Load Shedding and your Pool!

With load shedding reinstated, many pool owners wonder what impact this may have on their pools. And how they may effectively prepare their pools for a power outage.

What is load shedding doing to your pool?

Pools that undergo frequent or extended power outages are more likely to develop issues such as cloudy water, excessive levels of germs, or even algae. Load Shedding can potentially damage pool equipment that is not secured correctly from electrical surges.

How to protect your pool from power surges?

Because power spikes are a regular consequence of load shedding, it’s best to turn off your swimming pool equipment at the mains during a power outage. This will safeguard your pool equipment from any power surges that may occur when power is restored. Surge protectors can also be used to safeguard your equipment.

Steps to take when your power is back?

You can restart your pool equipment once the power is back on. If the power has been off for an extended period of time, you may need to prime your pump. You can remove the pump’s lid, fill the basket with water, and then reinstall the lid.

Before resetting any timers for pumps, lights, heaters, filters, robotic pool cleaners, or any other automated systems that keep your pool on schedule, be sure that all of your pool equipment is in good working order.

Making your Pool Energy Efficient 

In response to the ongoing load shedding, Eskom, the national power provider, has issued a list of beneficial ideas for managing the energy use of your pool.

• Regular pool maintenance should be prioritized because it will help to optimize how much energy your pool pump uses.
• Brush the walls and floor of your pool to remove debris that the filter missed at least once a week in places with the least circulation.
• Cleaning your pool filter regularly throughout the year is important – a clean filter is essential for optimal water flow.

Set your pool pump’s control system switch to work for short periods of time at the most optimal times. We recommend that you set up your pool pump to run outside of 5 pm to 9 pm, South Africa’s peak electricity usage period, while still letting your pool pump filter water twice in 24 hours.

If the average home reduces the working duration of their pool pump by just one hour each day, the consumption saving will be around 274kWh or about R680.00 per annum.

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.