A few people are lucky enough to have a pool in their home. A swimming pool allows you to enjoy the summers for years to come. With the arrival of warm water pools, people can use them to enjoy and relax throughout the year. However, it all depends on how you maintain your pool.

Swimming pools need maintenance for clean water and proper functioning of its equipment. Pool owners need to understand the essentials of pool maintenance. As a pool owner, you must understand its basic working and maintenance. This post shares some simple to clean and maintain your pool.

Things that need maintenance

There are three things in a pool that requires maintenance that is water, pool walls, filter system and skimmers. The pool lining gets affected with algae, mold and debris that need periodic cleaning. The pool water also needs chemical treatment for cleaning. Similarly, the filtration and skimmer system also needs regular cleaning to function properly and avoid getting clogged.

Clean the skimmer basket

The skimmer basket skims the debris from the water as everything enters the pool at the surface. There is nothing like a standard time when you should clean your skimmer. Clean it every two months or every month in case the frequent storms and winds bring debris to the surface. Open the round access panel at the deck of your pool and take out the basket. Dump the debris and other content in it and wash it with a hose of water.

Check the water level

The pool skimmer works correctly only when the level of water is accurate. It does not work in case the water is low or higher than the optimum level. The water level should be at the centre level of the skimmer for its proper functioning and optimal performance.

Low water levels can make the pump run dry and burn it up. Also, the high levels of water can prevent the proper working of the skimmer door, and it may not hold the debris in the basket.

Hair and lint pot

Hair and lint pot is a basket at the front of your pool pump. As you pump circulates the water in your pool, the hair and debris get collected in this basket. You need to clean the hair and lint pot every month or once in two months. To clean the basket, you should turn off the pump to release the pressure on the system.  Open the lid of the pot and remove the basket to rinse it with water. Then put it back in its place and close the lid.

Cleaning the pool pump

The pump circulates the water in the pool, and it does not require cleaning. However, sometimes it starts making noise, and the pressure gauge indicates a low reading, you need to check the impeller. The ONGA pool pumps are the best as they do not require much cleaning and have a long life. The impeller gets clogged with debris that needs cleaning. Shut off the electric switch of the pool pump and open the pump basket to access the impeller. Take a toothbrush or make a hook from a wire to clean the debris from the impeller. Then replace the basket and pump lid and fill the housing with water.

Clean the pool filter

The pool filter cleans the water by removing the dirt and debris that enters with the swimmers and environment. It cleans the debris that your skimmer does not catch at the surface of the water. With time the pool filter needs cleaning to prevent clogging. There are three types of pool filters, and every unit requires a different method for cleaning.

Sand Filter – If you have a sand filter in your pool, you need to clean it by backwashing or reverse flow of water. You need to clean them when the pressure gauge shows a reading of 7 to 10 lbs. Sand filters don’t require removal for cleaning as they get slightly dirty. All you need is to backwash to clean them.

Cartridge filters – The cartridge filters need cleaning when the pressure gauge indicates a reading of 7 to 10 lbs more than standard operating pressure. Remove the cartridge to clean all the dirt and debris using a hose of water. Spray the water with pressure to remove all the dirt from the filter. If the filter is oily or greasy, soak it in a cleaner for a few hours and then clean it before reinstalling back.

Diatomaceous Earth Filter – The DE filters are also like the sand filters and can be cleaned by backwashing them. However, you need to replace the diatomaceous earth before putting it back in its place.

Brush the walls

You can clean the walls of your pool using a long-handled brush. However, you need to skim the water surface simultaneously to remove the debris that fells in it from the side walls. It is best to get the sides and floor cleaned by a professional, as they are experts in the maintenance of pools.

Vacuum the pool

Cleaning the pool bottom with a brush is difficult. A pool vacuum cleaner is the best for cleaning on the bottom, but you should know how to use it. Hire a professional to vacuum clean the bottom and sides of your pool. You can do it once you open the pool for summer and once before you close it for the offseason.

Chemical balance

The chemical balance of your pool water should be perfect to make it fit for swimming. Check the pH level, alkalinity, chlorine residual, calcium hardness and salt (in case of salt water pool). The chemical balance should be as mentioned below.

• pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8
• Alkalinity should be from 80 to 120 ppm
• Calcium Hardness: 250-450 ppm
• Chorine residual: 1.0 to 1.5 ppm

If your pool has a salt water chlorinator, you don’t need to add chlorine, but add salt if required. It is best to hire a professional to check the chemical balance and add the right amount of chemicals to your pool.

Final Words

Swimming pools are easy to enjoy but hard to maintain. You need to pay attention, spare time out of your routine and spend some money for its routine maintenance. Spending some time and a few hundreds of dollars can help you to maintain your pool. The pool cleaning tips in this post can enable people to maintain their pool sparkling clean throughout the year.