Dealing with the Dog Days of Summer

Just what are the dog days of summer? Historically, those are the hottest, most uncomfortable days of summer, usually in July and August.

During the days of Greek and Roman mythology, these days followed the heliacal rising (occurs annually when it first becomes visible above the eastern horizon for a brief moment just before sunrise) of the start Sirius, and this was connected to heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, bad luck, and you guessed it – mad dogs.

It seems the Greeks and Romans experienced more dog attacks during the heat of July and August.

Now that you know the origin of the dog days of summer, let’s look at what you can do about it.

Add Chlorine to Your Pool

The heat of the summer means you are probably using your pool more which means higher bather loads. Plus, when it’s warmer, and the sun is out longer, your chlorine burns up faster.

To combat this, add extra chlorine tabs to your chlorinator.

It’s also a good idea to shock your pool more frequently to combat algae and cloudy water.

Finally, to protect your chlorine from the harmful effects of the sun, keep your stabilizer levels between 20-50 ppm.

Salt Pool? Use Your Chlorinators

If you have a salt water pool, you want to test your salt systems and then turn up your chlorinators.

Questions? Let us know!

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Run Your Pool Filter

Plan to run your pool filter for a few extra hours every day. Yes, it’s more expensive, but you’ll save money on pool chemicals in the long run.

Running your filter for most of the day pays off down the road.

Test Your Water

Water balance is key to a crystal-clear pool, and you want to test it regularly during the dog days of summer.

You’re looking at pH, alkalinity and stabilizer levels.

If you aren’t up for testing it on your own, please bring us a sample. We’ll test it for you and let you know with a computer printout just what your pool needs.