Keeping your swimming pool crystal clear doesn’t have to be a lot of work, but it does require a few simple steps and regular care. The best idea is to a start a weekly routine of cleaning your pool and maintaining its chemical balance. By spending just four to eight hours per week on pool maintenance, your pool will continue to be clean and safe for you and your family to enjoy throughout the swim season.
Daily
Skim
Skimming leaves, bugs and other debris out of your pool is one of the simplest ways to keep the water sparkling. Debris floating on the surface of the pool water will eventually sink and become more difficult to remove, so quickly skimming your pool everyday will save you extra work in the long-run. Skimming also helps the pool’s circulation system work more efficiently and decreases the amount of chlorine you need to add to maintain the correct chemical balance.
Clean Skimmer Baskets
Like skimming, cleaning the skimmer baskets daily helps the pool’s circulation system and reduces the need for extra chlorine. The strainer is typically found on the side of an above-ground pool, or in the pool deck of an in-ground pool. Take out the basket and shake out any leaves and other debris that could block water flow. You can also spray the basket with a garden hose to clear out any remaining objects.
Weekly
Test the Water
It’s important to frequently test your pool’s pH level using a pH testing kit, which measures the acidity or basicity of your pool water on a scale of 0 to 14. Most pool owners use test strips or a reagent kit. Both involve comparing changes in colour of either a water sample or a test strip, to a pH colour scale that comes with the kit. Your pool water should generally read between 7.2 and 7.8, otherwise it may be time to adjust the pool’s chemical levels.
Clean the Walls
Brushing the pool walls cleans off calcium and algae build-ups, which can become more difficult cleaning problems if left to develop. Use a stiff brush for plaster-lined concrete pools, and a softer brush for fiberglass, tiles or vinyl walls. Focus your cleaning on corners, stairs, and other crevices of the pool that likely get less circulation.
Vacuum
There are a number of different types of pool vacuums. Automatic pool vacuums are more convenient for most people, because you can simply install the unit and leave it to vacuum your pool. There are 3 main types of automatic vacuums: pressure-side, suction-side and robotic. The other option is to use a manual vacuum, which consists of a vacuum hose, vacuum head and telescopic pole. To manually vacuum your pool, simply move the vacuum back and forth over the floor of the pool, just like you would if you were vacuuming a carpet.
Clean the Filter
There are three different kinds of pool filters: sand, cartridge, and diatomaceous earth, each of which requires a different kind of maintenance. The important point to keep in mind when managing all kinds of filters is that cleaning the filter too often can actually interfere with the filtration process. A small amount of dirt in the filter helps to traps other particles, thus removing debris from water. But, on the other hand, this effect is diminished if the filter becomes excessively dirty. A helpful rule of thumb is to clean the filter when the pressure increases by about 10 psi. Take a reading when the filter is clean, and then occasionally monitor the pressure changes.
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