Pool Maintenance
Pool Maintenance
Taking care of your swimming pool ensures clean and safe water. This is beneficial not only to swimmers but also to your pool equipment. Here are some essential steps to include in your checklist for pool maintenance.
Skimming
Use a skimmer with a long handle to gather anything that floats on the surface of the water – leaves, bugs, and other debris. Removing them before they sink to the bottom of the pool may help prevent stains.
If there are trees around the pool, consider pruning or trimming them to reduce the number of leaves that fall into the water. Skimming takes a few minutes but is so essential to do so that the floating debris doesn’t end up making the bottom of the pool dirty or clogging up the filter system. You can do this daily.
Brushing
Once a week, brush the walls, stairs, and other fixtures in the swimming pool. Brushing removes algae and other bits that can end up sticking to the walls and other surfaces. You can brush the sediment towards the main drain.
Vacuuming
After skimming and brushing the swimming pool, you can vacuum the debris that settled at the bottom of the pool. When using a manual vacuum, submerge the vacuum head and hose before connecting the vacuum to the filter. Make sure that the hose does not float.
Using a circular motion, vacuum the bottom of the swimming pool. Move slowly and try to overlap where you pass to pick up as much debris as possible. If you have an automatic vacuum, plug it in and let it do the work for you.
Cleaning Skimmers
Your swimming pool also has automatic skimmers. Make sure to clean out the skimmers at least once a week so that nothing gets stuck and ends up clogging the filters. Check that your water levels aren’t more than halfway up the skimmers. Otherwise, it won’t be collecting the debris effectively.
Checking Circulation of Water
The skimmer, pump, pump strainer, drain, and filters are all part of the swimming pool’s circulation system. As a whole, the system helps the chemicals to work effectively and ensures that water is filtered properly. Every day, you can run the pump long enough to make sure that the circulation system is clean and in good condition.
Filter Inspection
Once a week, check your pool filters to make sure they are working correctly. Remove any debris that got stuck. If you use your swimming pool a lot, backwash the filters as needed.
Another indication that backwashing is needed is if the filter gauge reads 8-10 psi higher than its usual reading. There are different types of filters but they all work the same way. Clean the filter according to the manufacturer’s direction depending on its type.
pH Level Balancing
Depending on how much you use your swimming pool, you need to test the water daily or weekly. You may need to add pool chemicals like disinfectants and sanitizers to control the growth of algae and kill bacteria. When the pH levels are balanced, swimmers are also less likely to get eye or skin irritations.
Pool Shock Treatment
Pool shock refers to treating the swimming pool with super chlorine to remove algae, bather’s waste, and chloramines. Usually, a strong smell of chlorine is an indicator that you need pool shock treatment. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for using such treatments for your swimming pool.
We hope you find this guide helpful. You can choose to do all these cleaning and maintenance chores to keep your swimming pool beautiful and functional. Or, you can hire a pool cleaning and maintenance service to do it and take the guesswork out of using chemicals for your swimming pool.
Using chemicals, measuring pH levels, and the occasional pool shock treatment may be overwhelming for you. If you find yourself intimidated and would rather have professionals doing the tasks for you, rest assured that we can take care of these for you.
Our pool technicians can visit you once a week or every other week to take care of cleaning your swimming pool and other maintenance-related chores. Prevent algae and other buildups, keep your pool looking clean and safe to swim in.
When you are ready for pool cleaning and other maintenance services, give us a call to schedule a cleaning. You can also fill out our request form and someone will be in touch with you immediately. We look forward to keeping your pool beautiful, safe, and clean for you and your family.
