Top Five Tips from a Service Technician
Taking care of a pool can seem overwhelming and sometimes confusing, especially for new pool owners. Although it does take some time to get into a routine, it’s easy once you get the hang of it.
Here are 5 simple tips from a service technician to make taking care of your pool a little bit easier.
1. Brush your pool!
A lot of people may not know just how important brushing your pool really is, especially at the beginning of the pool season. When algae clings to surfaces of the pool, it forms a protective layer that prevents chlorine from killing it. By brushing everything well, you knock the algae loose and allow the chlorine to do its job. You cannot always see algae, but you can feel it. If your water looks clear ,but the surfaces feel slimy, it’s time to brush! We recommend brushing the pool once a week before you shock the water to help ensure you keep an algae free pool.
2. Do not Backwash too often!
One of the most common misconceptions with pools is when is it time to backwash. Once a week? Once a month? The truth is every pool is different. Filters actually do a better job when they are a little dirty. The best way to judge when to backwash appropriately is to look at the pressure gauge and only backwash when the PSI rises 8-10PSI above normal. Your normal number is the PSI reading on the gauge after a backwash. Remember, a proper backwash is 3 minutes followed by a 30 second rinse.
3. Do not use your solar blanket on hot days!
Another common misconception with pools is that solar blankets attract the sun, but this is not the case. You want to let the sun heat the water during sunny days and only use your solar blanket at night or on cloudy days to keep the heat in. The two things that shorten the life of solar blankets the most are chlorine and the sun!
4. Test your pool water regularly!
It is very important to be testing your chlorine/ bromine reading every couple of days with an at home testing kit or test strips. Once your chlorine or bromine reading gets low it does not take long for pool water to get ugly. If you are testing regularly and adjusting your sanitizer reading accordingly, you can avoid a frustrating and potentially expensive headache. We also recommend having your balancing chemicals tested at least once a month by water care professionals.
5. Vacuum to waste when you can, especially if you are battling a cloudy pool.
Vacuuming to waste means that all debris that you vacuum up will bypass the filter and go straight out the waste line. This prevents the sand in the filter from getting too dirty too fast which means less need to backwash. But remember, vacuuming to waste means you are getting rid of water in the pool so make sure you do not waste too much, and top up the water as needed! If you are using well water to top up the pool, you need to be extra careful.
Everybody wants to be able to enjoy a clean and crystal-clear pool all summer long. Often times this requires some extra work at the start of the season to get everything looking and running great. Using these simple tips we hope that once your pool is perfect, you never look back!
