Adding Shock Directly Into The Pool Water
The chemical we call pool shock is basically concentrated chlorine. At high strength, chlorine can bleach anything that enters your pool. For example, it can turn black clothes pink and white clothes yellow if the concentration is too high.
Dont worryyou cant overshock your pool. But beyond fashion faux pas, adding shock directly to the pool water if you have a vinyl liner can be a disaster. The shock granules will sink the bottom and bleach out your liner. The bleached area becomes brittle and frail, causing leaks.
Using An Automatic Pool Cleaner When You Have An Algae Problem
Dealing with pool algae is hard enough. Add vacuuming to the list, and you might find yourself thinking its time to replace your pool with something less high-maintenance, like a rare orchid farm or a meerkat sanctuary.
Its tempting, but dont fire up your robotic cleaner. Pressure-side automatic pool cleaners push algae and other debris up through a mesh bag. This gives the algae a nice little tour of your pool, but doesnt remove it.
Taking things high-tech wont help, either. They do an amazing job when algaes not an issue, but even the best robotic pool cleaners use a fine mesh bag thatll clog with algaefast. The clogged gunk gets blown around the pool, and youre back to square one.
Professionally Service The Heater
Pool heaters typically require the least maintenance of all pool equipment. Gas heaters can work fine without being serviced for a couple years, and electric ones can last even longer. Consult your manufacturer’s manual for specific care instructions. Sometimes, calcium scales build up inside the tubes of a heater and restrict flow, preventing the water from heating adequately. If this happens, recruit the help of a professional because the heater may need to be disassembled and have its tubes cleaned out with a wire brush or acid. Hiring someone to service your pool can cost $100 or more per month, depending on the maintenance your pool requires.
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The Bottom Line On Pool Filter Care
In summary, pool filter care is a necessary chore. It should be tended to about every six weeks, and the specific steps depend on the filter type. If that seems like a lot of work or a lot of details to keep track of, call in the pros. That way you can be guaranteed that your filter will be in top shape, working at full capacity to keep your pool water clear. The pros at The Pool Butler are happy to help! Reach out today to get started.
Sanitize Your Pool Water
Sanitizing your water means exterminating the bacteria and bad chloramines in your pool with the addition of chlorine or other chemicals. Chlorine is the primary additive in pool water and can be the best and only sanitizer you need. You can decide how you add the chlorine, but one of the most popular ways of adding chlorine to a pool in a safe way is to use chlorine tablets.
Chlorine tablets are efficient because of how compressed they are. They dont fully dissolve into the pool water right away, and instead, they help add small amounts of chlorine to your pool a little at a time. This slower approach gives you a longer-lasting chlorine treatment, so you dont have to keep adding chlorine or shocking your pool unnecessarily.
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Chapter : How To 80/20 Your Pool Care
The 80/20 rule says that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.
In other words, in almost every situation, find the effort that gives you the most output and concentrate on that. Basically what Im trying to say is that most people will never be experts on every single aspect of pool care, but as long as you have some nuts and bolts knowledge and nail down the basics, you’ll do fine.
Dont sweat the small stuff and all that, right? If youre reading this guide, youre probably interested in becoming a halfway decent pool owner, so let me give you just a few tips you might find helpful.
Balancing The Water Chemistry
Chlorine isn’t the only thing your pool needs to stay clean and clear.
Youll keep track of 5 main aspects of your water chemistry to ensure they stay within these ranges:
- Total alkalinity: 80120 ppm
- pH: 7.27.8
- Calcium hardness: 100300 ppm fiberglass / 200-400 for vinyl and concrete
- Stabilizer : 2050 ppm
- Chlorine: 2.03.0 ppm
They all affect each other, so follow that specific order when you test and modify the water. Itll save you a headache.
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Good Pool Maintenance Begins With Knowing Your Pool
Before you can properly enjoy or care for your pool, you might need to brush up on all the parts of your pool. You dont need to take an annex course or go for your doctorate in swimology from Harvard. But knowing the basic parts of your pool, and their functions, helps you keep everything running smoothlyand makes it easier to resolve issues when they occur.
Looking for even more pool maintenance tips? Weve got just the thing. Check out The Pool Care Handbook and Video Course and become a pool care master.
Pool Filter Care : How To Take Care Of My Pool Filter
When youre enjoying a crystal clear pool, all youre thinking about is the water. I can guarantee no one is thinking about pool filter care. As long as the water is clear and the temperature feels good, what else is there to think of
The reality is, there are so many parts, pieces, and efforts that go into maintaining a beautiful pool. Aside from the water chemicals and clearing visible debris there are all the parts that go into pool maintenance.
Most pool owners understand that the filter is a key component of keeping the pool clean. However, they may not realize that they also need to clean the filter periodically. Keeping your filter clean ensures the filter performs at its best and keeps your water clear.
To help you stay on top of your pool filter care, weve compiled some of the most common questions. And we even added some helpful tips and tricks!
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How To Clean Every Type Of Pool Filter
Its only logical. Your filter is one of the main components in keeping your pool clean, so it also needs to be kept clean. But maybe youre new to pool maintenance. Or maybe you just got a new type of filter. Whatever the case, knowing how to clean a pool filter is an essential part of owning a pool.
But as long as you have the right equipment, enough time, and the desire to swim in a clean, clear pool , cleaning your pool filter will be a snap.
A Beginners Guide To Above Ground Pool Maintenance
With an average April high of 80 degrees in Austin, Texas, its about time to get back in the pool!
Whether youre;installing an above ground pool;in your yard for the first time or taking off the cover after a long winter, its important to understand above ground pool maintenance.
While there may be a bit of a learning curve at first, once you know how to take care of your above ground pool, itll become second nature!
Read on for our beginners guide on how to maintain an above ground pool.
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Opening Up Your Above Ground Pool
Use a skimmer basket to remove leaves, insects, and other debris from the surface. If you havent cleared your pump basket, located at the base of your pump housing, since last season, do so now. This basket gets filled with debris often and should be checked on at least once a week when the pump is running.
Grab the pump and reconnect all of the hoses and cords. Once youve turned the pump on, youll be able to check for any sign of leakage indicating that some parts may need replacement.
Sometimes, pumps need to be primed before theyll function properly. If youre having trouble with your pump, check the owners manual and find out what you can do to get it back in tiptop shape!
If you have an above ground pool, you likely have an automatic pool cleaner in addition to your pump basket. Make sure this is also clean and hook it back up so it can start filtering out the debris that falls into your water.
Maintain Your Pool During Winter
If you are closing your above-ground pool during winter or any cold months, there is a way to clean your pool and get it ready for winter so that you dont have to continue to maintain it as stringently as you would during the heat of summer and swimming season. This winter pool maintenance is referred to as winterizing your pool.
Here are some major steps to follow when winterizing your above-ground pool:
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Skim Debris And Clean Out Baskets
Skimming the pool’s surface by hand every few days is one of the fastest and easiest ways to keep your pool clean. Floating debris will eventually sink, becoming harder to remove. Use a long-handled net called a hand skimmer or leaf skimmer to remove leaves, bugs and other unwanted items. Skimming significantly increases the efficiency of the pool’s circulation system and lowers the amount of chlorine you’ll need to add to your pool. Cleaning out strainer baskets at least once a week also helps circulation and lowers chlorine demands. Locate strainer baskets attached to the side of aboveground pools and in the pool deck of inground pools. Simply remove the plastic basket and shake it out; spraying the inside with a hose can help dislodge stubborn objects.
Maintain The Ph Level
Pool water should be tested regularly to make sure it’s clean and healthy. The pH scale is a measurement of acidity or alkalinity that runs from 0 to 14. A reading between 7.2 and 7.8 is ideal; this range is safe for swimmers and helps sanitizers work at top efficiency.
You can monitor your pool’s pH level with a testing kit. There are many kinds of testing kits available; however, most homeowner versions are either reagent kits or test-strips. Reagent kits aren’t too difficult to use. You take a sample of pool water, then add liquids or tablets to it. The water changes color, indicating its chemical balance. Test-strips work differently. When you submerge them in the pool for a few seconds, dyes they contain cause them to change color. Next, match up the strip to a color chart to determine the pool’s pH level. Use this information to gauge what kind and how much of the chemicals your pool needs.
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Getting The Right Chlorine Levels
Chlorine is the chemical that helps prevent algae buildups in your pool. While small amounts of algae are more unsightly than they are dangerous, larger amount of algae can cause;respiratory problems, especially for people with asthma.
You want to keep your pool at a level of at least 1.0 ppm chlorine when it is in use. To test your chlorine levels, you can use either test strips or a test kit.
Once your pump is back on, you will get higher levels of regulated chlorine. However, if your levels are still too low, consider using chlorine tablets until the pump is working again.
Test your chlorine levels a few times a week at the beginning of the swimming season to make sure that your pump is regulating things properly. Once you have stable levels, you can test your pool water once a week.
Shock Your Pool Water
Shocking is a term that means adding a concentrated amount of chlorine or other chemicals to your pool to destroy the chloramines that have built up in your pool. Shocking is also known as super-chlorination, and essentially means you are super-chlorinating your pool when needed.
You only need to shock your pool water if it hasnt been maintained well enough or adequately treated with the right amount of chemicals. Your water could need a shock treatment solely for excess use of your pool. Too many people in a pool can cause products and chemicals from suntan lotion, sunscreen, face cream, makeup, hairspray, oils from your hair and skin, to be added to your pool. These unnatural additives can quickly lead to excess bacteria and other chemicals that can cause algae buildup and can cause your pool to become unbalanced.
Testing your pool for chlorine and chloramine can help you decide whether or not it needs a shock treatment. Shock treatments might be necessary every week or hardly ever depending on how well you maintain your pool and how often it is used.
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Tips For Salt Water Pool Chemistry
Salt water pools are both pool-owner and -user friendly. Below are some tips to maintain your saltwater pool chemistry.:
Test your water with a salt water pool test strip for salt, pH levels, free chlorine, stabilizer, total alkalinity, and total hardness. Youll also want to consider testing the water if its cloudy.
You may use a water chemistry calculator to aid in making those adjustments in order to keep the balance of your pool water.
Take a look at this basic salt water pool maintenance checklist that will help prevent cloudy pool water or algae from growing.
How Often Should You Clean A Swimming Pool
The question, how often should you clean a swimming pool?;is a difficult one to answer, because cleaning a swimming pool is no simple task!
There are many jobs big and small involved in proper pool maintenance. Some must be performed daily, some weekly, some monthly, some seasonally.
Even though you can create a maintenance chart to follow, keeping your pool properly maintained is not as simple as following the chart. You have to be observant and take care of problems as, or before, they arise.
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How To Take Care Of A Salt Water Pool
Wish you had a salt water pool? Want to learn how to take care of a salt water pool? Youve come to the right place! Hayward is an innovator in salt water sanitization and an expert in salt water pool maintenance.
Haywards industry leading residential and commercial salt water pool systems turn your pool salt into a self-regenerating supply of pure chlorine for clean, clear, and luxuriously soft pool and spa water. Along with easy maintenance, its no wonder so many pool owners are converting their traditional chlorine pools to salt water pools!
Maintaining a Salt Water Pool
To maintain a salt water pool youll need to keep your filter, pump, and skimmer clean and in good operating condition. With salt water pools, you must inspect the salt chlorinator cell and replace it when needed. Test regularly for proper water chemistry to maintain clean, clear pool water.
Salt Water Pool Chemistry Tips
Using a salt water pool test strip, test your water for free chlorine, salt, pH levels, total alkalinity, stabilizer, and total hardness. Use our online Water Chemistry Calculator to help make those adjustments and balance your pool water.
Following severe weather or times where the load is increased such as pool parties, be sure to test again to maintain your pools water chemistry within proper levels. Once you have tested your pool, balance as needed.
Did You Know?
7 Common Salt Water Pool Care Concerns
2. Is a salt water pool easier to maintain?
4. Is a salt water pool, salty?
How Many Hours A Day Should I Run My Pool Filter
You should run your pool pump an average of 8 hours a day to properly circulate and clean your water. Residential pool water only needs to be turned over once daily to have proper filtration. However, you dont have to run your pool pump consecutively. For example, you can choose to run it for three hours in the morning before you leave for work. Once youre home in the later afternoon, just turn it on for another 5 hours!;
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Pool Maintenance: Diy Or Go With A Pro
A pool is an impressive feature of a home, but it can also be the most difficult and expensive to maintain.
When it comes time to decide between DIY pool care and using a professional pool cleaning service, consider such tasks as maintaining the filter, surface skimming and chemical testing.
What can you do yourself, and what should you leave to the pros?
