Service Solutions - - -

Service has gone high tech! You can now e-mail your service questions or repair requests at your conveniance to kristin@pulliam.com.

Doing some spring landscaping? Remember to keep all fertilizers away from the pool area. Most fertilizers contain iron or minerals that will stain your pool & deck surface. These spots are unsightly and difficult to remove. Also, protect your deck and yard drains from landscape material such as mulch, soil, and wood chips. These can easily clog drains and cause your backyard to flood when it rains.

Has your heater been on lately? It may seem strange to think about warming up the water with the hot days of summer here, but Service Manager Steve Jetton recommends firing up the heater at least once a month for five minutes to make sure it's functioning and to burn out any debris that may have collected.

Filter cleaning - made easy! Just call or e-mail teh service department and tell us you want to be on the list for Preventive Maintenance Service. We will come out every year between September and February to clean your filter and check your equipment. We'll call the week before to let you know when we're coming and arrange for payment. The cost for this service is $79.99 for tablet chlorine pools, and $84.99 for pools with salt chlorinators.

How long has it been since you tested your cyanuric acid (conditioner)? If you can't remember, that's too long. It's essential that pools with salt chlorinators maintain a cyanuric acid level of 60-80 PPM to keep chlorine in the pool. This may mean that you have to add condition every few months. For pools with tablet feeders, cyanuric acid can become too high, causing chlorine to become ineffective. To avoid these problems, have your water checked by a pool professional at least twice a year.

Web alert - part 2! If you have questions the proper procedureto clean your salt cell (which should be done every 2-3 months), log on to goldlinecontrols.com. Click on Chlorinators, at the next screen click on Aquarite. At the next screen, scroll down on Technical Information and click on Cell Cleaning. There are step by step instructions in a printable format. The owner's manual is also available on this website.

Reminders: Keep insects, especially ants, away from all electrical equipment (pumps, time clock boxes, etc). They can damage wiring, resulting in expensive repairs not covered by warranty.

Maintain consistent moisture around you pool area throughout the coming hot months to prevent soil contraction that could lead to leaks.

For the Little Swimmers:

Sharks & Minnows - A popular game in which one child, the "shark", goes to the middle of the pool. The other children ("minnows") line up on one side. When the shark says "Go", the minnows must make it to the other side without being tagged. The ones that are tagged join the shark in trying to catch the others. The last child to be tagged is the shark for the next round.

Variations - When the minnows are caught, they join hands to create a "net" to catch others. Or have the minnows swim around the shark in a circle. When the shark calls "Great White", everyone scrambles out of the way. If someone is caught, they then become the shark.

For the Big Kahunas

Water limbo - Use the water hose, wth a thumb restricting the flow for a steady stream, as the "stick". Then have everyone limbo under the level, which is gradually decreased. The winner will be the last dry person.

Water balloon volleyball - Set up two teams, each with a sheet, on either side of a net. While team members are holding the the sides of the sheet, put 5 water balloons in the middle. The team must toss the balloons over the net with the sheet, and the other team catches it with their sheet. This continues until all the balloons have been dropped or broken.

Variation - Divide each side into pairs and let them use beach towels to toss and receive.