Top 4 Pool Maintenance Tips
If you want to enjoy your swimming pool all season long, proper pool maintenance is a must. There are some basic maintenance practices that all pools require. Try these top pool care tips to keep your pool looking and working its best:
- Brush up. Vacuuming and brushing your pool regularly is critical to keeping it looking great and working properly. Vacuuming eliminates dirt and debris, particularly from the bottom of the pool floor. But vacuuming isn’t enough, particularly if you have a tiled inground pool. Both tiles and vinyl pool liners should be brushed at least weekly when the pool is vacuumed. Vinyl pool liners will require a softer brush than tiles, but brushing is still critical for removing dirt and calcium deposits from pool walls.
- Stop the shock. Shock is used to manage major chemical imbalances in your pool, so if you are checking your pool chemistry frequently and making appropriate adjustments, shock should be unnecessary. If you do find you need to use shock to restore appropriate pool chemistry, it should be used at night. One alternative to shocking your pool is to run your ozone system pool pump for a continuous 24 hours to try to restore the balance.
- Fill it up. Maintaining pool water levels is critical to both the functional and structural integrity of your pool. You will, of course, lose water to evaporation and regular pool play, but it is important to restore those levels quickly. During the swimming season, make sure your pool water level is always at least as high as your skimmer. Low water levels can result in pump damage.
- Winterize it. What does it mean to winterize your pool? There are several steps involved, and they are all aimed at preventing damage to various parts of your pool filtration system, as well as maintaining the water environment for use the next year. To winterize your pool, you should empty all pipes and disconnect the pumps and lines that run to the pool. The pool itself should be vacuumed, the water level lowered, and the pool should be super-chlorinated before it’s covered for the winter.