A Beginner’s Guide to Swimming Pool Maintenance
Having a swimming pool at home is a blessing for many people. But, if there is one thing that people don’t like or can’t do is swimming pool maintenance. It is a shame that so many people don’t know the basics of swimming pool maintenance. Because if that is truly the case, then the swimming pool is wasted.
If you are also having some difficulties maintaining your swimming pool, then it’s time to learn. From certain equipment like cleaning the water using swimming pool chemicals to scrubbing the walls of your swimming pool. Luckily, you can learn some of the most important basic skills of swimming pool maintenance.
Learn the basic components of your swimming pool
Obviously, you need to learn the basic components of your swimming pool before you can proceed. These basic components are the water, the filter system, the interior wall, and the skimmers and returns system.
Keeping the water clean is obvious. No one wants to swim in dirty water, but here is the thing, keeping the water in your swimming pool might be trickier than you thought. There are some factors that could change the difficulty of this task, such as weather and environment.
The walls of your pool should also be cleaned, since they are always in contact with the water and also people in the pool. Try to at least keep the surfaces in good repair and free of mold, debris, and algae. Next, are the skimmers and returns of your pool. If they are dirty, then your pool will always be dirty.
Last but not least is the pool filter system. The filter system is like the liver of your swimming pool. Always keep it functional and clean, so the water is clean and safe to use always. Without a functioning filter system, your pool will always be polluted and cloudy, no matter how often you change or clean the water.
Circulation
Well-circulated water will always be clean and free of mold and algae. If you have stagnant water, it will be very difficult to keep it clean, this is the number one problem that many people have. Therefore, you need a high-quality circulation system that can prevent cloudy water and pool algae.
Now, how frequently should you circulate the water of your swimming pool? Well, in an ideal scenario, you should run it every day for at least 10 to 12 hours a day. Or, if budget isn’t a concern at all for you, you can make it even easier by running the circulation system all the time.
Maintenance supplies
I have talked about swimming pool chemicals before, but there are other maintenance supplies that you might want as well. Depending on the pool type, there are some supplies that you may need to help keep everything clean.
- Shock. Pool shock is basically a chemical that oxidizes the water contaminants like bacteria and algae. This maintenance supply is useful for a large swimming pool that has been used by a lot of people. Keep in mind that the swimming pool should be left alone for at least 12 hours during the cleaning process.
- Sanitizers. You must have hard of chlorine before, it is a popular pool sanitizer. The problem with it is that it has a strong smell that some people dislike. Another popular sanitizer is called bromine, which can help kill bacteria and keep the water clean.
Basic cleaning
Of course, we can’t forget about basic cleaning. By basic cleaning, I am talking about getting rid of surface debris, brushing your pool to clean the sides and bottom, using a net to remove leaves and garbage, and so on. You can make this process so much easier by investing in an automatic pool cleaner. But if you don’t mind the manual work, you can do this regularly to keep your swimming pool clean. Just make sure to do it well and regularly – shouldn’t take long at all.
Finishing thought
Owning a swimming pool does come with its own set of responsibilities. Using some basic know-how and the right tools, maintaining a swimming pool is such an easy task. If done correctly, you’ll have a swimming pool that is perfectly usable all the time.