At Captains Pool Care, we know all too well the feeling of simmering on deck, only to plunge into a shockingly cold lagoon, full of dangerous sea creatures—if this is happening too often in your backyard pool (minus the sea creatures), you need to get your pool temp right, matey!
This matters for more than just comfort—it’s about safety, performance, and keeping things running smoothly. Whether you have a residential pool for family fun or a commercial pool for fitness or competition, temperature control makes all the difference. In this post, we’ll dive into the best ways to keep your pool at the perfect temperature all year long.
The right pool temperature can make or break the swimming experience. For residential pools, it keeps everyone comfortable and relaxed. Commercial pool customers expect the same level of enjoyment. On the health side, the wrong temperatures can affect pool chemistry and sanitation. For competitive swimming, temperature matters even more. Regulations often require a precise range to ensure fairness and athlete performance, keeping swimmers at their peak during events.
It’s not the golden age of piracy, but the good news about the twenty-first century is we have more tools than the sun to warm up a pool. Electric, gas, and solar heaters are the most common options for controlling pool temperature.
Gas heaters warm up the water quickly, but the downside is that they are more expensive to run. Electric heaters are more energy-efficient for smaller pools, but this won’t get you away from a higher electric bill compared to having no heater.
For a greener option, solar heaters offer fantastic energy efficiency and eco-friendliness by using the sun’s energy to warm the pool water, which reduces energy costs and your carbon footprint. Regardless of the type of heater you decide to go with, size is key. A heater that’s too small won’t effectively heat the water, and one that’s too large will likely waste energy.
Pool covers—aka battening the hatches—are an often-overlooked but effective way to maintain your pool’s temperature, especially at night when the air cools. These will keep warmth in during colder times and keep excessive heat out during the day. On the other hand, solar covers capture and retain heat, helping to warm your pool during the day. Finally, if you’re looking for more convenience, automatic covers can be rolled on and off with a button.
Heat pumps work by extracting heat from the air and transferring it to the pool water. They are incredibly energy-efficient because they use less electricity than gas heaters. Heat pumps work well in both hot and cold climates, making them versatile for year-round pool temperature control. They are slower to heat compared to gas heaters, but they maintain a consistent temperature with less cost over time.
In hotter climates or for pools with heavier usage, you may need a chiller or cooling system to keep the water temperature in check. Large numbers of swimmers can raise the water temperature quickly, so these systems help prevent the pool from becoming uncomfortably warm.
Warm water can cause chlorine to dissipate faster, requiring more frequent testing and balancing of chemicals like pH and alkalinity. As temperatures fluctuate, chemical levels can shift, which means you’ll need to stay on top of testing to keep everything in check (bet you didn’t know that we are scientists as well as sea-dogs!).
Additionally, temperature will undoubtedly impact your pool equipment. Maintaining a steady temperature helps preserve the lifespan of essential components like heaters, filters, and pumps, because extremes in temperature can put added strain on your equipment, potentially leading to breakdowns or early wear.
That last one is purely for nautical-themed comedy, but in all honesty, commercial and competitive swimming pools require special attention to detail, so don’t hesitate to consider the Captain’s commercial pool services for extra help.
If you’re dealing with temperature issues or need help fine-tuning your system for a residential or commercial pool, the Captains crew is here for you. Contact us today to get expert advice and reliable solutions!
Your commercial pool is likely one of the busiest, and most loved, spots in your community. Kids and adults of all ages love the opportunity to soak up the sun, swim around, play sharks and minnows, and pretend to steer their very own pirate ship.
When people go to commercial pools, they often let their guard down. So it’s up to you to make sure your pool meets all the health department standards to keep your residents and guests safe.
With many federal, state, and local swimming pool regulations in place, we’ve mapped out some of the most important standards to follow. However, it’s important to review all the requirements for yourself. If you want in-person help making sure you’ve ticked all the boxes, contact Captains Pool Care, and we’ll come perform a thorough commercial pool inspection, bow to stern.
When it comes to pool safety, even the Captain has to listen to a higher rank: the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). Depending on which county you are located, your pool could be regulated by your county health department. These could be more stringent than state standards, but for now we will just focus on the DPH as these are the most common.
The DPH lays out guidelines for many facets of pool safety, including required safety equipment, how many people may be in a pool at a time, and proper water quality.
One of the most essential elements of any pool is the safety equipment, especially the barrier or fence around the pool. There have been many tragic stories of small children accidentally drowning in improperly fenced pools, and we want to take every step to avoid such a disaster.
This first step is making sure your barrier is at least four feet high. The gate to enter the swimming area should be self-latching and self-closing, meaning it can’t accidentally be left open by a distracted guest. Regularly check your gate to make sure these mechanisms are working properly.
Additionally, you should have proper signage, such as “No Diving” in shallow zones, as well as life-saving equipment including a body hook, ring buoy, and throwing rope.
An overcrowded pool can create a number of dangerous situations. To keep all mermaids and mermen safe, you should use these metrics to calculate how many swimmers are allowed:
The team at Captains can help you calculate proper bathing capacity to get it on the proper signage. In addition, if overcrowding is a consistent problem, you may also consider setting usage schedules or setting up an appointment system in your community.
With a large number of people using your pool on a daily basis, you need to ensure that the pool is properly sanitized. This requires carefully monitoring the chemical levels and adjusting them accordingly. It’s also another reason why you want to avoid overcrowding, as too many bathers will throw off the chemical balance.
If there is a fecal incident in your pool, you must immediately close down the pool while it is cleaned and disinfected, and cannot be reopened until that entire process is complete. Attempting to reopen early, due to demand will simply have guests swimming in an unsanitized pool and unsafe conditions.
Even with the right knowledge, it can be difficult for owners and property managers to keep up with shifting standards and regulations for swimming pools. The DPH rules and regulations alone are currently 114 pages of detailed requirements. Rather than try to steer the ship alone, reach out to the Captain and his crew and let us handle your commercial pool maintenance. We can help you implement all the necessary safety measures and monitor water levels to keep your guests swimming in clean, comfortable waters. Contact us today to get your pool back to ship-shape!
If you're a pool owner, you know the drill: keeping your pool sparkling clean is no small task, and chemical questions are always part of the equation. One of the most important of those questions is which sanitizing chemical to use—bromine or chlorine? You may have heard reasons to use one or the other, but in this post the Atlanta pool care experts at Captains break down the difference and the factors to consider when choosing a sanitizing chemical.
Chlorine is the tried-and-true superstar of pool sanitizers. It's been around for decades, and for good reason. When added to your pool, it works its magic by killing bacteria and other harmful microorganisms, ensuring the water stays safe and clean for swimmers. Chlorine also helps break down organic matter, like sweat, sunscreen, and even pee (yep, it does that too).
But even heroes have their flaws. Chlorine can cause skin and eye irritation for some swimmers, and if you’ve ever gotten a whiff of that strong, chemical smell, you know it’s not the most pleasant experience. Finally, it’s important to be aware that chlorine can degrade over time when exposed to intense and prolonged sunlight, so if you opt for chlorine, you'll need to keep checking chlorine levels to make sure everything is balanced (or you might find yourself with green pool water).
Bromine is like chlorine’s quieter, less flashy cousin—still a powerful disinfectant, but with a gentler touch. Bromine works in a similar fashion as chlorine, eliminating bacteria, algae, and other contaminants in the water. However, bromine doesn’t break down as quickly in the sunlight, making it a great choice for pools that get a lot of exposure to the sun. Plus, it tends to have a milder, less pungent smell, which is a huge bonus for those who dislike the chlorine odor.
While bromine’s gentler nature is a plus for some, it is typically more expensive than chlorine. And while it’s great at keeping your pool sanitized, bromine does require more regular monitoring and can be a little tricky to balance.
Selecting the appropriate sanitizing chemical is a nuanced process influenced by factors such as water temperature, pool usage, environmental conditions, and the specific chemical interactions unique to each pool. It’s a good idea to speak to an expert first.
For example, depending on the environmental context, using bromine will likely increase the need for non-chlorine oxidizers to manage organic waste, while chlorine may require regular testing for stabilizer levels like cyanuric acid to prevent degradation from sunlight. Additionally, the interaction of these chemicals with algaecides, water hardness agents, and pH adjusters means even minor miscalculations can cascade into costly and time-consuming maintenance issues.
Given these and other complexities, as well as the general frustration that comes with routine pool maintenance, it’s understandable if you’d rather tell pool care tasks to walk the plank. Captains Pool Care offers responsive and modern pool care service designed to fit the needs of any pool owner—plus, ask about our free chemicals that come with our service! For questions or to set up your worry-free pool cleaning and maintenance service in Atlanta, contact the Captain today!
When it comes to choosing the right pool for your home or business, you may think you’ve only got one option: the traditional chlorine pool. But did you know there is another option, one with its own set of benefits and drawbacks worth considering? As opposed to traditional chlorine pools, which require the constant addition and balancing of chlorine and other chemicals, a saltwater pool uses equipment that converts salt into chlorine through a process called electrolysis. Essentially, you're still using chlorine to sanitize the water, but instead of dumping in the chemical each week, you’re creating it on-site from salt.
Maybe you’ve heard that saltwater pools are gentler on the skin, or perhaps you’ve been told that chlorine pools are easier to maintain. Whatever you’ve heard, the decision isn't always as crystal clear as it seems. In this post, we’ll dive into the differences between the two, explore the benefits and drawbacks of each, and help you decide which one fits your needs best. And no matter which you choose, Captains Pool Care has you covered with expert pool cleaning and maintenance services.
A saltwater pool might not seem that different from a traditional pool—after all, you’re still getting chlorine, just via a different process. However, the big difference is that saltwater pools typically have a more consistent, softer feel. The salt concentration is much lower than what you’d find in the ocean, but it’s still enough to produce a gentler, more refreshing feel on the skin. This does reduce the harsh chemical smell and the dry, itchy feeling you might get after swimming in a chlorine pool. However, saltwater pools do require a bit more investment upfront for the salt chlorine generator, and there’s still the need for regular maintenance to keep everything running smoothly.
Chlorine pools are the tried-and-true option for many pool owners. For decades, they’ve been the standard when it comes to keeping pools clean and safe. While they may not have the same “natural” appeal as saltwater pools, they’re reliable and effective.
No matter which pool type you end up going with, you’ll get a unique set of benefits and challenges. The key is knowing what fits best with your needs, preferences, and lifestyle. But either way, if you’re in the Atlanta area, Captain’s Pool Care will be there to keep your pool in tip-top shape year-round.
We have a dedicated communications team and use the most advanced monitoring technology to give you peace of mind that your pool—whether saltwater or chlorine—is at the ready no matter what time of year. Drop us a line to make sure your pool stays in perfect condition all season long!
