Pool maintenance is part and parcel of owning a swimming pool (both above ground or in-ground), if you don’t look after it you will end up with cloudy water or other forms of damage. This is especially true during the winter months when you should winterize your pool to stop it from ice and wind damage.
When the pool is in use through the summer you should follow this pool maintenance for dummies guide to ensure your pool is in the very best condition every single day!
Pool Maintenance For Dummies
Buy A Pool Cover
One of the first things you are going to need to do when you buy an above ground pool is to purchase a pool cover. Covering the pool when not in use will ensure it stays as clean as possible and won’t allow mother nature to drop debris inside. The pool cover will effectively shield the water from the elements but also stop unwanted guests such as animals getting in the pool.
Removing Floating Debris
Pool maintenance should generally be related to how often you use your pool and how many people use it. Investing in a good pool skimmer to help fish out any floating debris such as leaves, twigs or insects takes less than a few minutes and will give your pool an instant facelift.
Make sure you dispose of any waste you gather from the pool to ensure it does not blow back in to the pool in windy conditions.
Pool Circulation
The pump is the major component when it comes to your filtration system. The pump moves water from the pool to the filtration system so it can remove debris and then sends it back to the pool. Your pump doesn’t need to be on 24/7, however if you don’t run it enough you will run into problems. The general rule you will hear amongst many pool owners is that they run the pump around 8 to 10 hours per day.
Filtration System
Your filtration system is vital to pool maintenance, the job of the filtration system is to get rid of all undissolved dirt and debris. You can purchase various different types of pool filters however they generally all work in the same way by passing the water through small sieves, filtering the water, before sending it back to the pool. Particles that cannot get through the sieves get trapped and separated from the pool water, you will need to clean your filter periodically to remove the captured dirt.
Vacuum Your Pool
Even with the best filtration system in the world dirt and debris will find its way to the bottom of your pool from time to time. When this happens you will need to use a pool vacuum to clean the dirt up and remove it from your pool.
Pool vacuums draw up water instead of air allowing you to take the dirt-up from the bottom of your swimming pool and remove it.
Chemical Adjustment
Chemicals are very important to your pool maintenance as they keep the water both safe and clean. You should test your pool chemical levels every single week to make sure they are within the correct ranges, if the chemicals aren’t balanced correctly be sure to make the right changes.
If you find the chlorine levels are too low you may want to shock your pool, do this by dissolving your shock in a bucket of water and pouring it in slowly, be sure to wear gloves and eye protection as you do it.
Final Word
If you follow this guide and use some common sense then your swimming pool should be clean at all times and open for swimming all through the year. While it may take a little bit of time each week, it is far better to keep on top of the cleaning process than find yourself with a dirty or cloudy pool and have to go through a deep cleaning process which will take a lot of time.
