A Beginner's Guide to Swimming Pool Maintenance
What Needs to Be Cleaned?
There are several different parts of your pool that need to be cleaned. Before you can get down to the business of cleaning your swimming pool, you need to understand what these parts are and why maintaining them is important.
There are four parts of your pool that you need to clean on a regular basis:
- The pool's internal walls
- The pool water
- The filter system
- The pool's skimmers/returns
Algae will grow on your pool's internal walls if you don't clean them regularly. It is not healthy for you and your family to swim in a pool with algae. Therefore, it is important to stay on top of both pool wall maintenance and preventative algicide maintenance.
You probably guessed that you would need to maintain your pool water. You will need to remove debris like leaves and twigs from your pool. But pool water maintenance also means keeping track of your water's pH and chlorine levels.
A filter system is like your pool's liver. The filter will process all of your pool water and keep it clean. That means that you have to maintain the filter, so the filter can keep maintaining your pool.
A skimmer is the part of your pool that draws water toward the pump. The return is the part that kicks it back out after it is processed by the filter. In order to keep this process working, you need to clean the skimmers and returns and keep them free of obstructions.
Now that you know the parts of your pool that need to be cleaned, we can go through the different maintenance tasks and how often you should complete them.
Daily Maintenance
Unless you are using your pool every single day, there is not a lot of daily maintenance you need to do. But you should make sure to run your pump for at least 10-12 hours every day.
In a perfect world, you could run your pump all day every day. But this isn't practical for most people. 10-12 hours will be enough to ensure that your water continues to circulate and doesn't sit stagnant for very long.
Weekly Swimming Pool Maintenance
Once a week you should clean the interior walls of your pool. You can do this with a pool brush. If you do this once per week, you'll never have to scrub very hard.
After scrubbing the walls, you should use a pool vacuum to clean the floor of your pool. This will help get rid of any filmy debris you freed up while cleaning the walls.
Once per week, you should administer some algae preventer. It is much easier to prevent an algal bloom than to get rid of one. Follow the directions on the algicide bottle, especially the instructions regarding dosage.
Lastly, you should shock your pool. Shocking a pool raises the level of free chlorine in the water, and eliminates problematic bacteria. Once again, follow the instructions on the bottle of shock solution closely.
Is all of this sounding pretty new and unfamiliar? You can get all you need to open up your swimming pool with one of our Fi Clor Spring Chemical Packs. Get your pool shock, algicide, test strips and more — all with free delivery.
Two Times Per Week
There are a few things you need to do at least twice every week, perhaps more during periods of high use. The first one of these things is to skim your pool for debris. You can do this as needed with a pool skimmer.
The other thing you should do is test your water. You can do this with a water testing kit.
The first thing you are checking is the pH of your pool water. A high pH means your water is too basic, and a low pH means that your pool is too acidic. A perfect pool will have a pH of 7.4-7.6.
You will also test the level of alkalinity with your testing kit. Aim for a result of 80-120 parts per million.
Lastly, you need to test the level of the sanitiser that you use. A common sanitiser is chlorine.
If you use chlorine, you should try to match a level of 1-3 parts per million. If the numbers are off, you can adjust the levels by hand.
You should test the water more often if you start to notice any of these things:
- There is abnormal weather
- There were more swimmers in your pool than usual
- Swimmers in your pool have red, itchy eyes
- There's algae in your pool
- There's a bad smell around your pool
Twice Per Year
Two times every year, you need to clean your pool filter. You can do this with a filter cleaner. Follow closely the instructions on the product.
You should also take a sample of your pool water to a water testing service every six months to ensure that everything is just as it should be.
As the years go on, you may find that your pool needs extra special attention.
Is your pool in need of refurbishment? Then contact us. You'll be back in the pool in no time.
Be Prepared to Care For Your Pool
If you stay up to date on swimming pool maintenance, you can enjoy your pool all season long. By keeping your pool clean, you can confidently say to your friends and family, "come on in, the water's fine!"
Staying up to date on cleaning and maintenance is critical for your safety and comfort. But you don't have to do it all alone.
Our team at Deep End Pools can help make your pool maintenance a stress-free experience. Keep your pool in mint condition this year with our servicing plans.
