There have been several reports of children and animals falling into swimming pools and tragically drowning. In France it is already law that you must have some sort of safety system in place if you have a pool. These laws will eventually be in force here in Spain.
There are several ways of making your pool safer...
1) Fencing around the pool which has a locked gate.
2) An alarm system that sits either in the pool or at the edge and alerts you if something falls into the pool.
3) A lockable safety cover.
4) Ultra-sonic alarm system.
5) A bracelet system that you have to put on the child and will sound off if they fall in the pool.

Animals .. if you do not have roman steps and an animal falls in the pool it will not be able to get out and eventually drown. Animal escape ramps can be easily fixed to the side of the pool enabling the animal to get out.

Chemical balance of swimming pool water.
It is imperative to test your pool water on a regular basis, once a week in winter & twice a week in summer. If the PH balance is not correct the water won't hold the chlorine, you will also get a build up of calcium on the walls. The easiest method of testing the water is with a special strip that you dip into the pool water which gives you the chlorine and PH readings.
The PH level should be between 7.2 and 7.8 and the chlorine level should be between 1 and 3.
Then you should adjust the balance by adding the correct amount of chemicals. If you have not checked your pool on a regular basis it can turn murky and green very quickly. The weather can affect it in many ways, sometimes rain deposits sand in the water - this is difficult to get rid of with a backwash as it will become suspended in the water. The only way to remedy this problem is by adding flocculants to the water which will take all the suspended particles to the bottom of the pool which you can then vacuum it to waste. Anti-algae not only stops algae forming on your walls but it will also give your pool a blue sparkle.
Anti-cal is important to add at the beginning of the season to ensure you do not have any calcium problems.

Has your hair gone green? Or can you smell chlorine?
Pools that are run on chlorine will always smell a little - if the balance is not right and too much is used it will really smell, swimsuits will get bleached and hair may turn green !
The only way to eliminate the smell is to install a salt water chlorinator and PH regulator- then the pool will have the correct chemical balance and be totally safe to swim in. They are also ideal for people that suffer with psorasis and excema.
You need to buy the 2 units together - without the PH regulator your Salt water chlorinator will clog up with calcium and therefore not function properly. The units fit into your pump room and run in conjunction with your existing filtration system. You will add a specified amount of salt to the water along with stabilizer on the initial start up. After that the machine will tell you if you need to add salt and how much.

What causes algae problems? And what are the solutions?
Many people have problems with algae; the problem usually arises when the free chlorine drops below the recommended levels. The black growths will form on anything to which it can grip. For instance - should your pool need re-grouting or if you have missing tiles.
Normally if your pool is in good condition then anti algae added to your pool every 2 weeks during the summer and once a month during the winter should keep your pool water sparkling blue - as long as the chemical balance is also maintained.
However if you are missing grout or tiles and algae has already started to form it may be easier to drain the pool. Then you will need to jet wash and chlorine wash the pool, repair any tiles or cracks & re-grout if necessary. Should there be only a small amount of algae then it can probably be oxidised with slow dissolving chlorine granules. It should be noted that even in the winter you should be checking the chemical balance of your pool and correcting it.

Q: We don´t use the pool in the winter as it's too cold to swim, what should we do with the water?
A: If you leave it full of water you can maintain it as normal, although it will need less chemicals than in the summer months. You can also winterise the pool by placing a tablet dosifier that bobs around in the pool which only needs replacing every 6 weeks.
You can turn the pool pump down to function for an hour per day. If you drain it you may find that the tiles tend to lift and the grout comes out. It is also a potential hazard for children and pets to fall into and hurt themselves. More people are realising that by heating the pool you can use it for a longer period of the year.
There are a few options to heat your pool. In all cases the cost depends on the size of the pool, the temperature you want to achieve and the type of heater you buy.

Christmas lights for the pool and garden - just in time for Christmas!
How about something different this year……
For those of you with a pool or Jacuzzi , why not light them up with an underwater light starship! This fantastic disco ball floats in your pool and gives you 10 different light shows.
Even more popular have been our floating light gardens which you can use in your pool, spa, terrace or even your bath! It consists of 3 decorative flowers that float or sit on your table and give out warm glowing colours.