The importance of Regular Pool maintenance

•Regular pool maintenance is essential to keep the pool safe, clean, and in good working order.

•Neglecting your pool's maintenance can lead to costly repairs and even health and safety hazards.

•Regular check-ups are necessary to prevent major damage due to pH levels, chlorine levels, cleaning filters, etc., which helps prolong the life of your pool equipment.

•Dirty water can lead to skin or eye irritation as well as bacterial infections, making regular upkeep a necessity for avoiding such issues.

•Run Pool Pump at least 10 hours per day

More information about The importance of Regular Pool maintenance

‍

How does a Pool Work?

Your pool acts like a body, with its own circulation system:

•The pump is the "heart" of this process and sucks water through skimmers and drains, removing floating particles along the way

•Once the water gets to the pump continues to run to the Filter, where debris gets caught

•Once the water is filtered continues to the Heater where of course gets heated

•And last continues through the Chlorinator or the Salt cell in the case is a Salt Pool

•After that process, the sanitized water gets returned to the Pool through the Return Jets

More information about How does a Pool Works

‍

Actions involved in Pool Maintenance

Empty the skimmer basket (Once a week or as needed)

First, remove the skimmer lid, then, it's time to clean out your skimmer basket and let all the gunk and debris float away. Voila! Just pop the basket back in and put the lid back on. Keeping the skimmer basket clean is like a little spa day for your pool pump, it will make work easy for it to circulate the water

‍

Skimming the surface (Once a week or as needed)

Gather up floating leaves and other debris on the surface with a long-handled leaf skimmer, removing it before hitting the bottom where it is more difficult to get and can create stains over time. Skimming is an effortless step that pays off in spades when admiring crystal-clear waters all season long.

‍

Brush the Pool walls and floor (Once a week or as needed)

Brush away any dirt and algae that have attached themselves to the walls or fixtures. Give them a good scrub, so you can avoid dirty surprises when taking a dip! Direct all sediment towards the main drain with ease for easy vacuuming up afterward.

‍

Vacuum (Once a week or as needed)

•Vacuuming a pool requires the use of a vacuum head, telescopic pole, extended hose, and optional skim vac or vacuum plate.

•Connect all components securely with clamps if needed. Remove air from the hose by submerging it in water and pressing against the return jet until bubbles stop rising.

•Attach to the skimmer using either a vacuum plate or remove the basket and insert it directly into the hole in the bottom of the skimmer. Set the filter valve setting to “Filter” for light cleaning; set it to “Waste” for more intense cleaning; refill the pool as you clean with a garden hose so that the water level stays even.

•Vacuum slowly with linear passes; empty the pump basket or skimmer basket regularly if necessary, if the water turns cloudy wait several hours until clears up again; turn off the pump briefly if the vacuum head becomes stuck while vacuuming.  

•Finish up by ensuring no debris remains in the skimmer/pump basket & change back any filter settings changed earlier; scrub floor/sides w/ brush attached to pole & clean filter when done.  

Here is more information about how to Vacuum a Pool

‍

Clean the Pump basket (Once a week or as needed)

•First, make sure the pool cleaner pump and heater are turned off, and give the heater a few minutes to cool down. •Then, close up the skimmer and main drain valves. If your pump is below water level, turn the filter valve to "closed". •Remove the pump lid and basket, clean it up, and re-install it. Don't tighten it too much though, we don't want to overdo it!

•Now, get the filter valve back in the "filter" position and open up the main drain valve.

•Open the air relief valve on the pool filter and turn the pump on.

•Once it's working smoothly, go ahead and open the remaining skimmer valves one at a time until you see water coming out of the air relief valve. Close that valve up and you're done!

•Don't forget to turn back on the pool cleaner pump and heater if you want them going too.

‍

Clean the filter (Once every three weeks or as needed)

•To clean the Cartridge Filter: Turn off the pump and open the air relief valve before beginning to clean the cartridge filter. Carefully open the mechanism that holds everything together, then take off the top filter and check for any cracks or damages. Give your pool filter cartridge a deep clean with a spray nozzle or an overnight soak in either a special cleaner or diluted muriatic acid solution. Replace it back into its rightful place, ensuring all clamps are firmly closed before turning it on again.

•To clean D.E filters, start by backwashing for two minutes until water is clear; remove the manifold from inside of the tank; rinse thoroughly using the garden hose's spray nozzle; if needed use D.E cleaner or dilute muriatic acid mixture (1 part per 20); give one final rinse with a garden hose to tank & manifold before putting it back into place & secure tightly with clamps; add the correct amount of DE powder (Check the owner’s manual at all times)

•To clean a Sand Filter, start by setting the multiport valve to backwash and running water through it for two minutes or until clear. Then add cleaning solution by turning off the pump, removing its lid, and adding the solution into the basket before replacing it. Turn on the pump for a few seconds and then let sit overnight. Finally, backwash again for a few minutes to flush out dirt and debris before returning to “filter” mode.

Here is more information about how to clean a Pool Filter

‍

Test the Pool Water (Once a week or as needed)

•Testing pool water can be done in a variety of ways, including test strips, kits, and digital testers.

•Test strips are quick and easy to use but may not provide the most accurate readings.

•Pool test kits offer more reliable results but require more effort (and money) for setup.

•Digital testers provide fast results; however, costlier gadgets don't always offer the most accurate readings.

•Taking a sample to your local pool store is another option that guarantees accuracy from experienced professionals.

Here is more information about how to Test the Pool Water

‍

Add chemicals or Balance the Pool Water (Once a week or as needed)

•PH levels should be kept between 7.4-7.6 to ensure the pool is safe for swimming; a pH increaser (Soda ash) and decreaser (Muriatic acid) can help maintain this balance

•Alkalinity should remain between 80 and 150 parts per million, with 100-120 ppm as the ideal range; alkalinity helps keep pH stable. Use an alkalinity increaser (Could be baking soda) to raise it if it falls below 80ppm, and a decreaser to lower it if rises above 150ppm

•Calcium hardness levels need to stay within 200-350 ppm (150 - 250 in spas); too little or too much calcium will cause issues like scaling, corrosion, or cloudy water. Calcium hardness increaser may need to be added for too low calcium levels while lowering the pH & alkalinity is recommended for too high calcium level  

•Chlorine is one of the most popular pool sanitizers worldwide with its benefits at a wallet-friendly price; different forms like liquid chlorine, tablets & granular are available in a stabilized form (which contains cyanuric acid that protects against loss from sunlight) or unstabilized form specially created for indoor pools. It should be kept at 1-3 ppm. Here is a guide on how to safely add chlorine to a pool  

•Cyanuric acid (stabilizer) should be at 20 -100ppm depending on if you have an indoor/outdoor pool. Works like sunscreen for your chlorine

•Saltwater systems need 2700-3400 parts per million with 3200 ppm being optimal. They can have adverse effects on certain types of pool linings over time so caution must be taken when using them.

•Bromine requires 3 – 5 ppm. Works differently than other sanitizers during its breakdown process, having advantages and disadvantages

•Biguanide levels should be at 30 - 50 ppm. It offers benefits such as being kind to skin and hair but also binds contaminants together more easily which may clog filters over time  

Here is more information about how to Add chemicals or Balance the Pool Water

‍

Shock the Pool (Once a week or as needed)

•Pool shocking is the process of adding chlorine or non-chlorine chemicals into the water, intentionally raising its free chlorine level and reaching breakpoint chlorination to kill bacteria and break chloramines (chloramines are the result of a chemical reaction between chlorine and contaminants in the pool)

•Test the water for Free Chlorine, Combined Chlorine, Total Chlorine, Alkalinity (80-120 ppm), pH (7.4-7.6 ppm), and Calcium hardness (200-400ppm)

•Calculate how much shock is needed according to product instructions

•During application, pour it slowly while walking around the Pool for even distribution throughout; run the pump until everything mixes evenly before taking a dip again so as to avoid irritating skin or bleaching swimsuits

•For saltwater pools, use the super chlorinate button which basically ramps up chlorine production & shocks your pool

•Wear protective gear when handling pool shock and make sure not to mix types together

•Generally, shock a Pool once a week or every few weeks in summer depending on usage but also consider if there’s been lots of rain/sunshine as this affects whether more regular shocking is necessary

•Is Important to know the difference between Free chlorine, Combined chlorine, and Total chlorine. (To measure them you can use Pool water testing kits)

Here is more information about how to Shock a Pool

‍

How long should the Pool Pump run daily?

These handy machines do two very important things: filter out all the gross dirt and debris floating around your pool, AND help spread that much-needed chlorine and other chemicals all around. But here's the thing, you can't just run the pump for two minutes and call it a day, to get the job done right, you need to run it for at least 8-10 hours each day. That way, every single drop of water in your pool gets filtered and chlorinated at least once per day, also known as turnover.

‍

Consequences of neglecting Pool Maintenance

•Regular pool maintenance is essential to keep the pool safe, clean, and in good working order.

•Neglecting your pool's maintenance can lead to costly repairs and even health and safety hazards.

•Regular check-ups are necessary to prevent major damage due to pH levels, chlorine levels, cleaning filters, etc., which helps prolong the life of your pool equipment.

•Dirty water can lead to skin or eye irritation as well as bacterial infections, making regular upkeep a necessity for avoiding such issues.

Here is more information about The Tragic Consequences of neglecting Pool Maintenance

‍

Consider Professional Pool cleaning vs Self Pool Cleaning