Pools are definitely about fun and games, no doubt about that. Some summer days and nights are best spent relaxing, playing, and making memories in the pool. From tanning to water volleyball, summer simply isn’t the same without a relaxing pool. But you, the pool owner, know as well as anyone that pools aren’t JUST about fun and games.
With having a pool, you must do pool maintenance. Your pool needs to be treated and cared for on a regular basis or the water becomes unsafe, and the equipment will fail. It doesn’t matter what kind of pool you have; it will require almost daily maintenance.
What aspects of your pool require regular attention? First and foremost is the obvious: the pool water! Your water needs to not only be clean and clear but it needs to be chemically balanced to ensure it STAYS clean and clear. Otherwise, you risk the water doing damage to the pool system, to the pipes, to your equipment and to your body. You also need to keep the interior of the pool clean. The interior of the pool can be susceptible to algae, mold, buildup, and other kinds of debris that will affect the health of your pool. Finally, the pool system itself is important. The filter system and skimmers cycle pool water and other contents through the filter so anything that doesn’t need to be there is filtered out. The cleared water is then cycled back into your pool. The equipment is technology, so any number of things can go wrong with it. Unbalanced water can damage it. Excess debris can clog it.
Pool maintenance also means ensuring the filter and pump system are always in working order. The best thing you can do for your pool is to have the system running at all times but that isn’t always an option depending on your individual budget. Still, you want the system running as long as you are able, at least 10 hours a day, or the pool health will begin to suffer. You need to regularly clean the filter and monitor the equipment and water so that you know if something is amiss. A pool that isn’t circulating correctly is probably experiences excess debris, cloudy or murky water, and possibly even algae growth.
The filter system and proper water circulation take a lot of the cleaning brunt but not all of it. You will still need to commit to weekly (at least) manual cleaning. First, this just covers more bases. Your pool will always be in swimming shape. But this also protects your system from getting overwhelmed and the water from getting unbalanced. You can expect to need net skimmers, vacuums, and brushes.
Now for the chemistry. Your pools chemical levels, especially the pH levels, are crucial for maintaining a healthy pool. This aspect of maintenance is often the most daunting. You are working with chemicals, possibly dangerous, and doing it incorrectly can have the opposite effect of what you want. The pH is the scale of how acidic or basic your pool is. The lower the pH, the more acidic it is. The higher the pH, the more basic or alkaline it is. If it’s too acidic, then the water becomes corrosive for your pool interior, equipment, and for your skin and eyes. If the water is too basic, it becomes “hard” from too much calcium. You’ll start to notice damaging buildup on your equipment and interior. The water will become murky and also irritating for the skin. If the pH isn’t balanced, in either direction, the chlorine that disinfects your water will become ineffective. This part of maintenance means testing regularly for the chemical levels and adjusting if the pH is too high or low, bringing it literally into balance as the perfect pH is right in the middle. We have another blog post about pH balance, so check that out! It isn’t nearly as daunting as it seems and it is crucial for a healthy pool.
Pool maintenance takes vigilance, but it isn’t the mountain some people think it is. Besides, doing these things will save you significantly more time, money, and work in the future. Sometimes, more information brings more questions so please give us a call or explore the rest of our site. Pools Pierce is an excellent resource regardless of how experienced a pool owner you are!