Top 5 Tips for Keeping Your Pool Sparkling Clean |
Posted: September 22, 2017 |
There's nothing like the sight of a sparkling clean, refreshing pool. But as pool owners know, keeping your pool clean can be a challenge. It can be expensive to fix repairs and clean out old nasty pools. You may wish that it could be as easy as financing a pool. You have to watch out for debris, insects, and objects that may damage your pool lining, as well as keep up with maintenance to prevent cloudy water and algae growth. Luckily, there are a number of easy ways to keep your pool clean and ready for enjoyment all season long. Here are the top 5 tips for easy pool cleaning. 1. Use an Automatic Pool Cleaner For inground pool owners, this tool is practically a must. Automatic pool cleaners operate underwater and use vacuum or suction power to pull water through the machine, trapping dirt and debris while releasing clean water back into the pool. These types of cleaners operate automatically -- just place them in the pool, turn them on and let them go. In general, automatic pool cleaners will clean a pool in 30 to 45 minutes. 2. Skim Smarter Inground pools are equipped with skimmer baskets that collect dirt, insects and other debris through the pool's built-in filtering system. It's important to empty these filter baskets at least once a week. Clogged filter baskets will slow down your filtration system and weaken water circulation. You can also improve the performance of your filter baskets by wrapping them in old pantyhose -- the fine mesh will retain more dirt and finer particles than the filter baskets alone. In addition to automatic filtration, you should use a long-handled skimmer to remove bugs, leaves and other floating debris on an as-needed basis. It's easier to remove debris while it's still floating. Left too long, it will sink to the bottom of the pool, where it may not be caught by the filtration vents. 3. Brush Walls and Tiles Even with once-a-week pool vacuuming, you may still see the occasional cloudy water or algae formation in your pool. One way to prevent this is to manually brush the walls and bottom surface of your pool. Around once a week, use a soft brush for vinyl, fiberglass and tiled surfaces, and a stiff brush for plaster-lined concrete. This will discourage both algae growth and calcium deposits that can damage your pool. 4. Keep Your (Chemical) Levels Balanced Pool chemicals are a fact of life for pool owners. Make sure you have a testing kit handy to regularly test the pH levels of your pool -- the ideal pH range is from 7.2 to 7.8. When the levels slip out of this range, make sure to add the proper amount of chlorine, neutralizer, or other required chemicals to restore the balance. You can also use algaecide on a weekly basis to prevent algae growth. As a cheaper alternative to pool alkalinity chemicals, consider using baking soda in your pool. Most alkalinity treatments use sodium bicarbonate -- which is a primary ingredient in baking soda. Simply use the same amount of baking soda as you would alkalinity treatment. Finally, don't be afraid to shock your pool if the water becomes cloudy. Shock treatments will not harm your pool, and they are the best preventative step between cloudy water and a green, algae-filled pool. Remember to add algaecide after each shock treatment. 5. Remove Oil with Tennis Balls When swimmers use a pool, they leave behind oily residue from suntan lotion, hair care products, and even natural oils produced by the skin. You can keep your pool water clear and oil-free with tennis balls, which absorb this oil from the water. Simply toss a tennis ball or two into the pool and allow them to float, or set tennis balls inside your filter baskets to absorb oil from there.
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