Wideman Pools

2565 US Hwy 67 So.

Festus, MO  63028

636-931-7665

www.widemanpools.com

POOL PARTY THEMES

It’s Party Time!  June is such a big party month with Graduation’s, Father’s Day Wedding’s and family gatherings. So here are some ideas to help make you summer pool entertaining easier.

 

Hawaiian Luau
Take your guests on an evening getaway to the Aloha State! Guests should don their most colorful Hawaiian print shirts. Make leis at the party or buy ready-made ones to welcome your guests. Decorate with bright, tropical colors, bamboo accents and Hawaiian-themed accessories from your local pool retailer, party supply or craft store. Tiki torches and tropical flowers scattered across tables and the surface of the pool provide the finishing touches for a magical evening. Pineapple chicken or ham would be delicious main dishes, or treat your friends and family to an authentic pig roast. Complement the feast with rice and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables reminiscent of a garden paradise.

Beach Party
Who needs the ocean? You can create a beach barbeque party around your backyard pool. Kick back in flip-flops and swimsuits. Use the children’s sandbox and build a sand castle. Decorate tables with seashells and fish nets. Cover chairs with beach towels. Use plastic pails and shovels, and even Frisbees, to serve hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Float toy sailboats in the pool. Grill hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob and serve classic boardwalk food, like popcorn, snow cones and French fries for your family and friends. Or go all out with a clam bake, oyster roast or lobster feast!

Movie Night

Miss the days of drive-in movies? Have a “float-in”! Purchase some inflatable lounge chairs at your local pool retailer. Move your big-screen television outside, or rent one for the evening. Pick a favorite classic, or give your guests a thrill and screen “Jaws.” “The Little Mermaid” and “Finding Nemo” are great choices for a kids’ party. Set up your own movie theater concession stand and serve popcorn, candy and sodas.

Birthday Party
A swimming pool or hot tub party is a special way to celebrate any child’s birthday. Create whimsical invitations using flip-flop or fish shaped cutouts, or write the party information on beach balls and mail them to guests in oversize envelopes. Activities can be tailored to the interests of the age group. Younger children will enjoy classic pool games like Sharks and Minnows, Marco Polo and cannonball contests. Organize a water-gun battle or provide amenities for a girls’ spa-themed party. As partygoers will surely be active, plan a light menu. Sliced fruit, half-sandwiches, goldfish crackers and boxed juice drinks will allow the kids to play all day.

 

 

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Wideman Pools

2565 US Hwy 67 South

Festus, MO 63628

636-931-7665

www.widemanpools.com

 

What You Should Know About Fiberglass Swimming Pools

By Candice Sabrina

No, not all swimming pools are alike. Some are above ground, some in ground, some created out of plaster, while others are tiled. Still others are made of various materials, including fiberglass. A fiberglass swimming pool is one of the more common designs for people interested in building a pool, as it's surface is durable, easy to clean, and easy on the feet.

The nice thing about fiberglass swimming pool options is that they are prefabricated in a variety of shapes, sizes and depths. Installed in backyard pre-dug holes, the fiberglass form fits into the space like a glove, and you've got your swimming pool. Because they are sprayed with a special coating, a fiberglass swimming pool doesn't need a liner.

Liners are expensive and wear out over time, creating a mess that can damage filtering systems as well as costing pool owners a lot of money to repair or re-paint. Usually, a large truck transports the fiberglass shell to the home or business location, which provides quick and easy installation.

Another plus to owning or choosing to purchase a fiberglass pool is a rather low maintenance factor. The special coating deters molds and algae, which cut down not only on chemical use but also cleaning time. However, there are several things to consider before purchasing a pre-made fiberglass swimming pool.

Despite the advantages of buying a fiberglass pool shell, make sure that your property will allow a truck or crane to transport the shell into your property. Before that, it is essential to make sure that all preparation work has been completed and brought up to city codes for electrical and plumbing. Once the shell arrives, it must be inserted into the hole, layered with a couple of inches of sand.

This will allow installers to insure that your shell in level before any water is added. After that, a small amount of water will be added to the pool, while at the same time, sand is filled in around the sides. This is a very complicated and precise process that may take several hours and several attempts to ensure that your pool is leveled properly.

If you're up to that, then by all means, look for a fiberglass swimming pool to suit your needs. They are easy to maintain, never need resurfacing or an acid wash, and no seams mean no scuffed feet.

Fiberglass pools don't rust or peel, nor does fungus grow inside like it does on plaster or lined pools. Fiberglass pools are also heat efficient, which can save you money on your electric bills. Since it's bacteria and algae resistant, one can also save lots of time and money in the chemical department as well.

While the initial cost of a fiberglass swimming pool may seem a lot more than a plaster or lined pool, its efficiency and design will save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars over the life of that pool. Always shop around, learn the basics, and then look for just the right shape, size and depth for that swimming pool that you've always wanted.

For more swimming pool information please visit http://www.swimmingpoolbasics.com - a popular pool website that provides tips, advice and swimming pool resources. Don't forget to check out our page on fiberglass swimming pool.

 

Wideman Pools          

2565 US Hwy 67 South

Festus, MO 63628

636-931-7665

www.widemanpools.com

Follow or like us click here:

                                                                              www.facebook.com/widemanpools

 

Wideman Pools, LLC

2565 Hwy 67 So.

Festus, MO  63028

www.widemanpools.com

636-931-7665

Pool Safety Training

 

 

 

 Firefighter and emergency medical technician shares methods and strategies to make your pools and spas safer. Simple steps saves lives. Know the risks and the Safer 3 Layers of Protection from this video. Nathan, our water expert has great tips on safer water, safer kids and safer response.  This video is 6 min 30 seconds but is well worth watching it and having your children, spouse, grandparents, all family members and friends watch it. Thanks and be Save!

 

Please click the link below

http://poolfyi.com/video/pool-safety-training-with-water-expert-1

Wideman Pools

636-931-7665

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and click like or post a comment about what you learned.

Wideman Pools

636-931-7665

www.widemanpools.com

2565 US Hwy 67 South

Festus, MO 63628

Basic Swimming Pool Water Chemistry

By Brian Barker

• Pool pH & Pool Alkalinity The pH and Alkalinity levels of swimming pool water affect many areas of the swimming pool and must be kept at the correct levels if you expect to successfully maintain your swimming pool. The Alkalinity of pool water acts as a buffer for the pH, and helps prevent the pool pH level from fluctuating. The Alkalinity should be maintained at 80 - 120 ppm. The pH is the measure of the acidity of the swimming pool water, and the pH level should be maintained at 7.2 - 7.6 ppm. The pH of pool water is somewhat sensitive, but easily controlled if the Alkalinity is kept in range. All basic pool test kits should read the pH and Alkalinity level of pool water, and these levels are easily adjusted with common water balancing pool chemicals. If the pool pH level is not kept in range pool water may irritate the skin and eyes of swimmers, corrode the pool surface and inside of the pool equipment and make it very hard to maintain the chlorine level of the swimming pool.

 

• Pool Chlorine Stabilizer The chemical name of pool "Stabilizer" is Cyanuric Acid and it is referred to by either title. The Stabilizer level of swimming pool water must be maintained at 30-50 ppm. The Stabilizer level is important, but is typically only tested at the beginning of the swimming season when a pool is opened. The Stabilizer in swimming pool water partially surrounds the chlorine on a molecular level, to protect the chlorine and prevent the chlorine from being quickly burned off and used up by the sun. The symptoms of having too much Stabilizer or too little stabilizer in your pool water are very similar, and if you experience problems maintaining a chlorine level when all other chemical levels are properly balanced the stabilizer level should be tested. If the Stabilizer level tests lower than 30 ppm it will be difficult to maintain a chlorine level, because any chlorine added to your swimming pool will quickly evaporate and burn off in direct sunlight. If the Stabilizer level tests above 50 ppm it will also be difficult to maintain a chlorine level. Rather than partially surrounding the chlorine in your pool water to protect the chlorine, too much stabilizer will completely surround the chlorine making it inactive. In this state the chlorine is unable to combine with bacteria and harmful contaminants to sanitize your swimming pool. Stabilizer can be added to a swimming pool if necessary to raise the level, however once Stabilizer is present in pool water it cannot be easily removed. To reduce the amount of Stabilizer in a swimming pool the water must be diluted by partially draining the pool and re-filling with fresh water. 25% of the pool water should be drained and replaced with fresh water. The pool should be circulated for 12-24 hours, and the Stabilizer level should be tested again. This process should be repeated until the Stabilizer level is within range. The chlorine tablets and granular chlorine used to sanitize a swimming pool on a daily basis is a pre-stabilized form of chlorine. This means that the chlorine contains a small amount of stabilizer, and as chlorine is added to the pool a very small amount of Stabilizer is also added to help maintain the level. This small amount of Stabilizer constantly added with pool chlorine does not cause a problem in outdoor swimming pools because water is splashed out or evaporates, and gets replaced with fresh water to dilute the Stabilizer. This pre-stabilized form of chlorine cannot be used in indoor swimming pools, because much less water evaporation occurs and the stabilizer level will slowly buildup. Indoor swimming pool owners need to use an un-stabilized form of chlorine.

 

• Calcium Hardness The calcium hardness of swimming pool water refers to the amount of the mineral calcium present in the pool water. The calcium hardness should be maintained at 80-150 ppm in a pool with a vinyl liner, or 150-200 ppm in a concrete or plaster finish pool. Low levels of calcium hardness can lead to corrosive water conditions, which may damage the pool surface, pool equipment and pool plumbing. If the water in a plaster or masonry finish pool becomes corrosive, the water will absorb calcium from the pool walls and floor by eating away at the pool surface until the hardness level nears 150 ppm. The calcium hardness level can be easily raised using a Calcium Hardness Increaser available from most pool supply dealers. High levels of calcium hardness may lead to cloudy pool water and "scaling". Scaling is most visible around the water line of a swimming pool as a white chalky deposit, but also forms inside pool equipment and pool plumbing. A pool Calcium Hardness Reducer chemical is available from most pool supply companies to lower the hardness to the desired range for your pool. You may also partially drain and refill a swimming pool with fresh water, which has a lower concentration of Calcium. Calcium is present in the water used to fill the pool and in the pool chemicals used to treat the water. The pool chemical that adds the most calcium to pool water is standard chlorine pool shock. If you find that your calcium hardness level is too high, read the label of the pool shock you've been using and you will likely find that the active ingredient is calcium hypochlorite. Each time this pool shock is added to the pool water, calcium is added to the water. To prevent this problem begin using Chlorine-Free Pool Shock on a regular basis, instead of standard chlorine pool shock (Calcium Hypochlorite). The active ingredient in chlorine-free pool shock is Potassium Monopersulfate, which does the same job of oxidizing bacteria and harmful organics but does not contain any calcium. If you choose to switch to chlorine-free shock you should always still keep the standard chlorine pool shock on hand, because it is the only pool chemical capable of killing algae.

Wideman Pools            636-931-7665               www.widemanpools.com

2565 US Hwy 67 South

Festus, MO 63628

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                                                                               www.facebook.com/widemanpools