Having a pool is fun when the weather gets warm. However, many homeowners often underestimate the amount of maintenance that comes in between the fun pool days. However, anyone can learn proper pool care.
You need your swimming pool to be clean and safe for swimming in order to enjoy it. Add these essential steps to your pool maintenance checklist to keep your pool in its best state.
There are things you can do daily, weekly, and monthly to keep your pool healthy, happy, and ready for swimming.
Skim and Clean Regularly
Skimming and cleaning are essential steps for maintaining the health of your pool. Use a pool skimmer to remove leaves, bugs, or other debris that may have fallen into the pool. This task should be done daily or every other day.
You'll also want to use a pool vacuum to clean the pool floor and use a brush to clean the walls. This will help prevent algae growth.
Be Sure to Balance the Chemical Levels
Maintaining the chemical levels of your backyard pool is essential. Correct chemical levels ensure water clarity and swimming safety. You want to test the water's pH levels, alkalinity, and chlorine levels.
Proper chemical levels prevent algae blooms and irritation of the skin and eyes. Chlorine should fall between 1.0-3.0 PPM, pH should ideally be between 7.4 and 7.6, and total alkalinity should be between 80-120 PPM.
Don't Forget Equipment Maintenance
Checking your equipment should be an essential part of a pool maintenance checklist. Taking care of your equipment will help it last longer and work more efficiently.
Check the pool pump to ensure it's in working order, and clean the pump and filter. You will also want to remove any debris that has gotten caught in the equipment.
Circulation is Essential
The pool pump helps circulate water into the filtration system and then back to the pool. A single-speed pump should run for one hour for every 10 degrees of air temperature.
On a 90-degree day, your pump would ideally run for nine hours. This will ensure your water is properly filtered.
Consider Seasonal Maintenance
Different seasons often require different kinds of maintenance. During winter months, if you're not using your pool, you may opt to winterize it by draining the water and then covering the pool.
This is also a good time to deep clean the pool, add shock and algaecide to kill bacteria and algae respectively. This will help you transition more easily to the swimming season.
Essential Tasks for a Pool Maintenance Checklist
There's nothing better than a dip in the pool on a hot day. However, there's nothing worse than having a pool that's not ready for swimming. That's why you have to keep up with pool maintenance.
To maintain a pool, there are specific tasks you must do regularly. Be sure to add these to your pool maintenance checklist in order to keep it ready for a swim.
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