Getting The Pool Ready : Tip for the Day

Hey it is almost the end of April, and here down south we are getting ready to open the pool soon. Anyone with a pool knows the work you have to put in, before you get in. Our pool is an in ground gunite pool, and we have been very satisfied with the quality and durability.
Tip today for all of you in ground pool folks to save filter cartridges, prolong lifetime and get a cleaner pool too.
At your overflow where the water flows in at the skimmer, most set ups will have a basket right there for catching larger stuff before it goes to the filter. Buy knee high pantyhose, in a size to fit snugly around your basket lip, and push the excess stocking down into basket. You would not believe how much more waste is caught here, we're talking grains of sand. My husband especially likes to have one in there when he is vacuuming, it catches all that bottom stuff without putting a strain on the motor with clogged filters.
So how did I come up with this brain storm idea? Well one year, as an experiment, masses of sterilized gnats were released; they were supposed to cut down on the gnat population the following year. Well I think most of them landed in my pool. Seriously for two days straight they came in black waves, and settled on the top of the water. The fiter catridges were needing cleaning every couple hours. I thought of it as a way to catch the bugs before the filter, and we have been using them ever since.
If you buy a box of 10 pairs of Leggs knee high panty hose you will be set for the season. They hold up rather well, better than you might think against the pool chemicals, and usually withstand at least 3-4 rinsings at filter cleaning times.
Spent the morning working on my permanent personal perennial tea beds. I Have Mint, Lemon balm, St. Johns Wort and Stevia, as well as an abundance of honeysuckle flowers. I am a bit pooped but perhaps I will get back on later.
Okay logging off for now.