Having a pool in your backyard is a wonderful luxury for any family. It makes for the ideal “staycation”. Think of all the weekend parties, and spending long afternoons lounging poolside while cultivating the perfect tan, not to mention it’s a great way to entertain the kids.
However, one crucial element of pool ownership is often forgotten: the maintenance. Without a proper maintenance routine, your pool could succumb to a variety of less-than-appealing conditions, green water, broken filters, and algae build-up, just to name a few.
Having had a pool for 28 years now, I have five recommendations to keep your pool looking good.
1. Make Skimming and Scrubbing A Part Of Life
Skimming the leaves and debris off of the surface of the water is a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. For a truly pristine pool, skimming should be done daily. In addition to skimming, you need to scrub the sides of the pool to prevent algae build-up. Thankfully, that doesn’t need to be done quite as often. You can get away with scrubbing once every other week. Just look for any growths and go at them with a scrub brush to keep your pool walls looking fresh and clean.
2. Think Of The Filter As Your Pool’s Kidneys
Your pool’s filter is responsible for removing impurities from the water – think dirt, leaves, and even small toys. Most of the time, the pool can be cleaned by turning off the filter, removing the filter cap located on the pool deck, lifting out the filter basket, and removing any debris before replacing everything. It’s best to clean out your filter basket at least once a week. Once a month, you will also want to clean out the pipes utilized by your filter system, which you can do by backwashing. To do so, simply set your filter to “backwash,” remove the leaf basket and clean it out. Then turn on your pump and let it run until the waste pipe ejects clear water. A final note on turning the filter on and off: Doing so too often can cause the filter’s mechanics to crack. Set your filter on a timer and allow it to run for at least six hours a day.
3. Pools Need Consistent Chemical Levels
Chemical levels are arguably one of the most important facets of pool maintenance. Improperly balanced water will look murky, and can irritate skin and eyes, as well could cause your pool to become a breeding ground for bacteria. Testing the water is easy. Simply buy a few testing kits from your local pool store. Fill it with a sample of your pool’s water. Add the provided solution to the testing kit and close the vials. After a few seconds, your sample water will change color, and a comparison of the sample water to the colors shown on the testing kit should allow you to determine the current chemical levels. You should adjust the levels, as needed, to achieve an ideal balance. When all the chemicals are properly balanced, the water should be crystal clear, have no scent, and leave very little residue on your skin.
4. You Need To Keep An Eye On The Water Level
As important as the chemical composition of the water is, the physical water level is just as important. The levels will naturally fluctuate after a heavy rainstorm or an afternoon of kids doing cannonballs. You want to maintain a level that is halfway up the opening of your skimmer. If the water is too low, simply use a garden hose to add the necessary amount of water back in. If the water level is too high, you can simply run the pool hose that you use for backwashing out to a drain and simply pump out the wastewater. When you’ve reached the appropriate water level, remember to recheck the chemicals. The water level fluctuations will have thrown them off balance.
5. Use A Tennis Ball To Absorb Oils
Most of the time when people think about tennis balls in a pool, they think about playing catch. However, those toys can do double duty. When swimmers exit the pool, certain oils can get left behind in the water – suntan lotion, hair product, the natural oils produced by our skin. While it’s unpleasant to think about, luckily there’s an easy solution. Simply throw a tennis ball into the water. The fiber used to make the tennis ball will help absorb the oils and keep them from leaving a slick sheen on top of the water.
Following this simple routine makes for a great summer of swimming for the whole family!
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