Pool School

The whole closing in order: balance, shock, blow out the lines, plug them, lower the water and cover.

From the water balance to the air pillow and the cover's cable, in the order to do it.

Which blower to use, the order to clear each line, and how to hold the main drain with air.

A few inches under the skimmer for a solid cover. Under a safety cover the manufacturer's manual decides.

Only a few inches, and with a skimmer plug not at all. Why the pool is never drained.

Count the cover's edge, not the pool's, and how full to fill each tube.

Order by the pool's size, not the cover's. Which cover fits each round and oval pool.

Which air pillow goes with which pool, and how full to fill it.

Enter the pool's size and the temperature you want. Get the heater size and the hours to heat.

Which one heats faster, which costs less to run, and what cold air does to a heat pump.

What each Pentair, Hayward, Raypak and Jandy code means, and the part it names.

Enter the gallons, the turnover and the suction pipe. Get the flow and what the pipe carries.

Hours from the turnover, why a variable speed pump runs longer and slower, and each manufacturer's schedule.

From the breaker to a full pot, each manufacturer's time limit, and what to check when it won't catch prime.

The manufacturers' tests first, what each repair replaces, and the federal motor rule.

Enter the gallons, the salt in the water and your system. Get the pounds and the bags.

Hose first, acid only on scale that stays, and each manufacturer's own mix and time limit.

What gets installed, how to size it, what to check first, and the start up in order.

The life each manufacturer prints, what looks like a dead cell and is not, and choosing the next one.

What you can compare on paper between the original and another manufacturer's cell, and what you cannot.

Mesh for most pools, and the three cases where solid is the better cover.

What the label has to say, and the three classes the standard sorts covers into.

One anchor for each strap, the hole each one needs, and how far back from the edge they land.

When a pool needs a cover cut to its outline, and the two ways to order one.

What shock does, when the pool needs it, and how much to use for your gallons.

Who has to provide an accessible entry, how many, and what the lift has to do.

Enter the setback, draft and wall height. See which lifts reach your water.

What an order is made of, with live prices, and the deck work, bond and permit.

Charging, swapping and storing the battery, what fails first, and winter storage.

Measure the pool edge, compare the lifts that fit, add the anchor and accessories.