Here is a simple time lapse video showing the installation of an inground swimming pool liner.  Penguin Pools uses a water delivery service to fill our pools so it goes much quicker and allows for less problems with wrinkles.

This pool is 20′ x 50′ so we needed to use 3 vacs to get the suction we needed on the liner, even though we always seal all the wall seams.

Here is a basic timeline of how we install our liners ::
1.  Place liner in deep end and open it to the shallow end of pool.
2.  Tuck bead into coping at couple of places around pool.
3.  Start at the step to make sure it is aligned perfectly, if the step is lined up correctly the rest will fall into place.
4.  Start working around the pool tucking the bead » Continue reading “How to Install a Vinyl Liner in an Inground Swimming Pool (video)”

We were just notified that Penguin Pools of WI just won a design award in Region 5/6.  The award will be given to us at the MidAmerica Show on January 18th.  Penguin Pools submitted a couple of pools this year so we aren’t exactly sure which project won this year.

Thanks to everyone involved!

Going Green is the right thing to do, but it usually means it costs you more time &/or money.  Pentair has changed the rules a little with its Pentair IntelliFlo pumps.  The VS-3050 (VS stands for Variable Speed) now allows you to save money by using a fraction of the electricity when running your pool equipment, as a result you are “going green”.  Traditional pumps run at one, maybe two speeds, but you aren’t able to control what speed that is or the amount of water being moved.  Pentair’s VS pumps allow you to set the speed of the pump to allow for the amount of water you need to move for that application.  Why move 80 gallons a minute when your fountains need 30 gallons, or your slide needs 20 gpm?

This pump utilizes the simple fundamental law of pumps ::
Slower moving pumps consume less power! » Continue reading “Pentair’s IntelliFlo VS-3050 Changes Pump Technology – Lets Go Green”

Vermiculite is the preferred base for vinyl liner swimming pool bottoms as they require a smooth, level, & nonabrasive base.  Strong is the leader in vermiculite (pool krete) for the swimming pool market.  Strong premix pool krete is easily applied and gives a perfectly formed bottom so the liner will not slip or wrinkle.  All of the pools that Penguin Pools builds in the Milwaukee, WI  and Minneapolis, MN area, have vermiculite bottoms.

Along with just doing vermiculite bottoms on all of our inground vinyl liner pools in WI, MN, & IL, we also apply it with a special mixer and pump from Strong Manufacturing.  The mixer and pump give us a perfect consistency throughout the entire pool so we don’t have to worry about some areas being too dry or wet.  The time that it takes » Continue reading “Strong Pool Krete Mixer & Pump – Vermiculite Mixer for Pool Bottoms”

When it comes to inground pools, nothing changes the look from ordinary to exceptional like a good set of steps.  While most vinyl liner swimming pools come standard with fiberglass walk-in steps, they very common.  They don’t look bad and are extremely durable, but they have become common place over the years.  Also, walk-in steps aren’t idea for undertrack auto covers as they need to be perfectly square.
The easiest way to upgrade your steps is to get custom steel inground swimming pool steps.  Penguin Pools of Milwaukee and Minneapolis can custom make any size or shape step you like with our distributor Kafko Manufacturing.

This step is perfectly functional and will last for 30+ years, however it doesn’t jump out and say “look at me”.  While white walk-in steps are common, you can dress them up by » Continue reading “Custom Steel Inground Swimming Pool Steps”

Everyone wants an inground swimming pool build to go smoothly, but things always come up when you least expect it . . . usually when you start digging.  The biggest variable is usually what you are going to find once you start digging over 3′ in the ground. 

Penguin Pools often comes across rock or bad fill in many newer subdivisions.  Builders take fill from one site and put it on another site until they don’t have any more sites to hid the fill.  Rock and buried construction trash makes building an inground pool very challenging.  When building a vinyl liner pool, the walls have to sit on virgin ground so there is no worry about settling.  When you hit soil or earth that doesn’t hold its form / collapses, you need to find away to create virgin soil.

In the Milwaukee, WI area we hit clay or rock 90% of the time.  Rock is most common in the Waukesha, Merton, Hartland, Sussex areas; however we have had poor conditions in Waterford, Menomonee Falls and Brookfield areas.

» Continue reading “Building an Vinyl Liner Inground Swimming Pool on Rock”

Getting a custom dig or layout for your inground swimming pool isn’t hard  & shouldn’t cost you more.  Do you want your pool 8′, 6′, 3′ deep?  Depth really shouldn’t matter all that much for your pool builder.  Most builders consider 8′ deep a standard inground pool depth, anything less will take less time to dig and dump the dirt.  While depth is just one aspect of your pool, the amount of shallow end is your other main decision.

Many inground pool builders don’t give customers the options to maximize your shallow end.  You may think that the amount of shallow end doesn’t matter, but think about it.  How often do you stand in an inground pool and not have to tread water?  Most people jump in, swim a little bit then go to the shallow end or a part of the pool that they can stand.  Face it, we aren’t all Michael Phelps in the pool and we need to stand.

» Continue reading “Custom Swimming Pool Digs, Depths, & Dig Specs”

By Megan O’Neill, Rodale.com

Public pools across the country are open for the summer season, but a recent survey could make you think twice about jumping in. According to the poll, almost half of swimmers admit to one or more behaviors that contribute to an unsanitary pool. And you’ve probably suspected as much, since the poll also shows 84 percent of us believe our fellow swimmers participate in unhygienic pool behavior.

THE DETAILS: The poll of 1,000 adults was conducted in late April and early May of this year by the Water Quality and Health Council, a body of scientific and other experts who advise the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade association. One in five respondents (17 percent) admitted to urinating in the pool, while almost eight in ten (78 percent) are convinced that their fellow swimmers are guilty of this act. Plus, about a third (35 percent) jump in without showering first, and three-quarters (73 percent) think other swimmers do the same. Even though most people seem wary of the hygienic standards of the swimmers around them, only 36 percent say that pool water cleanliness is on their mind when they take the plunge.

WHAT IT MEANS: Besides being just plain gross, filthy pool practices can lead to unsafe swimming conditions. Urine—as well as sweat and even sunscreen—contain nitrogen, which eats up a pool’s free chlorine. Free chlorine is what kills waterborne germs that could make you sick if ingested. So if too many people are peeing in the pool or diving in while sweaty, that could mean less chlorine’s available to wipe out nasty critters.

Even when chlorine levels are at proper levels, some illness-causing organisms can survive. For example, about two-thirds of all recreational water illnesses (or RWIs) are caused by Cryptosporidium, a chlorine-resistant microorganism that causes diarrhea. “Crypto can survive for as many as 10 days, even in a well-maintained pool,” says Michele Hlavas, epidemiologist in the Division of Parasitic Diseases for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Which is why swimmers need to take on some of the responsibility for maintaining the safety of their pools. “Pool operators can’t do it all by themselves, as it’s the swimmers who bring the parasites into the water,” says Hlavas. “Swimmers have to get invested in keeping their pool clean and keeping themselves healthy.”

Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself, and other swimmers, from pool-related illness: » Continue reading “Peeing in the Pool . . . Go Figure It Happens”

Penguin Pools of Milwaukee, WI is now pleased to announce that we are offering and installing the full line of Harmony Outdoor Living Products.  Harmony Outdoor offers modulated outdoor living spaces made from Unilock Pavers. 

By having your designs pre-built, we can install them quicker and for less money than if we built the whole thing from scratch.  You can combine fireplaces, wet bars,  grills, benches, tables, firepits … the options are endless.

These units really transform and inground vinyl liner pool into something great.

The great thing is that Harmony is located in WI so it has distributors like us (Penguin Pools) in Waukesha, New Berlin, Merton, Waterford, Brookfield, & Sussex.

If you have any questions or would like Penguin Pools to give you a free estimate, don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

What to use, Vermiculite or Sand for the bottom of your vinyl liner pool?

Rule #1 :: If you are putting in an inground swimming pool, never use sand.  If you are talking to a builder who only uses sand, politely say thanks and escort him out of your house.  Using sand is easier, less expensive, less messy; but it is also just being lazy, suck in 1980, and not good for the end user.  Simply put, you are working with someone who isn’t concerned with making the best pool possible.

Strong Pool Krete is made up of Portland cement, vermiculite, and sand.  When all three are combined and troweled out, you get a strong smooth surface for your liner to lay on.  Pool Krete will setup and turn into a hard “cork board” for your liner.

When using sand under your vinyl liner is doesn’t hold its form as well as » Continue reading “Strong Pool Krete (Vermiculite) or Sand?”

Seems like everyone dreads getting that liner replaced, “we can wait one more year”.  It really isn’t that bad is it?

Over time an inground swimming pool’s vinyl liner will start to dry out, crack, rip, or shrink.  While that might sound like a horrible thing to happen, it really isn’t the end of the world.  Now don’t get me wrong, having a fiberglass pool that doesn’t use a vinyl liner is great but you have to pay for that upfront.

The biggest killer of vinyl liners, or any pool equipment for that matter, is unbalanced chemicals.  The more your chemicals fluctuate and “bounce” the more damage you do to your liner and equipment.  Vinyl liners and concrete pools constantly absorb chemicals, when they are balanced not much happens but when they bounce it starts to dry the liner out.

In addition to chemicals, the sun plays a large part on how long your liner will last.  People with automatic covers see their liners last longer as they always have their covers closed, the nice part of having a cover that closes in 45 seconds.  The less a sun can hit the liner the longer you will resist fading and drying out the top of your liner.

Removing and replacing a liner isn’t as » Continue reading “Inground Swimming Pool Liner Replacements – Not So Bad After All”

Penguin Pools is now offering excavation services to DIY Pool Builders.  Many customers have been asking for excavation help on their “do it yourself” inground swimming pool builds.  Once homeowners purchase their pool kit online, they need help excavating the actual hole for the pool.

The difference between an easy pool build and a disaster is in the pool dig itself.  If you over dig you will have a lot of stone or vermiculite to fill in, but on the other hand if you under dig you will have hours of hand carving to do.

Penguin Pools has been digging swimming pools for years throughout WI, MN, and nothern IL.  We have three different machines that we can use to dig your pool.

Our Big Machine :: » Continue reading “Swimming Pool Excavation for DIY Pool Builders”

IntelliBrite^® automated color-changing pool and spa lights feature LED technology is the wave of the future in energy efficiency, lifetime value, quality of light, and controllability. With IntelliBrite, combinations of individual colored LEDs are mixed and matched to achieve a vibrant spectrum of colors. These combinations are power sequenced to illuminate and cycle through colors at varying speeds, and in different sequences of color. Combined with a custom reflector and unique lens design, the IntelliBrite LEDs offers super efficiency while being the brightest underwater LED light available.

An Eco Select^™ Choice: LED (Light Emitting Diode) automated color-changing pool and spa lights are the most energy-efficient pool and spa lighting option available. Plus, they can last 30,000 hours or more, minimizing replacement cost and disposal.

Pentair has finally gotten their act together and come up with an LED light, it came out in 2007 – 2008.  For years Pentair has only had the SamLight, which used a color wheel.  The SAm Light wasn’t as good, in my opinion, as Haywards ColorLogic LED and that is why Penguin Pools used them for years.  We don’t hide the fact that we use, and recommend, all Pentair products over any other manufacturer.

Now that Pentair has an LED light, we will use their IntelliBrite unit over the Hayward ColorLogic.  Truth be told, the units work the same and have the same “brightness” at night.  Since Penguin Pools uses Pentair pumps, heaters, filters, automation, salt generators, valves . . . adding their LED light only makes sense for the customer and us.

» Continue reading “Pentair’s New IntelliBrite LED Swimming Pool Light”

Why do pool builders always skimp or rush through the plumbing?  If it is done wrong or looks like junk, no one will be happy.
Straight lines and having everything symmetric is always more appealing to the eyes, but not always possible.  Excessive use of 90 degree elbows will hinder water movement and add a lot of friction loss.

Penguin Pools builds and designs pools to meet Federal Guidelines for flow, turnover rate, entrapment protection, and placement of returns.  Differences in plumbing setups and equipment sizing will affect water clarity, chemical usage, and overall operating costs from month to month.

Lets try to make this simple.

• As water moves through pipes it creates friction, slowing it down . . . just like the air against your car as you drive down the road.
• Each 45 degree elbow slows the water down a little and even more so with a 90 degree elbow . . . just like taking a turn in your car.
• You can go faster down a straight road, but must slow down at a bend & even slower for a corner.

Each time the water slows down due to friction or an elbow, the less water you are moving though your filter and sanitation system.

Pools without variable speeds pumps should have their water turn over once (1 time) every 6 hours !!!

If something looks wrong, SAY SOMETHING.

There is no way this plumber or pool company got paid, how do you even think to plumb something » Continue reading “Swimming Pool Plumbing”

Automating your swimming pool does one primary thing, it simplifies everything.

Depending on the severity of your swimming pool and how many water and light features you have, will determine the size and cost of your automation system.  The more water features (fountains, waterfalls, spas, cascades, wet decks …) you have the larger the system you need with more relays.  While automating your entire swimming pool can be costly, there are ways to benefit from an automation system without getting ridiculous.

Penguin Pools generally puts a Pentair EasyTouch 4P automation system on each new build to help customers reduce utility costs.  By putting in an automation system you can control key components like when you want your pump and light to turn on / off , what temperature to set your pool at (provided you have a heater), or controlling your salt water system.  Manual timers work well to control your pump, that is until they fail and never turn the pump on (algae growth) or off (wasted energy).
By only running your pump enough to turn your water over 2-3 times day, you can save money rather than » Continue reading “Why Automate Your Swimming Pool?”