With loadshedding back yet again, many pool owners are asking themselves, What effect will this have on their pools? And how they can best prepare their pools for when the power goes out.
WHAT ARE POWER CUTS DOING TO YOUR POOL?
Pools that often experience extended or frequent power cuts are the most likely to develop problems such as cloudy water, high levels of bacteria, or even algae blooms. Pool equipment that is not properly protected from electrical surges, runs the risk of being damaged by loadshedding.
WHAT TO DO ONCE YOUR POWER IS RESTORED?
Once the power is restored, you can go ahead and turn your pool equipment back on. You might need to prime your pump if the power has been out for an extended period of time. You can do this by removing the lid to the pump, adding water to the pot, and replacing the lid.
Make sure to check that all of your pool equipment is in proper working order before resetting any timers for pumps, lights, heater, filter, robotic pool cleaner, and any other automation systems that keep your pool on schedule.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR POOL MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT
In response to continued loadshedding, Eskom the national power provider has released a list of useful tips to optimize your pool’s energy consumption.
It’s important to make regular pool maintenance a priority, as this will contribute to optimizing how much electricity your pool pump uses.
Clean areas in your pool with the least circulation by brushing the floor and walls of your pool to remove debris that the filter misses, at least once a week.
Clean your pool filter and do so at regular intervals throughout the year – a clean filter is key, to better water flow.
Set the controller/time switches on your pool pump to operate for limited periods at the most appropriate times. We encourage you to set your pool pump to run outside of 5pm to 9pm, the period of peak demand for electricity in South Africa, whilst still allowing your pool pump to filter the water twice in a 24-hour period when the pool is in use.
If an average household reduces their pool pump operating time by just one hour per day, the annual demand reduction will be around 274kWh or approximately R680.00 saving.
If you think that your pool equipment has been affected by power cuts or an electrical surge, and would like an expert opinion, give us a call today for an obligation-free quote.