Pool Maintenance Tips



Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009

by Greg Wells

Summer is upon us and, for pool owners, that means one thing – it's time to go swimming! In order to get full enjoyment from your pool, it's vital that you take the time to properly maintain it. Many pool owners complain that they don't swim as much as they would like to because their pools are full of sediment or algae. Don't be that person! You are lucky to have a pool and you should use it as much as you can.

It's not difficult to maintain a pristine pool, but it does take a bit of effort. As long as you take a few minutes each day to care for your pool, you'll be rewarded with water that's always ready for you to take a dip. In order to keep your pool in tip-top shape, simply follow these simple pool maintenance suggestions:

1.    Run your filter at least eight hours a day. In a perfect world, your pool filter would run 24 hours a day. However, this is unnecessary and excessive for a few reasons. First, it's bad for the environment because it requires a lot of electricity. Second, it's bad for your wallet because you have to pay for that electricity. Eight to ten hours is plenty of time for your pool filter to do its job. Remember to set the timer so that it runs at optimal times.

2.    Clean your skimmer basket at least once a day. This only takes a few seconds, but it can make a big difference. If you skimmer is full of leaves or other debris, it becomes much less effective.

3.    Test your pool's chemical levels twice a week. Use a testing kit to check your pool's pH level (it should be between 7.4 and 7.6) and free available chlorine level (it should be between 1 and 3 parts per million).

4.    Replace your chemical test kits regularly. Testing kits don't last forever. If you're using an old kit, you may not be getting accurate readings of your pool's pH and chlorine levels.

5.    Shock the pool once a week. Add one bag of shock per 10,000 gallons of water. After a rainstorm or a prolonged period of very hot weather, you may need to use additional shock.

6.    Vacuum your pool and brush the walls regularly. Whenever you have a few free minutes, step outside and show your pool some love!

Barney Hope bought a swimming pool maintenance guide to go with his new pool. He was instructed to buy a pool vacuum for proper pool cleaning must-dos.

This Article has been viewed 141 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.