Maintenance is key to keeping your pool in pristine condition. Some pool owners hire a pool cleaning service while others prefer to do it on their own. Whether you favor the former or the latter, knowing how pool maintenance works is important for any pool owner. That said, we’re going to talk about the ins and outs of swimming pool maintenance to help you keep your pool look as good as new.
Basic Swimming Pool Care
One of the first steps in pool maintenance is cleaning. Pool cleaning can start by skimming the water’s surface of any dirt and debris, usually of dried leaves and twigs and occasionally some dead bugs. Skimming the pool’s water is typically carried out by using a skimmer net attached to a telescopic pole. Scoop up floating dirt and debris before they sink to the bottom of the pool where they can be harder to remove. But in that case, a water tech cordless pool cleaner will come in handy so you don’t have to do the work. Moreover, these debri can decompose underwater and can disrupt the balance of the pool water. Keeping your pool water’s chemistry in check is important, but we’ll get to that in a few. Make sure to dump the collected trash in a bin, so they won’t have to fly back into the water should the wind blow.
After you’re done, remove the skimmer net from the telescopic pole and replace it with a pool brush. This is where you’ll need to put in some work. Start scrubbing the walls of the pool interior, but do it at a slow and steady pace, preferably pushing the brush towards one direction. It’s a trick used by pool cleaning service companies to make sure that the dirt removed when they brush the pool’s walls will be pushed towards a single direction. Brushing in a slow and steady pace will help you keep the water from kicking the dirt back up the water, which could take hours to settle. Pay more attention to the areas frequented by swimmers like the steps and pool entries as they could harbor more dirt and small microorganisms. Finish scrubbing the pool by stroking the floor and pushing the small dust particles from the shallow to the deeper end of the pool.
Now that you’re done brushing, remove the pool brush from the telescopic pole and attach the vacuum head to it. With the pool vacuum set up, give the floor a thorough pass until you’ve collected the dirt that’s settled on the floor.
Pool cleaning companies like Stanton Pools also check the pool’s skimmer and pump baskets to collect trapped dirt and debris. This will help promote better water circulation, which will help the pool pump run in its optimal condition. Stanton Pools also check your pool’s structural integrity and check your pool equipment. Most pool cleaning service companies finish skimming the water’s surface, brushing the pool’s interior, and vacuuming the dirt left behind in about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your pool.
But that’s just the easy part…
Advanced Swimming Pool Care
Now that you’re done with dishing the dirt, you can now check the pool water’s chemistry. Many new pool owners find this task a bit daunting because it deals with measuring chemicals that affect the pool water’s balance followed by adding the necessary amount of chemicals to help keep the water’s chemistry in check. And while it’s a job better left for the pros, it’s definitely not rocket science.
Run to your local hardware store and look for pool water test strips or kits. If you’re using a test strip, here’s what you do. First, grab a small cup. Next, with the cup in hand, reach down the pool water – elbow deep. Slowly raise your hands with the cup full of water. Then take your test strip and dip it in the cup. You’ll have to look at the back of the packaging to see what the changes in the color of the strip means. From here, decide how much of the chemicals are needed to be dumped into the water, from which it will be tested again.
On the other hand, follow these steps if you’re using a test kit. Take a cup and reach out into the pool until the water reaches your elbows. Most test kits include a dropper. Take a sample of the pool water and drop a reasonable amount into the test kit. In the same way, refer to the packaging of the kit to understand what the changes in color mean. Decide how much chemicals you need to put in and test the water again to check the chemistry.
For beginners, this could be a case of trial and error. On that note, it’s best to hire a pool cleaning service company first. You’ll be surprised that some offer professional advice where you can learn a thing or two about finding the right balance for your pool will be helpful.
Why is Pool Cleaning Important?
For pool owners who clean their pools on their own, pool cleaning can look like challenging work. That’s because it is. Pool professionals make it look easy because they’ve been doing it for years and as they say, practice makes perfect. Whether you’re hiring a professional pool cleaning service company or maybe you’re a hands-on type of person, cleaning your pool can help keep it looking beautiful and also help extend its longevity. Plus, nobody wants to swim in a dirty pool.
Why is Pool Water Chemistry Important?
Pool water chemistry plays a huge role in your pool’s overall health. Poor pool water chemistry can cause a slew of problems from cloudy water to the eventual weakening and delamination of your pool’s interior surface. Pool water with bad chemistry can even corrode the metals in your pool equipment and even the pipes you have underground. A lot of work, and money, can be saved by keeping your pool clean and your pool water chemistry in check.
On that note, it pays to hire pool professionals, like the folks at Stanton Pools, or even dedicating time to cleaning and maintaining your pool.
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