The Maintenance Your Pool Needs Every Day

Owning your own pool is a lot of fun. But, it does also come with responsibilities. In order to keep your pool looking and feeling great, there is some maintenance that must be performed daily. So, if you’re going to commit to a pool, make sure you can commit to these daily tasks.

Run Your Filter

Each day, you will need to turn your pool filter on and let it run for at least eight to ten hours. While this minimum running time can save on energy costs, it’s even better to run your filter twenty-four hours a day. It might cost more, but you won’t have to remember to turn it on and off! Plus, you’ll get better filtering results.

If you do want to run your filter less often but you don’t have a great memory, invest in an automatic filter. These filters can be programmed with a running schedule you set, requiring very little time on your end.

Add Chlorine

Another daily task is to add in your required amount of chlorine each day. How much chlorine you will need will depend on the size of your pool and other factors. However, once you’ve determined the correct amount of daily chlorine, you have plenty of options for administering it.

You can use a floater with slow dissolving tablets, an automatic chlorinator, or you can manually add in chlorine each day. The key is just to do what’s best for you and easiest for you to stick to.

Remove Large Debris

Finally, commit to removing any large pieces of debris from your pool each day. Look for things like leaves and dead bugs, which can easily clog up a filter and cause bacteria problems with your pool liner. Also remember to check your skimmer baskets for any debris and to empty them daily.

If you don’t want to do the daily work of owning a pool, remember you can always hire a professional pool service. Whether you hire someone or do it yourself, however, you’ll find that the effort you put into your pool is well worth the enjoyment you get out of it.

Managing Your Pool Has Never Been Easier!

Technology is always progressing, and that includes pool technology. One new pool technology that is growing increasingly popular is pool monitors, such as the popular pHin monitor.

These devices are designed to monitor your pool and its overall health and chemical makeup so that you don’t have to perform daily tests. What’s more is that many of these monitors will send you automatic alerts when you have a problem like low or unbalanced chemicals. These alerts allow you to notice a problem as soon as it pops up, allowing you to fix it quickly before it can cause major problems for your pool.

Even more amazing is the fact that pHin and similar companies are actually proactive about the information their monitors provide. pHin, for example, allows you to opt into an automatic delivery service. Through the service, your monitor reports what chemicals you’re low on and how much you need. You are then sent pre-measured packets of the required chemicals in the exact amount your pool needs. What could be more convenient than that?

In addition to monitoring technologies, there are also apps and websites that can instantly connect you with pool technicians, such as pool cleaners or full pool maintenance services. Finding the help you need and managing a pool has never been easier thanks to all the new technology available.

This is just a small sampling of the many technologies that exist to help with pool maintenance and upkeep. So, if you’ve been putting off putting in a pool because you think taking care of it will be too hard, think again! There’s really no excuse not to own the pool of your dreams in this high-tech day and age.

Tips for Getting the Green Out of Your Pool

From time to time, every pool owner is likely going to experience the dreaded green water. This problem can be caused by all kinds of reasons, but one of the most common causes is water that you’ve allowed to get too dirty. The good news is that there is a simple method you can try to clear up the issue (and your water!) yourself.

Simple Steps to Crystal Clear Water

Start by removing any large, visible debris, like leaves or dead bugs, from the water using a net. Don’t panic if this stirs the water up and makes it look worse. It’s only temporary, and removing these big items now will prevent clogs and other issues that can lead to even more problems.

From there, go ahead and test your water for pH and alkalinity, bringing the levels back to the proper amounts. These will vary based on the size of your pool and other factors. If you’re not sure where your levels should be, you’ll need to seek professional help with this step.

Your next move is to shock the pool with extra chlorination. This will get rid of bacteria and algae. For minor problems, the water will clear up quickly. If your issue is more serious, you will need to repeat the shocking process each day until the water changes to that desired clear color. You can buy pre-made shock solutions to speed up the process.

Once the water looks better, run your filter non-stop for a few days. You should also backwash three or more times per day. This method should clear up your pool within no more than five days. If it doesn’t, then you could have a problem with your filter or some other issue that will require professional assistance.

Keep it Clean!

If you’re fortunate enough to have this method work for you, keep your water looking great through regular pool maintenance. You can either hire someone to care for your pool, or you can do it yourself. Just commit to skimming out large debris daily and vacuuming your pool every other day or so. Regular upkeep should keep that green water problem from coming back!

Simple Tips to Keep Your Pool in Great Shape

Owning a pool is a wonderful thing. It can drive up the value of your home and gives you a perfect place for relaxing with the family or hosting summer get-togethers. However, being a pool owner also comes with responsibility. If you don’t take proper care of your pool, you won’t be able to enjoy it fully. Thus, if you don’t plan on hiring someone to maintain your pool, you’ll need to stay on top of it yourself, which you can do by following some simple tips.

Skim and Clean
Once you open your pool for the season, prepare to do very frequent skimming and cleaning.

Skimming should be done daily, and luckily, it’s fairly easy. Using a pool skimmer, get rid of obvious debris, like leaves or floating bugs. Every other day, take the cleaning further by using a pool vacuum to stop build-up and major dirt in its tracks. If you don’t want to do the vacuuming yourself, then get and use a quality automatic pool vacuum regularly.

Hire Someone When You Go On Vacation
Even if you’re committed to taking care of your pool yourself, chances are that you’re going to go away at least a few times during the summer. Anytime you’re leaving home for more than a few days, hire someone, preferably a professional, to come over and take care of your pool while you’re gone. You might not think that skipping a week or so of pool maintenance is a big deal, but it can throw everything off balance.

Test Your Water Regularly
One final and very important tip is to test your pool water regularly, at least every three days or so. You should be familiar with the appropriate pH levels, alkalinity levels, and chlorine levels for your pool, which will vary based on size, climate, and other factors. To avoid damage to your pool and a potential hazard to swimmers, test the water very frequently and make adjustments as needed.

Taking care of a pool is hard work. But, when you think of all the fun you’ll have, splashing and sunning with your family, it’s more than worth it!