Tag Archives: uncategorised

Garden Sheds and Offices

Swimming Pool Covers

Leave a comment

There are a few different kinds of swimming pool covers. These different sorts are manufactured to do different jobs. There are swimming pool covers that are designed just to keep leaves out; there are covers to keep people and animals out and there are solar heating covers which will warm up your pool and there are combination covers that will heat your pool and keep people and animals out of it.

All of these types of covers are made for but both above and below ground pools. They also come in a multiplicity of sizes and colours or you can have one made to measure.

The first demands of any pool cover are that it fits and that it is sturdy. If it does not fit, it is dangerous, because if anyone or an animal falls under the cover, he will drown in a panic of not being able to find the ‘hole’ again – especially at night or in very cold water. The shock would knock the air right out of you.

After fitting well, it must be strong. Ideally it should be robust enough to bear a person’s weight, just in case someone walks out onto it by mistake in the dark. However, it needs to be sturdy anyway, because of all the folding and unfolding it will get.

Another tip is to make sure that your swimming pool cover complies with any local by-laws. Such laws are not applicable everywhere, so it is a good safeguard to check with your local police force before you spend money on a pool cover to see what you have to have. If you use a cover that does not conform with the local regulations and there is an accident, you will probably not be covered by your insurance policy, which could work out very costly for you.

All good pool covers come with a guarantee of some kind. Two years is the standard, but try to get a cover with a five year guarantee . Pool covers are not cheap and you do not want to be replacing it every couple of years. Try to ensure that the guarantee covers everything that can go wrong with the cover; tears, slits, cracking, perishing, torn eyelets, etc.. Look for a firm with a solid local reputation, one that will not avoid its responsibilities, if you need them.

If you are purchasing your swimming pool cover from a shop in order to fit it yourself, look at the manual carefully and make sure that all the bits and pieces are there. You do not want to have to go back because straps or anchors are not there. If it is within your resources, it is better to have the shop fit the cover the first time, so that you can see how to do it and make sure that nothing is missing.

These days, you absolutely must have a swimming pool cover for the sake of your kids and others who may attempt to use your pool while you are away. If you can lock the swimming pool cover down, then so much the better.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with recliner slip covers. If you are interested in a black recliner or any other type, please click through to our site.

Gardening

The Way To Prepare Your Fish Pond For A Storm

Leave a comment

It does not matter where you live, I am sure that you have storms at some time of the year. In the north of the northern hemisphere, we are inclined to get lots of rain in winter and spring. In the tropics, there may be monsoons. Whatever you call them, they produce lots of wind and lots of rain in a short space of time – it is basically a storm.

The fact is that, if you know that a storm is approaching, you can take safety measures and save your precious fish, whether they are expensive or just dear to you. It might be useful to distinguish between minor and major storms, but that is only helpful if you can trust your weather announcer.

Minor Storms: the first thing to do is to stop feeding your fish, if you have enough notice of the storm. Fish can easily live for weeks on the insects and plant life in the water, so do not be concerned. The reason for stopping feeding is that if the storm damages your filtration system, the quality of the pond water will not deteriorate so much, if there is no uneaten food in it.

Take out some of the water to allow for the rainfall, but do a partial water change too, because otherwise the reduced water level will contain greater levels of toxins until the rain comes.

Remove items from the vicinity that can blow over and fall into your pond. It is a good idea to put a net over the pond to prevent debris being blown into it too. Flying twigs or branches could alarm or even spear your fish.

Major Storms: we are not talking about hurricanes here. If a hurricane threatens to hit, you ought to evacuate your fish to a temporary tank somewhere safe – maybe a 50 gallon barrel in the basement or something like that.

If you want to be totally sure that your fish will be ok, you could ask your local pet shop to take them away to look after them otherwise continue as for a minor storm but with the following extra precautions.

Disconnect all the electrical apparatus in and around your fish pond. Make certain that there is no way that a live wire can fall into the pond and electrocute your fish. Remove all the plants from your pond as they could be damaged by the wind and waves, but leave any stone hiding places that your fish will surely look for while the storm is raging. If you reckon that perhaps you do not have enough ‘caves’, build some provisional ones from bricks or blocks.

Put a double layer of netting over your pond and tie it lower down than normal, say only a few inches above the water line, but not so low that if a fish gets out, it cannot get back in. Lastly, build a wall of sand bags at least two feet high all the way around your pond. This will allow the water to get in and drain away, without taking your fish with it, which is why the net must be high enough to permit the fish to get back into the pond.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many topics, but is now concerned with water garden pumps. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, please go to our web site now for a great deal.