The last thing you want to find on a hot, summer day is a dirty swimming pool. But, we know that cleaning pools takes forever and it’s something that nobody wants to have to do.
However, if we go without cleaning our pool, the toxic waters can be detrimental to our health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that swimming in a dirty swimming pool or hot tub can cause diarrheal illnesses, rashes, ear infections, respiratory infections, chemical irritation of the eyes and lungs, and other infections.
Instead of letting your pool get to the level that these illnesses can occur, weekly maintenance sessions will promote a safe and healthy swimming environment.
This article will demonstrate the perfect step-by-step process to keeping your pool clean.
Time to Clean
For starters, it is important to spot-clean your pool of any debris that may have fallen into your pool while the cover was not in place. Leaves, sticks, or grass are among the top culprits of pool filter cloggers.
Be sure to remove these imposters every day or as often as you see them to keep them out of the pool filter.
By doing this, you are taking the first step in maintenance: prevention. If you keep the filter clean, you can prevent your pool from becoming any dirtier than it needs to be.
However, if your filter doesn’t seem to be cutting it or if it’s just getting too dirty, here’s the best way to maintain your pool.
1. Test Your Pool’s pH Levels
If your pool’s pH levels are out of whack, different types of bacteria will thrive. Also, if your pool is too acidic or basic, it can cause irritation to the eyes or skin.
Use a pH strip to see exactly what your pool needs. To do this, purchase a set of pH strips from either an online retailer or a specialty pool store near you.
Dip the pH strip into the pool water and allow it to sit for approximately 30 seconds. The pH strip has squares that will change color depending on the alkalinity levels of your pool.
Based on the results from the pH strip, add chlorine, calcium, cyanuric acid, and any other pool cleaners or water softeners that you typically add to your pool.
Dissolve the substances in water and add them to the pool, allowing the filter to cycle for about an hour before adding the next solution. Afterward, test your pool’s pH levels with the strip to make sure the alkalinity is correct.
2. Scrub Away
Sometimes, our pools can get so out of hand that we need to take matters into our own hands. If your pool is excessively green and mossy or full of debris, manual cleaning may be necessary in order to make the waters swimmable.
- Grab a brush, siphon/vacuum, a hose, and a pool net filter to start removing the debris that is cluttering up your pool water.
- Start by using the pool net to remove any sticks, twigs, branches, bugs, leaves, grass, or other debris that is floating on the pool’s surface.
Removing the surface-dwelling debris makes it easier to clean the entire pool in later steps.
- Add some water to the pool to balance out what will be removed in the vacuuming or siphoning process.
- Use a pool siphon or vacuum to remove any debris that may have settled to the bottom of the pool to get rid of the larger perpetrators.
- After removing the larger leaves, sticks, twigs, and any other debris that may have been in your pool, use a brush to scrub away any mold or residue that may be left along the edges of your pool.
Removing this extra build-up of bacteria will help keep your pool cleaner after finishing the process.
- Depending on how much debris fell into the pool from scrubbing the residue away, it may be necessary to either re-siphon or clean the surface of the pool.
- Finish by testing your pools pH level with a strip and adding the necessary chemicals. Refer back to Step 1 for more details.
3. Replace your pool filter often
A pool filter is what keeps the pool clean when you can’t, so it’s best to make sure your filter is up to date and being maintained.
If you forget to maintain the pool filter, the pool itself will become cloudy and dangerous.
Here are 5 tell-tale signs that you need to replace your cartridge pool filter:
- High or Low pool pressure
- Damaged end caps
- Ripped Fabric within the pool filter
- Collapsed Cartridges
- Flat Pleats
If you notice any of these within your pool filter, it’s probably a good time to invest in a new filter.
There are three types of pool filters that are used the most often.
- SAND FILTERS:
Sand filters use a tank partially full of sand where the water can travel through and filter out most of the smaller debris you may miss with the net cleaner.
- DE FILTERS:
DE Filters use grids with seashell and other sea creature particles and secretants to filter out higher rates of debris to keep your water fresh. Typically, DE filters can filter out even smaller particles than most other filters.
- CARTRIDGE FILTERS:
Cartridge filters are where there are multiple compartments of polyester wrapped around a PVC core. With multiple cartridges, you can filter out many different sizes of invasive material.
However, if you’re looking for a way to avoid a pool filter altogether, purchasing an above ground swimming pool can make cleaning even easier.
Replacing a pool filter will run you about a hundred dollars depending on the type of filter you own and installation takes minutes, but keeping your pool system up-to-date can make or break your health.
Cleaning your pool doesn’t have to be an impossible feat. By taking the necessary precautions before your pool gets to be too dirty, you can save the hassle of a full-on deep clean for another day.
Maintaining your pool is as simple as 1-2-3, test, scrub, and replace.
With summer right around the corner, these three simple steps will help you make your backyard the go-to spot for family and friend gatherings.