Andrew Pansini, inventor of the first automatic swimming pool cleaner in 1957, died of natural causes Nov. 4 at his Belvedere home.

His invention came about as a solution to the never ending task of cleaning his own home’s swimming pool. One day he accidentally dropped a garden hose in the pool and saw it swishing back and forth, giving him the idea for an automatic swimming pool cleaner.

Mr. Pansini developed a prototype and soon, a commercial pool cleaner built with a float that traveled along the surface of a swimming pool with an attached hose, which moved with jet propulsion.

His invention will live on forever. If you are interested in purchasing an automatic pool cleaner or need pool cleaning services, contact the technicians of Texas Pool Sharks in McAllen at 956-782-1515.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times says that pool cleaning companies have managed to stay afloat even during these tough economical times.

Part of the reason why companies like these have not gone out of business is because banks are forced to maintain the pools in foreclosed homes to avoid liability and meet public-safety demands.

Pools that are not cleaned on a regular basis can harbor algae and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Don’t let your pool become contaminated. Contact the trusted McAllen pool technicians at Texas Pool Sharks at 956-782-1515 for expert pool cleaning services.

Learning to swim is often a recreation that children begin to learn at a young age. At the McAllen Municipal Pool, swimming lessons are offered to help kids take that extra step in perfecting the art of swimming.

The lessons start out in the park’s 2 feet-deep section where children splash around for their official swim lesson.

The lessons are usually under an hour per session through the Gus and Goldie Learn to Swim program.

To continue learning in your personal swimming pool, contact the Pool Sharks to schedule a maintenance appointment to have your kids learning to swim in clear waters.

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Winter is here, which is not much to say for the valley weather, however, we occasionally will hit below 32 degrees and will need to prevent our swimming pool equipment from freezing.

Do a walk-through to make sure that everything is in working order to begin with.

Your swimming pool water is safe if the top layer freezes, but if the frozen layer is over 1″ thick, it might break some tiles.

To prevent this you can purchase air pillows which absorb freezing water’s pressure therefore protecting your walls.

As a cheaper alternative, you may use half empty milk cartons held together with a rope.

In order to protect your swimming pool equipment from freezing it is best to leave it running all night in question.

The cost of electricity will be cheaper than trying to repair a broken pump, filter, or heater.

In order to figure out if your equipment has frozen you will need to very observant and watch out for straining that you might hear in the pump or filter.

If you hear buzzing that does not sound normal it would be best to open the pump or filter to inspect it manually for frozen water.

You will need to have that frozen water thaw out before starting up the equipment again. You can either wait it out or try to speed it up the process by using an handheld blowdrier, space heater, or electric blanket if you have one.

Don’t leave any of these heating solutions unattended as they may start a fire or damage your o-rings if it’s too close that they melt.

Once all the frozen water has thawed turn on your equipment and closely inspect it for drips or cracks in the swimming pool equipment or pipelines.

If you would like to have a professional inspect your equipment feel free to contact us here at Pool Sharks and schedule a service call.

We are happy to help you in all your swimming pool needs.

Baking soda has proven through the years to be an extremely effective cleaning agent. With so many chemicals and cleaning solutions out in the market today we can easily spend hundreds of dollars trying to find the right one for us.

Two handy uses for baking soda with your swimming pool is that it helps maintain normal levels of pH in the water and also keeps your swimming pool’s alkalinity levels normal.

This will keep your swimming pool water crystal clear and keep the chemicals from burning your eyes.

For correct pH balance in your swimming pool add baking soda as indicated below:

If pH is: Add per 10,000 Gallons of Water

Less than 7.2                                                          3-4 lbs.

Between 7.2-7.5                                                          2 lbs.

Above 7.5                                                   Don’t add baking soda.

If your pH is above 7.8 you may lower it by adding sodium bisulfate or acid as needed.

For balanced alkalinity levels in your swimming pool:

If Alkalinity is: Add per 10,000 Gallons of Water

20 ppm                                                                   12 lbs.

40 ppm                                                                    9 lbs.

60 ppm                                                                    6 lbs

80 ppm                                                                   3 lbs.

110 ppm or higher                                       Don’t add baking soda.

Baking soda is an extraordinary cleaning agent that can help you reduce your swimming pool maintenance cost in a while being environmentally friendly at the same time.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a pool cleaning, feel free to contact us. Our trained swimming pool experts here a Texas Pool Sharks will be happy to assist you in all of your swimming pool needs.

At Pool Sharks we are always looking for great design and style in pools. We have compiled a list of our favorite infinity edge pools, also called negative edge pools or vanishing edge pools.

Number 10: Joule Hotel-Dallas, Texas

Extending an incredible 8 feet beyond the hotel’s structure and with a glass wall this pool is sure to send chills down your spine if you are afraid of heights.

Number 9: Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

Size is not the beauty of this pool but the privacy. Each suite has its own private infinity pool that has specially designed glass tiles and fiber optics to fit each unique color scheme.

Number 8: Four Seasons Maui at Wailea-Maui, Hawaii

With an underwater music system, six cabanas equipped with flat screen tv’s, wireless internet, and fully stocked mini-fridges you could not ask for more.

Number 7: Hotel Caruso-Ravello, Italy

At over 1,000 feet above sea level, this infinity edge pool is found at the highest point of Ravello. Its waters are heated for the comfort of the swimmers and to blend perfectly to its natural surroundings.

Number 6: Astarte Suites-Santorini, Greece

This infinity pool is located in one of the most stunning and peaceful areas in Greece overlooking a volcano, the blue Aegean Sea and the breathtaking Caldera.

Number 5: Marina Bay Sands-Singapore

Home to the world’s longest elevated swimming pool with a 478 foot infinity edge, or vanishing edge, and at almost 600 feet above the ground this pool is a breathtaking must see for all.

Number 4: Murni’s Villas-Ubud, Bali

A stunning view of an exotic place can only be complemented by this 50-foot salt water swimming pool. Kept at a perfect temperature for the comfort of their guests it is certainly unmatched.

Number 3: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge-Tanzania, Africa

Above the waters of Lake Manyara’s alkaline waters this infinity edge swimming pool was built to honor the unique birdlife of Africa with its unique avian curves and concentric patterns.

Number 2: Conrad Maldives Resort-Rangali Island

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Set on two private islands, this award winning resort is home to one of the most amazing views from an infinity edge pool. Pair that with a private butler and a glass-floored living room and you have a majestic setting on white sand beaches and turquoise waters.

Number 1: Golden Triangle Resort-Chiang Rai, Thailand

This free-form infinity edge swimming pool has a lush tree canopy as its backdrop that goes towards the Mekong River and up to the green hills of Myanmar and Laos.

Which one is your favorite? Leave us a comment.

With the weak economy many people looking to get a pool are using inflatable pools as a starters. However, these purchases often come with hidden costs that leave a sour taste in our mouths.

We have all been there at one time or another, we think we are saving money and being smart and then our purchases come back and haunt us.

Now, the purchase of an inflatable pool initially can leave us with money to spare but the catch is that cites are now requiring fencing, safety and permit requirements.

We are currently seeing here in Texas proposed or revised city ordinances that require owners of inflatable pools higher than 18 or 24 inches high to install fences, self-locking devices and alarms. Some areas are even enforcing grounded electrical hookups.

Thus, in the end these unexpected back-end costs add up considerably to the once “better buy”.

Another thing that big retail stores don’t tell us when purchasing one of their inflatable pools is that most of the time the filtering equipment that comes with those pools is quite inadequate.

This causes problems in the long run when your water is starting to look murky, dirty, or green and, no matter what you do it doesn’t get any better.

We often see people having to buy upgraded pump and filter systems just to keep up with simple inflatable pool maintenance.

As a concerned retailer, it is our duty to keep the buyers informed and educated of what could turn out to be a sour buy.

Here at Texas Pool Sharks we are committed to keeping you informed so that you can make wise purchases. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Many people think that a hot tub or a pool spa requires the same care as a swimming pool. However, proper spa maintenance can lengthen the life of the water and keep it with a proper balance and therefore prevent sanitary and equipment problems before they arise.

High bather loads cannot be safely handled over long periods of time without having to drain the spa more often. The following is a guideline to follow in order to estimate how often to drain a pool spa.

• Divide your total spa gallons by 3.
• Take your results and divide them by your Bather Load, or your average number of bathers per day.
• The result equals to the estimated number of days between water changes recommended to properly maintain your pool spa or hot tub.

For example, a 600 gallon spa with an average of 2 people per day Bather Load will need to be maintained by draining it every 100 days.

Periodic draining of your pool spa or hot tub water is the most important component of proper spa water maintenance. Once you have determined how often your spa needs to be drained you can schedule service with our pool experts here at Pool Sharks.

Some people think that the swimming pool losing water is normal, but when does “normal” cross the line to being a wasteful leak?

There are several steps to take when checking if our swimming pool has a leak.

First, if your pool has an automatic water leveler, make sure that you turn it off. If the water level goes down more than 2 inches in one day, we can safely assume that the water loss is not just evaporation, but a water leak.

Second, once we have established that our pool has a water leak, we need to find the location of the leak. This will need a thorough inspection.

In order to conduct a pool inspection, follow these steps:

• Check the pool skimmers. The area around the skimmer should be sealed. Be sure to check the area where the tile meets the skimmer.
• Check all the tile around the pool to make sure that there are no cracks or holes or if the grout has become too porous.
• Check all the jets and returns in the pool to make sure that there are no holes around them. Make sure that all the jets and returns are properly sealed.
• Check all the lights in the swimming pool to make sure that they have no holes or that the seal has not become too porous.
• Check the main drain for cracks, holes, or a porous seal.
• Check the pool plaster at different areas of the swimming pool and look for cracks or porous areas.

Once you have assessed your pool, make sure that the fix is something attainable for your pool experience.

Many swimming pool leaks may not be detectable with a surface inspection. Make sure that you recognize the need to call the experts at Pool Sharks. With current technology, most swimming pool leaks can be repaired without major disruption.

All in all, your swimming pool losing water can add up to major costs in the long run. Checking your pool for a water leak can save you money and headaches. Our experts at Pool Sharks will be happy to help you.