The ever-changing stay-at-home orders and business closures are making it tough to keep up with exercise routines. Your backyard oasis now doubles as your personal gym. There are some fun and activities the entire family can do to that double as exercise and family time. 

Warm Up to Workout

• Find some fun tunes the whole family can enjoy and boost up the volume.
• Invite the kids to lead some fun out-of-the-water stretchers to get warmed up. Jumping jacks, mountain climbers, jumping rope and little dance parties are the favorites among our kids. 
• Jump into the pool and do a few warmup laps or races with the kids.

Optimize Your Workouts

• Use an app to track your workout and your improvement over time. 
• Measure your pool length so you know how far you are swimming and can determine how many laps you need to reach your goal.
• Working out with the family? Turn it into a game with the kids! Depending on the kids' level, this may be a warm up for you but it's a great way to spend some time together. Try simple races or diving for toys/dive sticks.

Pool Workouts to Try

• Here are some beginner pool exercises, perfect for the family.
• Take your pool workout to the next level with these intermediate pool exercises.
• Ready to take your workout to the next level? Check out these underwater resistance training workouts. 

Safety First!
Whenever using your pool, safety is always critical. Here are a few tips to ensure everyone stays safe and has fun:

• Ensure there are is no glass or breakables near the edge of the pool.
• Check swimming abilities of all participating to understand what level of activity is appropriate for everyone. 
• Always have a floatation device ready, if needed. 
• Don't eat or chew gum while swimming as it's a choking hazard.
• Keep your phone nearby the pool, just in case of an emergency.
• Have a chat with the kids about pool safety. Even if everyone is a strong swimmer, it's still important that all swimmers look out for one another and that there is no hazardous play. 
• Children should never be left unsupervised in pools or spas.

Is your Pool Workout Ready? 
Before jumping into some fun pool exercises, make sure your pool is sparkling clean and workout ready. Is the water not sparkling as much as you'd like? Give Precision Pool and Spa a call and we'd be happy to help ensure your pool is top notch for everyday swimming and workouts:

• Weekly pool cleaning services for crystal clear water
• Chemical treatment for safe, clean and balanced water
• Repairs and new equipment to keep your pool equipment performing its best

Check out our services and repair pages to learn more about what we offer. Precision Pool and Spa Service LLC is a family owned and operated business providing service, repair and maintenance across Southern California in Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Woodland Hills, Encino and surrounding areas. If you're in the area and have a question or would like a free pool evaluation, let us know! ​

With the current state of COVID-19, the backyard has become a place of relaxation and a little piece of paradise for many families. Precision Pool and Spa appreciates this and strives to ensure your pool water is welcoming on these hot summer days. While our pool maintenance service is weekly, there are a few things you can do to ensure your water is sparkling in-between service visits. 

Trim the Trees
If your backyard is a true tropical oasis with beautiful greenery surrounding the pool, it's important to keep the plants and trees trimmed. The excess leaves and debris will quickly fill the skimmer basket and can make the pool appear dirty due to phosphates in the debris. Chlorine can't do its job with heightened phosphates, causing the water to become murky or hazy. 

Check the Skimmer Basket
Take a quick look at the skimmer basket mid-week to ensure it's not full. If you notice it's filling up with debris quickly, please empty it whenever needed. This will help the pump continue to push the debris into the skimmer basket and not back in the pool.

Beware of Rodent Treatments
If you're doing any type rodent treatment around the house, it's critical to check for any dead rodents in the skimmer before pool activity. Rodents get thirsty in the heat and will head to the pool for water. Just do a quick check before jumping in the pool.

Keep an Eye on the Water Level
Maintaining the right water level not only keeps the chemicals balanced, but also ensures the pump isn't overworked. The pool water should be kept about half-way up the skimmer opening. If you notice your pool water is disappearing faster than normal, give us a call for a leak or system check. Don't want to worry about refilling the water constantly? There are some auto-fill options that may be helpful. Just let us know and we can share what will work best with your setup.  
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Precision Pool and Spa Service LLC is a family owned and operated business providing service, repair and maintenance across Southern California in Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Woodland Hills, Encino and surrounding areas. If you're in the area and have a question or would like a free pool evaluation, let us know! ​

The most common question we receive from our customers and prospective customers is whether the pool water has the proper chemical balance. The most important word here is "chemical." The balancing of pool water is literally a science and requires a strong understanding of the various chemicals used to ensure they are properly balancing one another.

Many folks take a sample of water to a local pool shop for evaluation and while they're told the pool is balanced, the water still turns green. Oftentimes these pool shops are just ensuring the water is within the documented standards, but we need to dive deeper to understand what's causing the discoloration and to really confirm whether the water has the proper balance.

Here are a few quick tips of things to look out for to check your pool's chemical balance. If you spot any of these issues, give us a call for a free chemical check. Pool chemistry has a domino effect, one chemical will always affect another (either positively or negatively), which is why proper chemistry is so important. 

Water should never smell like chlorine
A properly chem'd pool should not smell like chlorine or leave your skin or bathing suit smelling like chlorine. Chloramines are a type of combined chlorine that form in water and then off-gas into the air above the water. Too much chloramine causes the ammonia (chlorine) smell.

Water color should be clear and pH balanced so eyes don't burn
Clarity of the water comes from the pH level, which has to match a certain standard of 7.2 (the same pH in your eyes so your eyes don't hurt when you open them in the water). Some companies will intentionally put the pH lower than 7.2 to make the water look clear, but anything below 7.0 is considered acidic and will burn your eyes. A pH of 7.5 or more is too oxygenated and will also burn your eyes. There is a perfect sweet spot to ensuring the proper pH.

Your skin should not be irritated after being in the water
Pools with the appropriate chemical balance should not leave your skin feeling "sticky" when you dry off. The biggest problem is that many companies increase the use of cyanuric acid (otherwise known as "conditioner") since it is the velcro in the water molecule that holds all chemicals in the pool longer. The ideal level of cyanuric acid is 80-100 parts per million). Anything higher that this and you will feel "sticky" in tender points of the skin (such as the inside of your elbow) after drying off.

Want to check your water's chemical balance? 
Send us an email at [email protected] for a free chemical check. Precision Pool and Spa Service LLC provides service, repair and maintenance in Thousand Oaks, Westlake, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Woodland Hills, Encino and surrounding areas. ​