A Simple Guide for Swimming Pool Maintenance

Everyone who owns a pool at their home will definitely agree that it is an incredibly valuable asset. Not just to their home’s value and the lovely appearance it adds to the backyard, but also to how it can raise your quality of life as a whole. Regular swimming sessions can not only help you live a better lifestyle, but they can also be a source of fun and enjoyment in the comfort of your home. You may host barbecue nights, pool parties, and many other events. Every swimming pool, though, carries a great responsibility. It is your task to keep it clean and functioning properly. And if you do not incorporate the right ways for your swimming pool maintenance, and are not able to keep it clean and safe regularly, it can affect the functionality, safety, and aesthetic of your home.

Pool water must be kept clear, balanced, and clean regularly for people who often swim on it. Maintaining clean water is crucial to extending the lifespan of your “investment” because mineral buildup and unbalanced chemicals can corrode other pool parts as well. Additionally, the water in the pool always remains in direct contact with the pool’s interior or surface. Maintaining a clean surface can protect the water in the pool just as it can protect the surface. Its interior might get covered in algae, dirt, and mold. But then, it is the pool owner’s duty to maintain these surfaces in pristine condition. Additionally, it is critical to address any surface damage to the pool right away.

Importance of Regular Pool Maintenance

This makes regular swimming pool maintenance necessary, regardless of whether you have an inground, above-ground, or saltwater pool. This being said, it is advantageous to have a strong basic understanding of the right swimming pool maintenance procedures. Moreover, when you are aware of how your pool functions, you will be equipped to address almost any conceivable pool issue, learn the best ways to take care of it, and how to make plans for it.

Your swimming pool is a lovely feature of your house and a great area for fun and relaxation for your family. This means that you have to incorporate a practice of the right ways for swimming pool maintenance, especially if you want to make the most of your pool and ensure a long lifespan. To help you maintain your swimming pool, continue reading this article.

Good Water Circulation

Moving water in your pool is safer, cleaner, and clearer. And being able to swim safely and healthily primarily depends on proper pool circulation. Pools with good circulation rarely have issues like murky water or an algal invasion. You will then certainly have a difficult time keeping your pool clean if the water is not moving, the pump is not pumping, or the filter is not filtering. This is so that algae will not be able to grow in stagnant water.

Thus, it is important to incorporate equipment that can circulate pool water. And for optimum circulation, you have to keep your pump and filter system working every day — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, since not everyone’s budget or equipment can support that, it is advised to operate your filter for at least 10 to 12 hours each day instead. This will still help keep your pool safe and clean, turning the water over a few times.

Another essential element for an efficient pool circulation includes the regular backwashing of your filter. Backwashing is the process of turning the water flow around in your filter so that the unclean water and accumulated toxins are sent to the waste port and removed from your pool.

It is crucial to learn how to clean a pool filter if you are unsure how to do it and to incorporate it into your normal pool maintenance schedule.

Pool Cleaning Schedule

Regular pool cleaning is a key aspect of swimming pool maintenance. It is really simple to skip a day or a week here and there, but doing so has a big impact on how long your pool parts last. Actually, your pool naturally contains all kinds of weird, wild, and wacky things — which includes leaves, mold, the occasional duck or frog, and residue from shampoos, perfumes, and hair products. When you factor in the dangers of bacterial contamination, proper ways of swimming pool maintenance becomes an absolutely necessary part of safe swimming.

Additionally, if your pool already has proper circulation, cleaning it will be considerably simpler. However, you will still need to put in a little hard work. In this case, you will need a net skimmer, a pool brush, and a pool vacuum as your basic tools. At the very least, skim, brush, and vacuum your pool once every week. By doing this, you can keep particles out of your water and keep your walls spotless. And when used as a basic scouring cleaner that will not scratch fragile tile or vinyl liner when brushed, baking soda paste works especially effectively.

Utilizing an Automatic Pool Cleaner

Furthermore, your pool cleaning time can be greatly reduced with an automatic pool cleaner. While frequent skimming and brushing will still be necessary, it will make both tasks simpler, allowing you to spend more time swimming in your pool and less time maintaining it.

Also, with a few unconventional modifications to your pool, you may also simplify cleaning. Tennis balls can be thrown into your skimmer basket or even directly into the water to absorb surface oils from sunscreen, cosmetics, and other products. In order to construct an extra-fine filter that will capture more impurities than a skimmer alone, you can also wrap the skimmer baskets in pantyhose. This being said, there are a few DIYs you can incorporate, as a way for simplifying the tasks you need to do to maintain the cleanliness and safety of your swimming pool.

Balancing Your Water Chemistry

Although the term “pool chemistry” may seem frightening and difficult, you should not be concerned. Basic pool chemistry is surprisingly simple, despite being a crucial component of efficient pool management and water care. Maintaining the ideal water-chemical balance in a swimming pool is crucial to sanitation and is equally vital to physical cleaning. Balance is the key. A pool cannot just be filled with tons of chemicals without being measured. Each component of the water chemistry is necessary for maintaining safe water. Because of this, it is important to keep your alkalinity, sanitizer levels, and pH in a safe chemical equilibrium.

As mentioned above, the three most crucial components of pool water chemistry are pH levels, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels. Your pool’s pH level is a gauge of how basic or acidic the water is. High pH values are basic, while the low pH ones are acidic. Your pool should be between a pH of 7.4 and 7.6. On the other hand, alkalinity functions as a pH buffer and helps prevent significant increases in basicity or acidity. A range of 100 to 150 parts per million is appropriate (ppm). Additionally, you can use baking soda to raise the alkalinity of your pool. Sanitizer levels refer to the concentration of chemicals like chlorine, bromine, etc. in your pool’s water. Depending on the type of sanitizer you select, the appropriate levels change.

Adjusting Water Balance

And once you are aware of your pH, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels, you can now begin adding chemicals to adjust your water balance. Take your time, carefully read all the instructions, and before adding any chemicals, make sure you understand what they do and how they will impact the water and the people that swim in it.

Additionally, test your water weekly for best results. Choose a test kit that will inform you if you need to add pool chemicals to maintain your water balance if you want to keep things simple. You may test your swimming pool water for the main chemicals by purchasing simple-to-use test kits or test strips from the majority of pool supply companies and big-box merchants.

Key Takeaway

One of the most rewarding ways to enjoy fun in the sun at home is to own a swimming pool. However, that does not mean you have to spend the rest of your life chained to a vacuum or tinkering with your chemistry set. In fact, if you are knowledgeable about how your pool functions, are aware of the maintenance it requires, and plan ahead, you may even come to take pride in your pool-care abilities. For this, along with enjoying your swim, frequent, thorough swimming pool maintenance will also provide you peace of mind.