Pool Skimmers And Returns
If your pools filter is its liver, then your skimmers and returns are its veins and arteries. Your skimmersnot to be confused with a net skimmer, the cleaning tool attached to a telescoping polepull water into the filter for cleaning, while the returns push the cleaned water back into your pool. And like your veins and arteries, they work best when theyre clean and clear of obstructions.
No two pools are alike, and youll no doubt encounter pool maintenance challenges specific to your pool as time goes on. But if youve got a firm grasp on these four pool components, youll be well equipped to face down most upkeep challenges.
What Are Their Ideal Ranges
When maintaining a pool, you can look at several indicators. Each of them tells you something else about the water. In the list below, weve included recommended ranges for some of the most common indicators. Follow along with them to ensure youve got quality water.
General Pool Water Indicator Guidelines
- Free Chlorine: 1.0-3.0 ppm
- Bromine: 1.0-3.0 ppm
Daily Above Ground Pool Maintenance:
- Run the pool filter everyday, for 12-18 hours daily.
- Water level should be around mid-skimmer not too high, not too low.
- Test pH level, should be between 7.4-7.6.
- Test chlorine level, should be between 2.0-4.0 ppm.
- Empty skimmer and pump baskets, as needed.
- Inspect filter pressure and pump operation.
- Observe pool cleaner operation, if you have one.
On a daily basis, your pool pump needs to operate, for at least 12 hours , to push the water through the filter, and prevent stagnation.
From the moment you open the pool, your pool needs to have a constant chlorine level. A complete test kit like the Taylor K2005, or 7-way test strips is recommended, to do full pool water analysis. Another option is to use the Taylor Troubleshooter test kit for pH, Chlorine and Alkalinity, and AquaChek test strips for your calcium and cyanuric tests.
Chlorine is very pH dependent, and as pH levels rise, the killing power of chlorine is reduced dramatically. Add pH increaser or pH decreaser, as needed, to maintain pH levels in the range of 7.2-7.6.
Using a permanent marker, write your clean, starting filter pressure on the filter tank, or directly on the pressure gauge lens, so you know the clean pressure reading. Then you will also know when to backwash, or clean the filter when pressure rises 7-9 psi above clean.
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I Treat My Pool Water With Chlorine Every Time I Have Treated It But The Color Remains Rusty Brown What Should I Do
First of all, stop chlorinating the water. Adding more chlorine will worsen the coloration. Pool water will stay rusty brown until you remove the iron. Go to a pool shop with your water sample, and they will recommend the best approach to treat your water.
Alternatively, you can get an iron remover to reduce the level of iron in the pool water.
How To Set Up An Intex Metal Frame Pool
The first thing you need to do before setting up an above ground pool is to level the ground where it will be placed. Dont worry. Its not as hard as it sounds!
Most of the time, you can find fairly level ground to place it on. And keep in mind that it doesnt have to be perfect. A little sand in some low spots and a shovel to chip away any high spots and youre probably all set.
Also, try to rake the ground and make sure there are no sharp objects or rocks that could cause lumps in the bottom of the pool.
Next, place the ground cover your pool came with or a tarp large enough to cover the area on the level ground. Spread it out evenly and then place the pool directly on top.
Youll also need to spread the pool liner out evenly. It helps to let it sit out in the sun for a couple of hours to warm it up and make it more pliable.
Now youll just follow the instructions for inserting all the supports into the tee joints and fasten them with the provided pins and washers. Youll do this around the entire parameter of the pool.
Once those are all connected, youll attach the metal frame supports to them. Its important in this step to make sure youre passing the vertical supports through both the belt and lower rope as shown here in this pic from Level Ground Pool:
Photo credit:
All thats left to do now is to fill it up with water, attach the pump, and add your chemicals .
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What Is A Pool Shock
Shocking your above ground pool is a necessary part of its maintenance routine. A shock simply refers to adding above normal levels of chlorine or sanitizer to your pool to quickly raise the levels of chemicals in a very short amount of time.
The reason for shocking a pool is to remove ineffective chlorine, kill bacteria, and get rid of algae. Additionally, youll be raising the level of effective chlorine and helping your pool get clean and safe to swim in again.
What youll need to shock your above ground pool:
- Pool cleaning supplies
- Pool shock mix/shock kit
Frequent Cleaning Of Pool Interior
To avoid having to perform substantial cleaning of the walls and floor of your pool in the future, clean your pool interior with pool surface cleaning brushes and natural cleaning solutions. There are times when a pool may have too much calcium or have a buildup of copper, or even excessive algae at one point or another. All of these scenarios can cause staining to the walls and floor of your pool interior.
The staining usually doesnt happen overnight, and you can avoid staining from starting or continuing by scrubbing and vacuuming the walls and floor of your pool.
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How To Keep Above Ground Pools Clean: Tips For New Pool Owners
Owning an above ground pool comes with responsibilities, and the most significant responsibility is keeping your pool clean. After all, how can you enjoy fun & games in your pool if it is not clean?
Maintaining the cleanliness of your pool happens on a daily, weekly, and monthly period, and knowing how to keep your pool clean is vital to help avoid more expensive maintenance or dangerous swimming conditions. In this article, we discuss the main reasons for cleaning your pool and the variety of ways how to keep above ground pools clean.
Understanding Chlorine Vs Bromine
In most pools, there will be one of these halogens. Chlorine and bromine share several characteristics on the chemical level. Since they have an identical number of valence electrons, they behave similarly. Thus, you can use them in the same applications to produce substantially comparable results.
Chlorine:In most instances, chlorine is the pool sanitizer of choice. Once you add some of this, none of those bacteria can thrive.
Bromine:If you are sensitive to chlorine, then bromine might be an appropriate substitute. Sometimes, people develop rashes when swimming in chlorinated water. If you are in those truths, then try some of this. Typically, it will perform much better.
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Above Ground Pool Care
The key is to keep the water balanced not just for enjoyment and everyday use but because when an above ground pool turns – starts to get algae it is harder to reverse it. Mainly because the equipment is undersized for the amount of water. Manufacturers can’t package full-size equipment for practical reasons like set-up and assembly. So you are working with equipment that is designed to keep a balanced pool blue and looking good. The equipment is not designed for a green pool clean-up. Some newer above ground pools don’t have a skimmer or vacuum port so once it gets out of hand things can get frustrating.
One solution is to upgrade to better equipment but the less expensive alternative is to not let the pool turn green in the first place.
A good test kit is essential and testing the water each week or several times a week will keep the pool looking good.
In the video, I recommend the BBB Method of pool care as it is the easiest, safest and best way to keep your pool blue all season long. The other chemicals were designed and made for the pool service companies who can only service a pool once a week. But they are marketed now to homeowners for convenience sake. Liquid chlorine or Clorox bleach is the best way to sanitize your pool.
Investing in good cleaning equipment is a must also. A good brush and leaf rake will make keeping your pool clean a breeze. Brush at least once a week and skim the leaves off the top when you check the chemicals.
How To Identify The Presence Of Iron In Water
The most common form of identification is the rusty brown color of your pool water. However, you may not readily notice the presence of iron if the concentration is at normal levels. That is why you should take your pool water sample to a regional pool shop to get it analyzed.
Note that your pool water may not appear as rusty brown for a long time if its not removed. Over time, the rusty brown will change to black and then to green. At this stage, it means that your pool water has copper. It will become increasingly difficult to treat the pool water, but there is always a solution for it.
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How To Open A Pool Above Ground
Before you open your pool, you need to get the winter cover off of it.But it is possible to do it on your own.But just because the sun is shining doesnt mean the pool is quite ready for swimmers.Carefully check all around your pool, and remove the plugs from all openings, including the return jets and skimmer bucket.
Check your deck for damage, wear, and tear and address any issues before you open your pool for the season.Clean and drain your winter cover.Clean up debris and check for wear and tear.Cleaning and draining the winter cover is the part of the opening process that everyone likes least.
Contents how to open an above ground pool.Fill the pool back to an optimum level with normal water via your garden hose.Fill the pool to the correct level.For pool owners, that warmer weather also mean its almost time to open your pool for the season!
For us, its about halfway up the skimmer box.Get your filter system ready by replacing any broken drain plugs and pressure gauges.Heres the best way to open your inground pool.How do you open your above ground pool?
How to open an above ground pool.How to open an above ground pool.If dont have enough shock, do not mix multiple brands.If the alkalinity needs to be lowered it can be achieved with dry acid or muriatic acid which can be found at your local pool supply shop.
Clearing A Cloudy Above Ground Pool
Above ground pools are more susceptible to cloudiness. This is usually a sign that the pool water is dirty and is in need of some serious treatment. Cloudy above ground pool water can be caused by a number of things.
- Dirt, debris, and other environmental factors – trees, bird droppings, weather, small animals, bugs, and other creepy crawlies can get into your pool and cause cloudiness.
- Filter issues – cloudy pool water can be a symptom that your pool filter needs cleaning or replacing if youre running it the recommended number or hours and your pool water is still cloudy.
- Chemical balance issues – cloudy pool water is also a symptom that your chemical balance may be off so be sure to check this as well!!
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Find A Neighbor Or A Friend
This is the key to success when it comes to keeping your swimming pool clean while youre away.
The ideal candidate is someone who owns a pool themselves. They should already know what to do. Tell your friend or neighbor to check on the pool once a day and provide them with a simple checklist, including:
- Empty the skimmer basket
- Skim the surface of the pool
- Check the filter pressure
- Test the water with a test kit or test strips
- Add any necessary chemicals
When Do You Choose Automatic Cleaning
Whether or not you opt for automatic cleaning depends to a large extent on the size of your Intex pool and the extent to which you use it. For smaller Intex swimming pools, a swimming pool pump is actually not necessary. You can often clean it more efficiently yourself. A swimming pool pump often only becomes relevant for swimming pools with a diameter of 183 centimetres or more. Some swimming pools contain a cartridge filter or sand filter pump. The method of purification of these pumps differs. A cartridge filter pump contains a paper filter that you must change every 1-2 weeks. A sand filter pump filters through sand or glass grains dirt the size of a sand grain from the water. Before purchasing a swimming pool pump, you should note the diameter of the hose and the connection.
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What Happens If You Dont Clean Your Swimming Pool
A dirty swimming pool wont just ruin your day improper pool maintenance or care could lead to recreational water illnesses like diarrhea, ear infections, respiratory infection, rashes, inflamed eyes, and lungs.
This is why its important to keep up on pool maintenance and make sure the pool chemistry is balanced so everything stays safe and clean.
Before Starting Please Remember To
1. Read entire label of each bottle and use in accordance with precautionary statements and directions.
2. All chemicals should be handled by adults only, and kept out of the reach of children. Filter system must always be on and running when adding chemicals to pool.
3. All chemicals should be added to pool separately and must not be mixed together.
4. For existing pools, remove cover, connect filter to pool and remove any winter plates and plugs. Add water if needed, and clean and vacuum pool.
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Remove Debris From Your Pool
Whether its pool toys like floats or organic matter like leaves, debris will lower the effectiveness of your shock treatment.
Therefore, its important to remove all debris before application. You may need a net for smaller items or even a pool vacuum for anything stuck on the bottom.
Just be sure to clear it out as much dirty and debris as reasonably possible.
If You Have A Lot Of Calcium In The Water Use A Water Softener
Water becomes hard when there are too many free-floating calcium ions. These can leave scale on the walls of your pipes. Thus, creating maintenance problems. To soften your water, use a water softener.
We hope our guide and tips going over what chemicals you need for your above ground pool and also how to put chemicals in your swimming pool for the first time have been helpful to you.
Whenever you are about to add a new chemical to your swimming pool, we always recommend reading the chemicals instructions carefully and making exact measurements.
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How To Shock Your Intex Pool
Aside from your daily tasks, your pool will also need to be shocked regularly. This is a high-dose chlorine treatment that sort of resets your chemicals and gets them balanced again.
What it does is to break down those contaminants that the chlorine has bonded to trying to kill. It frees up the chlorine to go back to doing its job in killing more contaminants.
We always recommend shocking your Intex pool at a minimum of twice a month, but preferably once a week. It usually especially needs to be shocked after a change in weather or when youve had a lot of swimmers.
This is a simple process that just requires following the directions on the product container. Youll typically have to prep the product by mixing it with some water in a 5-gallon bucket if its a granular shock. But other products can be poured right into the water. The most important thing to do is to follow dosage instructions to a tee.
After youve added the shock to your pool water, youll need to leave it alone for a few hours and let it do its thing.
Then, get out your handy little testing kit and check all your levels.
Dont let anyone get into the pool until all your chemicals are back in normal range. This might require some balancing, but mainly, youre watching for the chlorine levels to return to under 3.0 ppm.
About The Pool Factory
Americas Above Ground Pool Experts is the best place to find everything you need to make owning a swimming pool or spa fun and easy, at the best prices today. With a combined 50+ years of experience The Pool Factory employs a highly trained staff of above ground and semi inground pool specialists. The Pool Factory can provide unique solutions for all pool supplies and swimming pool needs.
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What Happened To My Pool Anyway
The reason why your pool turned green is related to algae and the chemistry involved with your pools water. When a swimming pool is clear, it is primarily free from organisms that might live in the water.
But when you dont treat it with chlorine or you dont filter the water, it becomes closer to a pond available for life to grow within. So think of the pool as something available for your use or care as part of your home or something else, many things, will make it their home.
