Is the water I drink safe?

Through our many years of treating and learning about pool water chemistry, our clients over time started asking us questions about the water that comes into their homes and businesses.  Since those questions needed answers, we started researching and providing solutions. This lead us to slowly over time find that in addition to the pool business, we were also in the business of water treatment.

“Is the water I drink safe?” is of course the number one question we are asked by our clients.  Pretty hard question to answer.  A generic response of “if your water is within EPA guidelines it is safe” doesn’t quite cut it.  Here’s why.  The Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on drinking water, the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations, allow certain contaminants in  drinking water such as chlorine and fluoride.   While certain people will find that acceptable since the EPA says it is, others will not.  Water that is deemed safe by one person might not be considered safe by another.  Our dilemma then becomes how do we provide every client with a solution that will provide them with drinking water they consider safe.   We do this through a three step process.

Identify want clients want exactly–  Speaking with our clients allows us to know what they expect from a water treatment system.  Tolerances to contaminants in water vary greatly and identifying a level of acceptance is crucial.

Test the water- Once we know exactly what a clients needs are, we test their water to find out what we need to take out.

Provide the best solution– Once we know what a client wants and what needs to be removed from their water,  we tailor a system to their needs.

 

Home and business water treatment can be confusing and overwhelming.  Helping clients through the process gives them the system they need, and more importantly, long-term peace of mind.

 

PS- (A “contaminant” is short for something not found in water in its purest form.  It does not always mean it poses a health risk. Here is the exact EPA definition. Also, for a complete list of allowable contaminants click  here.)

 

Thank you,

Robert Flynn

New Jersey Pool Repair

The Next Wave (Pun Intended!)

As far back as any of us can remember, when it came to keeping your pool water sparkling, chlorine was king.   Still is in fact, with over 90 percent of American swimming pools using chlorine, according to the American Chemistry Council.

However, many pool owners have long been leery of chlorine and have expressed concerns that having it in their pools may have some adverse health effects.  This concern has fueled a segment of our industry that produces products that either eliminate chlorine or cut down its use considerably.

Almost all pool owners would probably be happy if their pool could stay algae free and clean without any chemicals needed.  A technology that gets us closer to that goal and is getting lot of attention lately is a process called AOP, short for Advanced Oxidation Process.

AOP systems combine the technologies of UV light and ozone. Together they produce what is known as hydroxoyl radicals.  These radicals destroy bacteria and viruses better and faster than chlorine and allow us to greatly reduce chlorine levels from 3.0 to 0.5 parts per million.  This technology is not new.  What is new is that the technology has now advanced to the point that  AOP systems are a viable sanitation option for residential swimming pools.

Use less chlorine and get better results.  Sounds like a winning combination.

Our staff will be at the Pool and Spa show next week in Atlantic City to meet with various manufacturers and learn more about this exciting technology.

 

Thank you,

Robert Flynn

President, New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

 

https://chlorine.americanchemistry.com/

Lead in New Jersey Water

In 2016, we have heard a lot about lead in drinking water.  The situation in Flint, Michigan, in which lead levels were tested as high as 13,200 ppb, or parts per billion, (the EPA puts a limit of 15 ppb as acceptable) was a much discussed topic during one of this years presidential debates and the subject of many national news stories.

What is a little less known, however, is that children in 11 cities in New Jersey were tested and had higher lead levels in their blood than children in Flint, Michigan.

In a February 3, 2016 article by Ben Horowitz at nj.com, Elyse Pivnick, director of environmental health for Isles, Inc., a community development organization based in Trenton, pointed out, in 2015, there were more than 3,000 new cases of children under the age of 6 in New Jersey with elevated levels of lead in their blood. Overall, advocates said, about 225,000 young children in the state have been afflicted by lead since 2000.

According to the NJ Department of Health, lead in drinking water has no taste, scent, or color and an estimated 20% of human exposure to lead comes from drinking water.  To reduce exposure to lead in your drinking water, run your cold water 15-20 seconds if water has been sitting in your pipes for several hours.  You should also never drink, cook, or prepare beverages from your hot water faucet.

The likelihood of lead exposure in your drinking water is very low.  An added level of safety is the installation of a point-of-entry whole house filtration system.  New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC, is an authorized dealer for EcoSmarte point of entry systems.  An EcoSmarte POE will give you “bottled water” quality water for your whole house, on both hot and cold water.  EcoSmarte POE’s will dramatically improve the quality of water by filtering out
99.5% of the chlorine, ammonia and other chemicals that may be added to the water by municipal water companies to sanitize the water.

If you feel a POE system may be right for you and your family, please call New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC, at 609-698-5100, or email us at robert@newjerseypoolrepair.com

Thank you,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

*Note- Several passages in this article are direct copy and pastes or paraphrases from articles that are linked below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

Hazardous Waste-levels of Lead found in a Flint household’s water

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/20/465545378/lead-laced-water-in-flint-a-step-by-step-look-at-the-makings-of-a-crisis

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/11_cities_in_jersey_have_more_lead-affected_kids_t.html

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/03/18/interactive-map-revealing-where-lead-lurks-in-new-jersey-s-drinking-water/

Click to access dw_lead_factsheet.pdf

http://www.ecosmarte.com/citywater.html

 

LED Pool Lighting

We recently installed a new Hayward Universal CrystalLogic light for a client.  The CrystalLogic light is a 12 volt light designed to replace a 110 incandescent light.  The beauty of the CrystalLogic is that they fit virtually any pool light niche, last 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb, offer energy savings of 84%, and are a sealed unit that will never leak and fill with water like the light we removed.

The CystalLogic light comes with both a white and gray ring, depending on preference.  Since this light is meant to replace a 110v light, a transformer is needed in the junction box.  Make sure you check with with your supplier or Hayward before installing so that your light and transformer match.

A nice light and good way to save energy and upgrade a pool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please call us at 609-698-5100 or email robert@newjerseypoolrepair.com  if you think a Hayward CrystalLogic light would add to your swimming experience.

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

Be EPA Compliant

 

Recently we removed a Hayward HeatPro Heat Pump from a customer’s house.  Pretty straight forward job except for one VERY big thing.  What to do about the refrigerant still in the Heat Pump.

R410A refrigerant, commonly referred to as freon, is a Ozone Depleting Substance according to the EPA.  It therefore needs to be disposed of by a certified technician who has passed an EPA-approved test to earn Section 608 Technician Certification under the Clean Air Act.

For situations like this, we use George Stracuzzi of Absecon, NJ.  George is an HVAC veteran who does a great job and will show up when you need him.  I would strongly recommend anyone with an HVAC issue call him at 609-328-5738.

 

 

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

 

Spa Heater, Installed Below Water Surface Level

We recently installed a Hayward CSPAXI11 heater for a church baptism pool. The pool was a one piece fiberglass pool built into the second floor.  The heater and pump were installed below the water level in a void beneath and behind the pool.

The pressure switch on this heater is set for 3psi with a plus or minus 3/4 of a pound psi.  On page 5 of the manual you will see a chart of where to adjust your pressure switch based on the heaters position relative to pool water level.  If the pressure switch needs to be adjusted the heater will not fire.  Checking the pressure switch for proper psi on a below water level install can save you a call to customer service.

The Hayward CSPAXI11 is a hearty little heater and if installed properly will give you years of good service.

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

Residential Home Water Treatment

As an EcoSmarte dealer, we have installed pool and spa systems on residential pools throughout New Jersey.  In addition to their pool and spa sanitizing systems, EcoSmarte also makes a Point of Entry whole house system, which treats all the water entering a dwelling. We recently installed this system for a  Condo owner on the Jersey Shore.

We were assisted with this installation by David Stracuzzi of Right On Home Improvement and Plumbing.  David is a Master Plumber and we use him quite frequently because he is reliable and does great work.

This job proved quite a challenge for both David and us.  The condo water supply was tied into several other units.  This meant we had to isolate the water lines for unit we were going to install our system on.  We also had to coordinate a water shut off period with building management.  I can assure you, when you shut off water in multiple condo units it had better be quick and planned well in advance!

David was great as usual and after much coordination, searching and locating pipes, and timely work, our install was complete.

Please call us at 609-698-5100 or email newjerseypoolrepair@gmail.com if you think an EcoSmarte whole house system could benefit you and your family.

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

 

EcoSmarte is a company located in Richfield, Minnesota. EcoSmarte is a Manufacturer of the best non-salt, non-chemical water technology for whole house, swimming pool and spa, and numerous applications for commercial water.* As a dealer for EcoSmarte for several years, we have been able to help customers who want to enjoy chlorine free water for their pool, spas, and home water.

*Direct copy and paste from EcoSmarte.com

Heat Pump or Gas Heater

I recently decided to write as to whether a gas pool heater or a heat pump was the best choice for residential pool owners.

After deciding this, I did what I usually do.  I wrote a little, surfed the internet for some info, and hoped all my research would give me enough information to write an interesting article.

During research, I came upon an article written by Chris Low for Speciality Pool Products.  Chris has written an excellent article on the very same topic I was looking to cover.  So rather than write an article on this topic myself, I have posted a link to Chris’ piece.  Please read it if you are thinking of heating your pool but are undecided on the method.

http://blog.poolproducts.com/gas-pool-heater-vs-pool-heat-pumps/

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC

 

 

A Leak Can Do Some Real Damage

We recently replaced a light niche on a pool that had serious leak damage.  As you can see from the picture, this pool had a leak around the light that over time rotted away the galvanized wall.

Luckily, we caught two breaks.  The first is that the pool, although an in ground, was raised about 24 inches out of the ground.  This allowed us access to the light niche from under the deck.  The second was that the rot around the old light niche was able to be covered by our 18″ x 18″ sheet of steel with light punch.

We mounted this sheet to the pool wall, feathered it in with duct tape, and then attached our new light niche to it.

And lastly, we caught a third break and were able to line up the old liner with the new niche. This is not always possible, especially if a liner is old.  This liner was in relatively good shape and we were able to save the customer the cost of a new liner.  All in all, a good job that went better than we expected.  This is what the pool looked like when we were finished.

If you think have a leak, give us a call so we can determine where your pool is leaking and the best way to fix it.

Installing a Pool Heater in an Enclosed Area

When installing a pool heater in an enclosed area like an equipment room, care must be taken to ensure that the proper vent adapter kit is installed.  Vent kits for pool heaters are either negative pressure or positive pressure.  Always check the installation manual to determine which vent kit is needed for the heater you are installing.  A quick guide is that when the exhaust pipe will be vented horizontally out of a wall a positive pressure vent kit will be used and when venting vertically a negative pressure vent kit will be used.

Our most recent install was a vent kit for a Hayward Universal H-Series Low NOx 400,000BTU heater, model number H400FDN. The vent kit used was a Hayward UHXPOSHZ14001 Positive Pressure H400fd Indoor Vent Adapter Horizontal Replacement Kit for Hayward Universal H-series Low Nox Gas Heaters. Below is a picture of it.

The vent adapter gets screwed in right on top of the heat exchanger and is a pretty straight forward process. There is also a second blower vacuum switch that needs to be installed and you may have to switch the blower inlet baffle too.  Both parts are included in the kit and the instructions that come with it are easy to follow.

After you install the vent adapter you must then run vent pipe outside.  We used a single wall 8″ stainless steel pipe from Heatfab, part # (Heatfab Saf-T Vent EZ Seal P/N 980x * ).  The type of pipe you will need is listed on page 17 of the SERVICE & INSTALLATION MANUAL for Hayward heaters under Table 9, Vent Pipe & Terminal Specifications for Positive-Pressure Indoor Vent Kits.

Connect all steel vent pipes according to HeatFab instructions and make sure you use Heat-Fab 7001SIL-5 gasket/seal lubricant on all joints. Finish installation with a HeatFab Wall Penetration Assembly that includes a Horizontal Termination.

The installation of a pool heater in an enclosed area is a very serious matter.  Careful attention needs to be paid to proper venting to prevent any carbon monoxide leaking from the vent pipes into the enclosed area housing the heater.  With proper installation though, this can be achieved by an experienced installer.  Take your time and rely on the instruction manuals from Hayward and HeatFab.

Thank You,

Robert Flynn

President

New Jersey Pool Repair, LLC