Newly lined pool - maintenance tips please!

[paolo]

When I change my liner I will get a sand coloured one. I'm sure it is much better at disguising sun protection stains than a blue one.

It is still not very appealing. I have changed to a dark grey liner this year, will see if that makes a difference. Another solution is a stick-on plastic strip in a mosaic pattern which you apply around the water-line and covers the stains. It looks fine.

[enid]

We have tiles around the water line. They sit in a plastic track and make cleaning the water line a doddle and apparently they can be added to existing pools.

[Jimbo]

... we decided last year to buy expensive sunloungers with mesh fabric. Of course I'm now obsessed with removing every mark! At the end of last season I found that I was able to shift white/yellow spills of suncream (from blue mesh) by using a kitchen degreaser spray, waiting five minutes and then pressure washing. Just pressure washing didn't seem to work.

Thanks, Richard, for the degreaser tip. I'll try that at my first opportunity.

At a garden centre here, I saw a beautiful mesh/brushed aluminium sunlounger in a glorious deep plum colour for 600 euros. 600 euros - eek! - I could get a flight on the Space Shuttle for less!

[la vache!]

There are lots of cheap mesh alu perfectly acceptable sunbeds around now. I've seen some nice grey ones in bricohabitat, 64€ each and I think I'll pick up a few of those. They are a lot more solid than plastic sunbeds, and a lot more comfortable than wooden ones (which need cushions).

[CarolineH]

... we decided last year to buy expensive sunloungers with mesh fabric. Of course I'm now obsessed with removing every mark! At the end of last season I found that I was able to shift white/yellow spills of suncream (from blue mesh) by using a kitchen degreaser spray, waiting five minutes and then pressure washing. Just pressure washing didn't seem to work.

Thanks, Richard, for the degreaser tip. I'll try that at my first opportunity.

At a garden centre here, I saw a beautiful mesh/brushed aluminium sunlounger in a glorious deep plum colour for 600 euros. 600 euros - eek! - I could get a flight on the Space Shuttle for less!

I've just been degreasing cooker hoods and have come across a fab degreaser - Cillit Bang - but not the spray, one with a white top which is like a gel and contains bleach. Does the job a treat and beats hands down other degreasers that I've tried.

[Hells Bells]

I suspect in France that Starwax will do a suitable degreaser. HG products in the UK

[Jimbo]

Richard Bach wrote:

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.

I'm new to pool linings but, given all the horror stories about stains along the waterline, I wonder why lining manufacturers don't provide a lightweight sacrificial waterline strip the same colour as your lining. This would be glued along the waterline using one of those clever non-hardening 'post-it' type adhesives and, at the end of the season, with a big 'voila', (or a 'there you go', if you're English), it would be ripped off with a rabbit in the hat flourish to expose the pristine lining underneath.

If you want to invest in 'Jimbo Strips', please PM me!

[enid]

I've just been degreasing cooker hoods

I use kitchen oil for hat job - put some on a bit of kitchen role wipe on the stainless steel hood and bobs your uncle.

[Fraise]

If you want to invest in 'Jimbo Strips', please PM me!

BRILLIANT !! There'd have to be a replacement strip avaliable for the year after tho. Yes, I've got one of those mosaic strip things that sits on top of the liner but I hadn't actually thought about trying to get it off and replace it , or just put another on top- visions of 10 cms thick pool edges, all pristine of course. Your idea much better

[Bartlett]

Jimbo - that is a seriously good idea!

[Jimbo]

Thanks Fraise and Bartlett. Is it too cynical to suggest that a simple and inexpensive solution might result in less linings being produced and installed, so no great incentive for the manufacturers.

I'm reminded of the disgraceful car industry in the 70's when I first started buying vehicles, the paper-thin and unprotected bodies of which fell apart from rust long before their mechanical components failed. Salting roads - sun lotion cream - how the manufacturers must love these destructive things!

[elena]

Paolo wrote:

Another solution is a stick-on plastic strip in a mosaic pattern which you apply around the water-line and covers the stains. It looks fine.

We were seriously considering changing our liner this year - I just can't stand looking at the horrible brown stains along the skimmer side of the pool (the other side is pristine).We probably didn't clean the waterline as often as we should have but nothing will remove the marks which just make the pool look dirty.

But before we go to the expense and upheaval of changing the liner (pool is 16mx6m so not a quick job) we did think about these plastic stick on strips - can't seem to find any feedback on them though.

Does anyone know if they stay stuck or could it just be false economy?

Elena
Dordogne holiday cottages
Tales from our Dordogne gites
keep in touch with Les Crouquets on Facebook
follow us on pinterest