Create this amazing and innovative spaces for outdoor cooking and entertainment.
Outdoor kitchens are a fast growing trend because they not only become a great gathering spot for family and friends but they add incredible value to your home.
View outdoor kitchen designs by Ian McGregor Pools & Landscaping. Contact us today to create your dream outdoor cooking place.
Shady areas of your landscape can be turned into beautiful gardens if you know what to plant there. There are several choices, many of which produce flowers, so that your little shady corner of the world can be a blooming kaleidoscope of color just like your sunny gardens.
There are also different degrees of shade. A full shade area receives no direct sunlight and is usually located under trees or on the north side of a building. Partial shade means the area receives two hours or less of direct sunlight each day. Dappled sunlight is a shady area that has sun penetrating through tree or shrub leaves.
As a leading landscape contractors Burlington, Ian McGregor Pools And Landscapes offers beautiful landscape design ideas for lawn and garden.
Source: http://www.ianspoolsandscapes.com/shade-gardens-create-kaleidoscope-color/
Keeping your pool sparkling clean doesn’t have to be as cumbersome as you might think. All pools are different, and so are their maintenance needs. However, they all share one commonality: The secret to pristine pool health is regular, routine care. If you choose to handle common problems like murky water or broken pumps on your own, make sure to always consult manufacturers’ manuals before fixing or using equipment. No matter if you rely on a service company to take care of your pool, you still need to do a few things on your own to ensure your pool stays in good condition for years.
Skimming the pool’s surface by hand every few days is one of the fastest and easiest ways to keep your pool clean. Floating debris will eventually sink, becoming harder to remove. Use a long-handled net called a hand skimmer or leaf skimmer to remove leaves, bugs and other unwanted items. Skimming significantly increases the efficiency of the pool’s circulation system and lowers the amount of chlorine you’ll need to add to your pool. Cleaning out strainer baskets at least once a week also helps circulation and lowers chlorine demands. Locate strainer baskets attached to the side of aboveground pools and in the pool deck of inground pools. Simply remove the plastic basket and shake it out; spraying the inside with a hose can help dislodge stubborn objects.
A pool should be vacuumed every week to keep water clear and reduce the amount of chemicals you need to add to it. There are many types of pool vacuums. If you have a manual design, work it back and forth all over the surface of the pool like you would if vacuuming carpet. It’s good form to slightly overlap each stroke. Check the filter each time you vacuum, and clean it if necessary.
But vacuuming isn’t the only maintenance that should be done once a week. Brushing the walls and tile helps minimize algae buildup and calcium deposits so they don’t fester and become larger problems.
There are three kinds of pool filters: cartridge, sand and diatomaceous earth. While there are different pool maintenance procedures for each type, all require periodic cleaning depending on the type of filter and how often a pool is used. Cleaning the filter more often than recommended can actually hinder the filtration process. A clean filter is less efficient than one with a mild amount of dirt in it because the dirt helps trap other particles, which removes debris from the water. However, you don’t want to let the filter get too dirty. A sign that it’s time to clean is an increase in flow between the pressure gauge and flow meter. Clean the filter when the difference reaches 10 to 15 pounds per square inch.
Pool heaters typically require the least maintenance of all pool equipment. Gas heaters can work fine without being serviced for a couple years, and electric ones can last even longer. Consult your manufacturer’s manual for specific care instructions. Sometimes, calcium scales build up inside the tubes of a heater and restrict flow, preventing the water from heating adequately. If this happens, recruit the help of a professional because the heater may need to be disassembled and have its tubes cleaned out with a wire brush or acid.
A lot of water will be lost throughout the swimming season largely because of evaporation and normal wear and tear, such as swimming, splashing and exiting the pool. When you remove debris with your skimmer throughout the week, that’s also a good time to check the water level. Ensure it doesn’t fall below the level of the skimmer, otherwise the pump could be damaged. If the water is low, use a garden hose to bring it up to safe levels.
Pool water should be tested regularly to make sure it’s clean and healthy. The pH scale is a measurement of acidity or alkalinity that runs from 0 to 14. A reading between 7.2 and 7.8 is ideal; this range is safe for swimmers and helps sanitizers work at top efficiency. You can monitor your pool’s pH level with a testing kit.
Organic contaminants like ammonia or nitrogen build up in a pool over time. Massive amounts of such contaminants can interact with a pool’s chlorine to form chloramines, which give off that potent chlorine smell that many people associate with pools. To get rid of this harsh odor, it’s necessary to superchlorinate — or shock — pool water back to normal chlorine levels. While it may seem counterintuitive, adding a large amount of chlorine to a pool can make the undesired odor go away. Some pools should be shocked once a week, while others can go a significantly longer time. Follow manufacturers’ instructions before superchlorinating your pool to get the best results.
Sometimes it’s difficult to determine if low water levels are due to evaporation or a leak. You can discover leaks in your pool by conducting a simple bucket test. Fill a plastic bucket three-quarters full of water. On the inside of the bucket, mark the water line. Place the bucket in the pool, then mark the water line on the outside of the container. (If the bucket has a handle, remove it to allow for better stability while floating.) Let it float for two or three days. If the water inside and outside the bucket has gone down the same amount, your pool is losing water due to evaporation. However, if the pool water level has gone down more than the water inside the bucket, your pool has a leak. That’s your cue to call a professional to have it patched.
Winterizing your pool is very important. Residual pool water left in pipes can freeze and cause damage. To prevent this from happening, use an air compressor to blow water out of the pool’s plumbing when swimming season is over. Also, drain as much water as possible from the filter and heater. Any remaining water can be eliminated using nontoxic antifreeze (caution: this is different from antifreeze for vehicles). Disconnect the heater, pump and chemical feeders, the latter of which should be cleaned and stored. Finally, clean the pool: skim, brush walls, vacuum, empty skimmer baskets, close skimmer line valve, lower water level to approximately 18 inches (45 centimeters) below the coping and supercholorinate. Lastly, cover the pool to keep out debris. There are many companies that can perform the pool closure for you.
If a pool is properly winterized, it can easily be reopened come swimming season. Most importantly, don’t remove the pool cover until you’ve cleaned the area around the pool. Sweep or hose away debris to prevent it from getting into the pool. Next, use a garden hose to fill the pool to its normal water level. Reconnect everything that was disconnected. Water will need to flow through the circulation system, so open the skimmer line valve. Test the water for its pH level, then shock the pool. It’ll take a week or more before the pool gets balanced and becomes swimmable. Leave the pump running 24 hours a day, and reduce the run by only an hour or two each day until the water is balanced. There are companies that can perform the pool opening for you.
Ian McGregor Pools And Landscapes is a leading swimming pool company and landscaping contractors Hamilton that offers residential and commercial pool landscaping services.
Source: http://www.ianspoolsandscapes.com/swimming-pool-maintenance-tips/
More and more people are choosing to create an oasis in their backyard over traveling away or to a cottage. These “Staycation” backyards can include many features including a fabulous outdoor kitchen. Custom outdoor kitchens are a fast growing trend because they not only become a great gathering spot for family and friends but they add incredible value to your home.
Things to consider when designing outdoor kitchens and entertaining areas:
Source: http://www.ianspoolsandscapes.com/outdoor-kitchen-tips/
Ian McGregor Pools & Landscapes is a professional landscaping company and leading landscape contractor, specializes in landscape design installation and maintenance, pool construction, outdoor kitchens, irrigation and much more.
Ian Mcgregor Pools and Landscapes 