A swimming pool in your backyard can be a joy, but it’s also a bit of work. Without that work, the water in your pool can quickly become unhealthy, and the pool itself can fall into disrepair that can be very costly to fix. It’s up to you, with help from your pool contractor, to follow the checklist to make sure your pool is safe for the pool season.
Checklist for Regular Pool Care
When you do have a pool, be it above ground or in ground, there are tasks that should be done regularly throughout the season. Here are some of them:
- Check the pool equipment: You should check the pool equipment regularly. This might mean that you check on things every time someone uses the pool or every few days. The equipment includes the pool’s pump, heaters, filters, pool vacuum, alarms, and an automatic pool cleaner if you have one. Other equipment that you should look over are the pool brush, the leaf skimmer and the telescopic pole.
- Clear out debris every day: At the end of a day of pool activities, use the skimmer and a pool net to remove dead bugs, fallen leaves, twigs, and other trash. You should also turn on the automatic pool cleaner or use the pool vacuum to give the pool a proper cleaning every week.
- Test the water’s chemistry. Use a test kit to check the water’s pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels. This should be done twice a week.
- Check the filter: Your pool’s filter is as important to its effectiveness as the filter is to your HVAC system. Take a look at it every week, and keep it clear and clean.
- Run the pool pump daily: You should run it between eight and 12 hours every day to make sure the water stays clean even as it’s being used.
- Check the water levels: Your pool is constantly losing water due to people splashing around and even from evaporation. The rule of thumb is to make sure that it’s filled up to the bottom half of the skimmer. Adding water is simple. All you need to do is turn on your garden hose.
- Use a brush to clean the pool itself: Scrub the walls of your pool every week. This gets rid of the unsightly grime and algae.
- Shock the pool when necessary: Shocking the pool basically means adding a high dose of chlorine into the water to really get it clean after heavy use. You can do this yourself or have a pool expert do it.
A swimming pool shared with friends and family is a joy. Good maintenance can help it last for many years. If you live in Hillsborough, NJ or a surrounding area and need pool equipment services, make your first call to S&R Pool & Spa.