Basic Rule ::
You use electricity to move water from your pool to the equipment and back to your pool, plain and simple.  The harder it is to move the water, the more electricity & money you spend.

Simple Solution ::
Move the most amount of water possible, with the least amount of resistance, at the slowest pump speed possible.
Less resistance = More Flow = Slower Pump Speed = Optimizing your Filter = Cleaner Pool = Great $$$ Savings

1. Only use hard pipe PVC, not flexible pvc or “Black Poly Pipe” that required barb & clamps
   
2. Use a variable speed pump (Pentair IntiliFlo)  to control the amount of water you move
3. Use the correct size filter to prevent flow restrictions

Here is simple breakdown of a 21,000 gallon pool . . . Per Pentair Manufacturing

1. Plumbing Lines matter!
   2″ schedule 40 PVC is a minimum
   Using schedule 40 Hard Pipe PVC will give you anywhere from 10 – 25 additional gallons a minute, 1,500 gallons a hour
2. Pump Size
   Single speed pumps move more water than you need
   Running a variable speed pump for 24 hours a day at half the speed costs less money than running a 1 speed pump for 12 hours.
3. Filter Efficiency
   The slower you move your water through the filter, the better it cleans.
   Oversize the filter so you don’t restrict water flow.
4. UV Sanitation
   UV sanitation works best with slow water moving 24 hours a day.
5. Heater Flow Rate
   Heaters need roughly 70 – 80 gallons a minute to be most efficient
6. Automation System
   When your heater calls for heat, the automation system will increase the pump speed to maximize the heater’s efficiency . . . then slow down the pump when the heater turns off.
7. Return Jets
   By using the correct infusion return jets, you can reduce heating by up to 25%.
   Using your heater less uses less electricity from the pump and less gas to fire the heater.

by Ned Dagostino

Like many people, you may have spent hundreds or even thousands of dollars on exercise equipment that you never use. But what if exercise were more fun? Swimming is fun and it’s a great way to exercise, but most people don’t have either the money or space for a full sized pool in their yard. It is for these very reasons that you should look into getting a lap pool.

Basically you have a couple of choices. You can get either a full length lap pool, or one of the small models where you swim against jets of water coming against you. Either way the health benefits are numerous. If you think about it, it’s almost like having the perfect exercise machine at your home.

The first way you’ll start to get healthy is through the cardiovascular workout. Your heart rate will increase, much like it would if you were running down the street, on a treadmill, or on a track. You’ll be burning calories and increasing your endurance at the same time. So it’s great for heart health and weight control as well.

But swimming is better than running because it greatly reduces your chance of getting hurt. It’s low impact, so there’s no constant pounding on your joints. That means no aching feet, knees or back. You get all the fitness benefits without all the aches and pains.

Perhaps you’re looking to increase your strength as well as your overall health. Swimming does this also because the water provides resistance. It’s the same principle as weight lifting. The weights provide resistance. The only difference is with weights you control the amount of resistance. But in both cases, the resistance will tone your muscles. Olympic athletes realize this and many make swimming a regular part of their exercise program. You can too.

I won’t kid you into thinking that a lap pool is inexpensive, but it certainly will cost less than putting a huge traditional pool in your back yard. It will also take up less room. And if you go with one of the small models where you swim against a stream of jets, you can probably find room in your home. An indoor pool means you won’t have to worry if it’s cold or raining, you can still get your exercise every day.

If you should decide on a full length pool placed in ground and in your back yard, you’re not only getting a place to exercise, but a place to entertain as well. Get an above ground pool and you’ll likely be able to take it with you if you decide to move. Most of them are easily portable. And because of their size, they are relatively easy to maintain and keep clean. Not only do they cost less to get, they cost less to run as well.

Put it all together and you have an almost perfect exercise machine. A lap pool gives you a low impact, cardiovascular workout with a reduced risk of injury. You get resistance training without spending money for cumbersome free weights. And it is low maintenance, reasonably priced, looks great, and won’t take up a lot of space. And best of all it’s fun. What more do you need from your exercise equipment?

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 into the coping, making sure all the corners are aligned correctly.
5.  Once you see that the liner is where it is supposed to be, place your vacs behind the liner to start sucking the air out.  Cap all plumbing/lights/conduit that isn’t run yet so you are just pulling air from behind the liner.
6.  Install your gaskets and trim pieces around your step.
7.  Cut in your main drains installing all gaskets and faceplates.
8.  Start filling your pool with water.
9.  When the water gets to 1″ above the shallow end, cut in your lights and returns.
10.  Run pool lights before water gets to high.
11.  Cut in your skimmers.
12.  Pull vacs.

Depending on what you are viewing this on, the video is in HD (720)

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!

In this time lapse video, Penguin Pools is using Pool Krete from Strong Manufacturing to pour the bottom of an inground vinyl liner swimming pool.  By using the mixer from Strong along with their specialty pump, we are able to do the entire pool with 3 guys.
The mixer makes it so you get perfect consistency the entire time you are pouring the bottom.

When this bottom was poured it was 40 degrees out & snowing, so we made the mixture much drier than normal so that it wouldn’t freeze.

A vermiculite pool bottom is the only way to go.  (Click the maximize button in the corner if you are having troubles displaying the video)

Here is simple time lapse of how Penguin Pools installs our Vinyl Liner Pool walls.  Once the walls are up, we then put down the footing to hold it in place for years to come.

You can see that Penguin Pools uses a leveling system that is unique to most pool builders which doesn’t require any shims to level the pool.

We had limited access to the back yard, that is why we had to shuttle the concrete footing around the pool . . . usually we would just back the dump truck right to the inground swimming pool.

Algae is a major concern for pool owners. Algae is a one-celled plant that can grow in your pool if conditions are favorable. The most common myth concerning algae growth in pools is that it is ONLY a result of low chlorine (or its alternative). Although this is definitely a major cause of algae, it is not the single contributing factor.

Despite water treatment facilities, actual traces of algae may very well be present in the tap water that is used to fill your pool. Therefore, it is always a good idea to add an algaecide and to shock your pool after it has been filled or refilled. Yet another contributing factor toward algae growth are millions of microscopic algae spores that are carried by wind, eventually falling into your pool, where they will grow into outbreaks of algae if conditions are favorable.

A few of these favorable conditions are environmental. Algae, like all plants, need light and food in order to survive and grow. Temperature, humidity, sunlight, and nutrients (food) foster algae growth. Temperature, humidity and sunlight are self-explanatory. Nutrients consist of lawn fertilizers and other industrial products that are carried by wind and blown into the pool. Nutrients also consist of certain minerals that are already present in water. Since water chemistry relies on some of these certain minerals to be present, they cannot simply be removed from the water.

Here is a possible sequence of events: Algae spores will blow into your pool, where they are supported by temperature, humidity and sunlight. The algae spores then consume various nutrients. From temperature, humidity and sunlight, as well as from nutrients, the once unnoticeable algae spores have now grown into actual algae.

In addition to these environmental factors, other factors, such as limited water circulation, poor filtration, a neglect of routine pool maintenance, heavy bather loads, a neglect of overall water chemistry, neglect of shocking, and of course, insufficient levels of chlorine (or its alternative), also make conditions favorable for algae growth.

Algae is not harmful to swimmers. It just causes the appearance and integrity of your pool to suffer and occupies time to correct. If you do get algae, you are not alone; it has been seen in pools of some of the foremost authorities on pool care and maintenance. Rest assured, any algae can be killed, but not without a few days of continued effort and time. Therefore, it is best to begin with a discussion on the necessary steps to prevent algae growth. An ounce of prevention is worth a hundred pounds of cure.

For years, Penguin Pools of Waukesha has used duct tape on all of the seams on our pool walls when building a vinyl liner pool.  It has always been told that the tape will help keep dirt out & create a better suction for the liner vacs, so we did it.  After years of replacing liners and the duct tape that is old, brittle, and useless; we have changed our story a little.  We now silicone all of our wall joints (steel or polymer) right after we straighten the walls.

The little cavity that the silicone fills can be wiped smooth and dries in a matter of hours.  The silicone will hold strong yet it will not crack or become brittle like duct tape with temperature changes or gets wet.  Once the silicone dries, it does a couple of other things that are a nice by-product.

1. It will keep out dirt and dust from the backfill without drying it out,  like it does with the duct tape.
2. It creates an even tighter seal for the liner to get sucked in when using the liner vac.
3. It helps hold back any ground water that you might have.

Didn’t think of that did you?  The silicone is a water tight seal unlike the duct tape that everyone else uses.  Will it hold back a tidal wave of ground water, probably not; but it will surely keep it at by for a little bit.  In the ongoing effort of Penguin Pools to find an end to floating liners, this is just one more step to victory.

Look closely and you will see that the seams of each wall are a little discolored white with the silicone.

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!

By running your pump longer at a slower speed you will ::

• Use less electricity
• Have cleaner water
• More balanced chemicals
• More evenly balanced water temperature

Pentair’s permanent magnet motor (same as in Hybrid Cars) has many additional features that are result of being a better pool pump.  The pump is the quietest pump on the market and at low speeds you might not even know it is on.  Since the magnet motor produces less heat and vibration, it creates less wear on the pump components and other pool equipment . . . that means longer life and greater returns on your investment.
The best feature of the smart IntelliFlo, is the built in diagnostics that protect itself from common causes of premature pump failure – overheating, freezing, and voltage irregularities.

While the manufacturer’s website states you can save as much as 90% in yearly savings, the real number is closer to 40% – 70%.  Say after taxes and fess your average kwh is $0.15, you can expect to save roughly $620 – $1,360 per year . . . compared to running a traditional pump 6 – 12 hours for a 20,000 gallon pool.

Adding the IntelliFlo pump to an automation system like Pentair’s EasyTouch gives you plenty of expansion for your system.  You can even remove the use of a booster pump for  pressure sided auto cleaners.

While these pumps generally retail for over $1,100, Penguin Pools of Milwaukee offers these pumps for only $599 with our pool packages.  They are a better pump, save you money, and allow for future expansion with no additional pumps.

You can view all of the pumps information on Pentair’s Website.  We have installed these pumps on swimming pools in areas like Waukesha, New Berlin, Hartland, Merton, Waterford, Brookfield .  . .

Do you have clay as your soil base?
Do you have a high water table?
Do you just have water issues?

Water takes the path of least resistance and will essentially find any gap around your pool to fill into.  If you have a high water table or a soil base that doesn’t allow water to run through it easily, you can get what is called a “floating liner”.  When the ground water pressure is more than the water pressure inside the pool, it essentially pushes the liner off the vermiculite bottom.

The pool water in the pool didn’t have enough pressure to hold back the ground water.  While this can happen to anyone that doesn’t have enough water in the pool, it can also happen when your pool is completely full of water.  The way to prevent this is to find a way to remove all the water from underneath your pool.

The traditional way to create a sump system is to ::
Dig a 3′ – 4′ deep hole next to the pool
Put a 4″ – 5″ diameter piece of PVC into the hole
Fill the bottom with washed rock
Put a sump pump into the pit to take out all the water.

I have a couple of issues with this system ::
1.  It doesn’t work, we replace liners all the time that have customers who accept the fact that liners float.
2.  The majority of the time liners float in the deep end where the most water collects, traditional sump systems only go 3′ – 4′ down.
3.  What happens in the winter when the discharge pipe freezes and the water has no place to go?

A sump system should do two things ::
1. catch the ground water to allow it to seep into the earth
2. have a way to pump the water out when if it gets full.

Penguin Pools builds sump systems for vinyl liner and fiberglass swimming pools much differently than anyone else.  We over-dig the depth of the pool 24″ – 36″ in the entire deep end hopper.  For this 8′ deep pool we hit ground water at 6′ down.

We then fill in the over-dug hopper with roughly 12″ of 1″ washed rock.  This rock doesn’t have any fine shards or powder in it, allowing water to run through it with no resistance . . . yet it will not settle!

When there is a good base of stone in the bottom of the hopper, Penguin Pools places a PVC rectangle in the bottom of the hopper.  The rigid PVC (1.5″ or 2″) has holes drilled into it every 2″ – 3″, allowing water to fill up in the piping.  This will be our way to remove the water with the pool pump . . .  Yup, we run a plumbing line directly to the pool pump.  * Notice how the rock doesn’t settle as the guys walk on it, even with it being saturated with water on wet clay!

Once the PVC grid is placed on the washed rock, cover it with landscape fabric to help prevent dirt from clogging it up over the years.

Fill the sump system with rock, holding the felt in place, until you get to the elevation you need for the vermiculite.

You can now pour your vermiculite like normal knowing that you have a completely functional sump system in the pool.

The sump system that Penguin Pools builds, allows water to collect at the lowest point of the pool and naturally drain into the ground.  It also allows you to simply turn a valve and remove all the water from under your pool.  You will have to install a discharge pipe if you use a cartridge filter (3 way valve after the filter) or simply turn your sand filter valve to waste if that is what you use.

While Penguin Pools has never had a floating liner with this system, there is nothing to say that we can’t.  However, this system uses standard home building practices to remove water while allowing the ground to absorb as much as it can.

Penguin Pools can also use an existing main drain line to create a sump system and get rid of your water issues.  We take out the liner, cut the main drains out, and build the above system using the already run main drain line for your sump system.  This process is usually best when you get your liner replaced so you aren’t paying for you liner replacement twice.

Here is a sump system that we installed in Muskego, WI.  Notice how the ramp also gets washed rock, that way any water that gets to the ramp will drain to the bottom where it can be sucked out.

Major cities that have clay and that will result in a floating liner may include, Muskego, Waterford, Brookfield, New Berlin, Big Bend, Franklin, Menomonee Falls, Greenfield, Oak Creek, Whitewater . . .