When having your water tested, be sure to ask for a phosphate test to be done, especially if after heavy rain (and run off) or if you notice you are struggling to maintain a good chlorine level in your pool.

Phosphates are food for algae in your pool, and can cause algae bloom. This test is still free (we dont charge for testing water or sample bottles) and there are straightforward, easy ways to remove or lower the phosphate level in your pool.

Spring is a great time to go out and give everything the once over. There is nothing worse than going out to clean your pool only to find that your hose is full of hoses, or theres holes in your leaf net, or going to increase the pool running hours only to find that your chlorinators died or that the pool pump is screaming like a banchee. Take the time to go out to your pool equipment and check everything over make sure its all in good working order and ready for use. Remember we carry a large range of spare parts for both cleaning equipment and pool equipment we repair pumps and chlorinators too. Ensure your pool is ready to use when you are.

Clean Up! Keep your pump and equipment area free of rubbish and debris as much as possible. Most pumps are air-cooled by an external fan, relying on good air circulation around the motor. Keeping this area clean also helps you to spot any leaks in your pool equipment particularly your pump, enabling issues to be repaired before they cause major and costly problems. Spray around your equipment for creepy crawlies - ants and spiders love the warm dry dark conditions. Spray a good quality surface spray around transformers and control boxes to prevent insects from getting inside these devices and causing costly damage. Rats can also cause issues chewed cables and fecal matter result in an unsafe environment for you and your equipment.

Sometimes it's difficult to determine if low water levels are due to evaporation or a leak. You can discover leaks in your pool by conducting a simple bucket test.

Fill a plastic bucket three-quarters full of water. On the inside of the bucket, mark the water line. Place the bucket in the pool, then mark the water line on the outside of the container. (If the bucket has a handle, remove it to allow for better stability while floating.)

Let it float for two or three days. If the water inside and outside the bucket has gone down the same amount, your pool is losing water due to evaporation. However, if the pool water level has gone down more than the water inside the bucket, your pool has a leak.

That's your cue to call a professional to investigate it further..

With all the glorious rain weve been having lately, your pool is probably alittle (or a lot) overfull make the most of it!

• Give your media/sand filter a really good backwash and rinse, if you havent degreased your filter in the past six months use Focus Filter Cleaner & Degreaser to degrease your filter media before backwashing out the excess rain water.

A filter that hasnt been backwashed or degreased regularly will increase your chlorine consumption, increases the backpressure on your pump and will be a lot less efficient in filtering your pool water.

An overfull pool means your pool is not skimming properly, the most contaminated water in your pool (the top layer) is not being filtered and chlorinated as it normally would. Which brings us to the question

Emptying and cleaning your skimmer basket on a regular basis can become annoying especially during Autumn (and Spring). If you are like most people you will tend to tap (or in most cases whack) your basket against the concrete, fence or alike to get those fine annoying little clinging pieces out of the mesh, but that can be very damaging to the strength of the basket and will sooner or later cause it to break.

Did you know one drip per second can waste up to 7,000lts of water per year? If your pool is 20 or 30 years old, it may be in need of some attention. Make a habit of thoroughly checking around the pool for any damp spots. You should also check the plumbing for leaks around valves or pipe joiners. Leaks can waste hundreds of thousands of litres per year and add to your water bill.

A great way in which you can

Safety not only saves lives but it also saves water. As a pool or spa owner your primary concern should always be safety, especially when it comes to children. When using the pool, children should be supervised at all times. Activities such as bombing and horseplay can get out of hand so its a good idea to restrict this type of behaviour. Not only will you be avoiding accidents youll also be preventing water loss due to excessive splashing.

Its time to put your pool blanket on! With this beautiful sun a good pool blanket can give you a temperature gain of 6-8 degrees on a warm sunny day, and then helps retain the heat that its created. If youve got solar, your blanket helps retain that heat gain too, and the warmer the water the quicker you and your family will be swimming and enjoying your pool more. But be sure to keep your eye on the chlorine level at this time of the year it can be feast or famine one minute too much chlorine, next minute not enough, test it regularly with either test strips or a small test kit.

1. Not cleaning the skimmer basket and/or pump basket regularly. Letting these become full of debris results in poor circulation which potentially leads to bigger problems with related equipment.
2. Forgetting to brush pool walls. Cleaning surface dirt off pool walls and floor helps prevent algae build up so try and do this every few weeks.
3. Ignoring pool chemistry. Check this twice a week in summer and once a week in winter and youll be able to fine tune the balance along the way. Leave it for too long and youll need big doses of chemicals to fix the problem and time out of the pool while everything corrects and settles.
4. Failing to clean the cell in salt water systems. Corroded or calcified cells dont produce as much chlorine so keep them clear with a salt water conditioner.
5. Adding chemicals in the heat of the day. Get more out of your chlorine by adding it to the pool at night when the sun can’t cause any of it to dissipate.
6. Backwashing your pool filter too often. Not only does this waste water but it doesn’t allow the filter to do its job as most work best when the pressure gauge rises 8 -10PSI above clean.
7. Not switching pumps on or not letting them run long enough. Circulation is paramount to effective pool maintenance.
8. Forgetting to check total dissolved solids (TDS) or calcium hardness. Let this go and your whole water balance will go out of whack. It is recommended you check TDS every 6 months and calcium hardness every month.
9. Letting water levels drop. Low water levels can result in the pool pump drawing air instead of water, which can cause it to break and allow algae to bloom. Monitor water levels regularly and adjust so that it’s in the middle of the skimmer.
10. Not shocking the pool after a party or heavy usage (and even after rain). Lots of swimmers in the pool at once can use up the free chlorine residual in the water. To avoid an algae bloom, shock the pool with a big dose of chlorine then run the filtration system for several hours.

Have a chlorinating cell that you need to clean? Theres a couple of ways to make it easier:

1. Add Aquashield3 to your pool every 3 months to keep any build up soft and easier to clean off;