and how much salt to add. Surprisingly the poll water does not taste of salt. Clever or what?
I love it; no stinging eyes or sore throats. When Utopia have tested the system using an electronic test device, the chlorine readings are always spot on so i know it works.

[Dalyansteve]

Well that is interesting, do you know which system it is? I did not know that that Utopia knew anything about them, they have kept that very quiet. I will be talking to Allan soon about the systems I am importing.
Salt pools are a logical choice, yours must have paid for itself twice over by now.

[tarla kusu]

It's an "Autopilot" . US manufacturer based in Florida. They have a good website . Their newer models incorporate an automatic ph feeder system which would be the dogs whatsits in Dalyan. i haven't actually done the sums regarding its payback. That's not why i had it installed. I wanted someting rhat was less damaging to the environment than uncontrolled chlorine additives.
I have always found that Utopia are enthusiastic about technicall develpments and encourage customers to be more environmentally aware. As far as i know they are the only pool managers in Dalyan who actually routinely check the chlorine and ph levels with test kits. This year they are introducing electonic testing equipment. As chemicals are horrendously expensive this simple test eliminates wasteful and dangerous overdosing. So easy and so cost effective.

[Andy]

I have been using an electronic ph tester on my pool for the last year a lot easier to use. Im looking if i can get a chlorine one for this season

[Dalyansteve]

Tarla Kusu, thanks for that info, I am pleased that you are happy with your system and have said all the things I expect a user of salt water chlorination to say. Top marks for Allan and the team for installing and looking after it, I will be seeing them about my system when I get back. I have spoken with a couple of Turkish pool installers and maintainers and recieved a completely negative responce, it seems they make a great deal of money from the antiquated use of chemicals and all involved.
Initialy I will be targeting pool owners direct and cut out the middle man.
Andy, Hanna Instruments have an excellent range of pocket instruments.
With a salt system you do not actualy need to test for free chlorine, what you do is test for dissolved solids and a reading of .3 to.5 grams per litre will tell you it is fine. The equipment itself constantly monitors the water so just a quick look at the panel will confirm all is well. PH needs to be tested much less often because you are not chucking in huge amounts of chemical that needs to be balanced.
My first system will be fitted and up and running from next week and the owner has offered that anybody interested in checking it out will be most welcome, just PM me for my phone number and I will take you there any time after the 16th April.

[Andy]

will take you up on this offer Steve once i have booked for June

[Ronster]

Hi Guys,

New to the forum but have had our villa in Dalyan since April 2008 which has a nice pool circa 45 cubic meters. I would love to find a simple system which will leave me non-dependant on expensive pool maintenance company. We are generally over here March to June & Sept to Nov at which times I can look after the system, however family use villa in July / August & I would like to be able to leave the pool with minimum need for attention.

On a related topic, has anyone heard of a replacement solar powered pool pump which could be left on indefinitely. Dalyan would be just the place for one ? I have seen them advertized in Australia, the States, South Africa etc. but expensive to import. Pay-back would take a long time.
You have mentioned leaving pump on "Tick-over" not sure what this means ?

Any Help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Ron

[Andy]

Steve will give you any info regarding the salt water system

as for your pool at the moment you need to work out the volume of water in your pool and how long it would take the pump to cycle that volume

then say if it would cycle the water in 2.5 hours then thats how long you need your pump running

for example my pump runs these times from June to September

8.00am till 10.30am

1.00 pm till 2.00pm

5.00pm till 7.00pm

then it will run october 8.00am till 10.30am

during the hot period i run it more than needed but it should give you an idea

also i use multi tabs so it works out a lot cheaper to run

i love it when the pool guy says it needs to be on 12 hours (bxxl Sxxt)

[Dalyansteve]

Hi Ronster, if you PM me I will come and visit and explain about how to save money and be ECO friendly at the same time have a wonderfull safe, supersoft pool to swim in.
At the moment I am trying to re educate pool companies into offering flexible maintenance for those with salt water pools.
Ticking over during the winter is setting up the pool so that it has just enough filtering and chlorination to keep the pool nice and safe. Each pool is different so I need to check it out first.

[Ronster]

Thanks Andy,

I'll have to check the techy stuff & get in touch with Steve.

Regards, Ron

[manzara]

I am very dubious about this system. Firstly as already mentioned this system has been in Dalyan for ages now! Albeit with little success/take-up!

If a pool is maintained correctly there should be no problem with chlorine stinging eyes and skin. Unless you are just throwing the stuff (chlorine) in by the bucket!

This system is just not worth converting to. Our friends have experienced many problems down the line with it.

The initial outlay of the system combined with the following problems encountered make this system uneconomical for the majority of home owners in Dalyan.
Due to Dalyan being primarily a holiday town and the systems are being fitted in holiday homes, property owners are unlikely to get any financial benefit because properties tend to change hands before the owners get the benefit.

With our friends the salt system over a period of 2/3 months corroded areas of their pool which caused extra outlay for them.
The salt system attracted calcium to it therefore caused a build-up on top of the pool.
Our friends have also looked into replacement parts and consider them to be expensive.

How long is the guarantee? and who is it with?
At the moment I could go to any of the many pool shops in town for help/advice, but with this system who do i go to? Is there a shop or is this system being advertised by an individual? and what if they decide to move on from Dalyan?
What also worries me is the lack of take up by the Pool/Property Management Companies in Dalyan. Potential customers could get stuck with using a certain company/individual, no matter what their cost as there is no-one else to use!

Manzara

[Dalyansteve]

Firstly as mentioned before there is one system installed by Eutopia allegedly 3 years ago and the owner has had no problems. This system would have been imported privately.
Up until now there have only been sporadic imports of chlorinators and I believe any problems have been due to the sellers not knowing what they are doing and perhaps not reading the instructions.

Salt water chlorinators have been in use for the last 40 years in the Southern Hemisphere with little or no problems, it is now considered the standard for pools.

There are many manufacturers, mostly good some not so. Most of the American and Australian models are over fancy and overpriced and having had quite a few Chinese products would not entertain them again.

My company is now the official importer if saltlogic products, chosen for its combination of price, ease of use and robustness. The engineering and electrical system is proven and solid.

Our systems have been installed in test pools and have operated without trouble or incedent.
I am currently in discussions with a major pool company and a reputable local builder.

If your friend would like to supply his name and address I would be happy to check out his system and find out what the problem is, possibly curing it, at no charge unless any parts are required.
What has probably happened is the cell has scaled up and no longer produces enough chlorine to keep the pool clean. Descaling and changing the polarity time settings is a fairly simple job.

[jmilez1]

I think you should have done that even before. Proper pool water chemistry is very important to protect swimmers from bacteria and other pollutants that may harm their health. If you have children, you should make it a point that they are swimming in clean and healthy pool water.

[Dalyansteve]

Well here we are a year later and I am very pleased that jmilez1 is happy with his pool.
Some of you will be aware that the heat has hit the pools hard this year and has brought about its own set of unexpected problems mainly mustard algi, which crops up every few years or so.
I am happy to say that most of the salt pool instalations have faired extremely well.

Most customers change to salt water chlorination because it is more natural, nicer to swim in and they don't like the problems associated with normal chemical pools. As a minor consideration it will also save time and money.

One of my clients had to go back to the UK for 3 weeks this year, end July beginning of August. All I had to do to his pool was top up with water, add a little pH control and was only spoilt by the farmer rotivating his land and all the dust settling in and around the pool, a quick vacuum, backwash and top up with water and it was as good as new. You could swim in it at any time knowing the water was safe. To be fair the pool could have been left the whole time without anyone checking but it was interesting for me to see the proof.

The only time anyone has had a problem has been with letting the pH get too high and this applies to any pool, chlorine demand increases as pH goes up, At over 7.8 pH the chlorine demand increases 10 fold.

I have just taken delivery of 2 new models for pools up to 50,000 and now up to 75,000 litres and are working out at a lower price than before. Pm or email me for a quote.