Pool Maintenance Tips That No Pool Owner Should Ignore

If you’re thinking about adding a swimming pool to your property, you should also pay attention to maintaining it after it’s installed. Understanding pool costs and maintenance can go a long way towards ensuring that your swimming pool functions at its best in the long run.

There are several aspects of pool maintenance such as pool filter cleaning and checking the water quality. In this article, you’ll get to know about all those aspects in detail. So, read on.

Keep your pool’s chemical levels balanced

You can check your swimming pool’s chemical levels by testing the water every week. If the levels aren’t balanced, the pool water’s safety may be compromised due to bacterial overgrowth. Also, imbalanced chemical levels can make the water appear murky, and cause eye and skin irritation. A swimming pool’s chemical levels consist of the following.

Free chlorine

Chlorine is a sanitizing agent that keeps a check on the germs in the pool water. Adding chlorine to the water makes sure that the pool is safe to swim in.

Cyanuric acid

Adding chlorine to the pool water isn’t enough, as exposure to sunlight can render the chlorine ineffective. The presence of cyanuric acid in the water can protect the chlorine from sunlight.

Alkalinity/Acidity

The alkalinity/acidity of the pool water refers to its pH level. The recommended pH level is 7.5 – 7.8. Maintaining this level will prevent the erosion of the pool equipment and skin irritation.

Total alkalinity

Total alkalinity levels of a swimming pool should be between 60 – 120. Anything below or above this range can create an imbalance in the pH level.

Calcium hardness

220 – 350 is the recommended calcium hardness range for most swimming pools, as it prevents damage to the plaster.

Skim and scrub the pool regularly

Skimming and scrubbing are two maintenance activities that you must undertake frequently to ensure cleanliness and prevent algae growth which can be missed by nest cameras. Contaminants, pollutants, and debris may make their way into your pool and float on the water’s surface. To prevent them from settling within the water, it’s best to skim the water’s surface every day.

Scrubbing is something you can do once every two weeks, and this maintenance activity keeps the sides of your pool clean. Ignoring your pool’s sides can lead to the growth of algae over time, but regular scrubbing can prevent it. You can scrub the sides of the pool either manually by using a scrub brush or invest in a robotic cleaner.

Clean the filter

Swimming pool filters are devices that remove impurities from the pool water that settle within it. They don’t need to be regularly cleaned. However, it’s essential that you clean them every 3 – 6 months, especially if the swimming pool is frequently used.

Cleaning the pool filter will ensure that it’s functioning efficiently. Over time, the filter may become clogged and become inefficient at removing impurities, which can make the water unsafe for swimming.

Shock the pool after a gathering

Properties with swimming pools make for great party venues to watch movies from torrents or eat barbequed food. However, a gathering that involves a lot of people entering the pool can drastically raise the level of impurities in the pool water. This is when shocking the pool can come in handy.

Pool shocking refers to raising the chlorine content in the water for a short period to eliminate bacteria. Simply add 3 – 5 times the chlorine amount that you typically add to the water, and let it filter across the length, breadth, and depth of the pool. However, you need to remember that frequent pool shocking can cause damage to the sides of the pool. Ideally, you should shock your swimming pool no more than twice each season.

Absorb oil content in the water by using a tennis ball

Applying hair and skin products before entering the pool is like a ritual. However, after you’re done taking a dip, traces of those products are left behind in the form of oils. This oil content can create a slick appearance on the water’s surface and make the water feel greasy.

An easy way to prevent this from happening is to use a tennis ball. Here’s what you need to do – as soon as you come up from the pool, throw the ball into your swimming pool’s water. Tennis balls are made from fibers, which are incredibly effective at soaking up the oil content.

Reach out to the experts

A major part of understanding pool costs and maintenance involves staying in touch with professional pool repair experts, especially if you’re too busy. You might think of scheduling service appointments as a waste of money. But the fact is that pool repair professionals can identify potential issues and fix them before they turn into a significant problem.

Before you schedule an appointment, check the pool and its equipment thoroughly. If you detect anything problematic, note it down and let the experts know when they come to perform their maintenance duties. Scheduling one service appointment every year should be enough.