A swimming pool is an investment. You invest your money, your time, and your labor into maintaining your swimming pool. In return, you get hours of fun, exercise, and relaxation in your private swim resort. So if you’re going to be spending all of those resources on your pool, you want to make sure that your pool will last. Just like your car needs regular oil changes to function correctly, your pool needs some routine maintenance. If you just let your pool go, you’ll quickly be the proud owner of a backyard swamp. But with a little effort, proper pool maintenance can extend the life of your pool. You can enjoy many years of worry-free swimming with only minimal repairs. Avoid sinking money into your pool by following these simple tips.
The Importance of Swimming Pool Cleaning
The first component to maintain a healthy pool is swimming pool cleaning. Keeping a clean pool is a great way to ensure you’re always ready for a swim. But keeping your pool clean, even when you’re not using it, will also extend the life of your pool.
Cleaning your pool requires some discipline and a good schedule. Your exact cleaning schedule will be dependent on how often you use your pool. If you’re not using your pool very often, you can get away with a lot less cleaning than if you have weekly pool parties.
Many cleaning tasks need to be done weekly. However, those who don’t swim often may be able to follow a bi-weekly schedule. Obviously, cleaning involves removing dirt and debris from the pool water. You also need to clean the sides, bottom, and filtration system. In addition to cleaning, your weekly maintenance should include adjusting the chemicals in the water.
Cleaning How-To
The first step in the cleaning process is to use a skimmer or pool net to remove any debris floating in the water. Luckily, your pool also does some of that work on its own with the built-in skimmers. Just make sure to empty the skimmer baskets each time you clean.
Trees and bushes close to your pool can make this step an even bigger headache. Vegetation near your pool can leave behind a lot of leaves, flowers, and pollen. After you skim the pool and empty the skimmer baskets, it’s time to scrub and vacuum. First, scrub the sides and bottom of the pool with a pool brush. Use a soft nylon brush for vinyl or fiberglass pools and a brush with harder bristles for a concrete pool. Vacuuming after you scrub will remove any dirt and debris you knocked loose.
The next step in cleaning is to check your filter. Most of the time, you won’t have to do anything. But if your filter’s pressure gauge is reading unusually high, it may be time to backwash or clean your filter. Any cleaning and maintenance for filters should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, and can easily be handled by your swimming pool maintenance company.
Continuous Chemical Balance
Getting your swimming pool chemicals just right can make you feel as if you’re back in a high school chemistry class. There’s likely to be plenty of trial and error as you try to get the chlorine and pH to their optimal levels. But don’t despair. Once you get a routine going, you will find that balancing your pool chemicals is a rather straightforward task.
Pool chemicals help prevent bacteria and algae from building up in your swimming water. Weekly treatments are often recommended to keep the chlorine from falling below 1 ppm and alkalinity from dipping below 90 ppm.
If your pool is showing signs of unusually low chlorine levels, or if it is getting cloudy or green, you may need to shock the pool. Shocking a pool removes irritants that cause cloudy water and strong odors. Specialty shock products will also add an extra layer of protection against algae, while also balancing the pool water’s pH level.
Extra shock treatments may also become necessary in the event of heavy rains, high temperatures, additional swimmers in the pool, or other situations that put a strain on your pool’s cleanliness.
Swimming Pool Repairs
Part of swimming pool maintenance is continuously looking out for problems with your pool equipment. What could have been a small fix could quickly turn into a major replacement if not addressed early on. On the other hand, vigilant pool maintenance can extend the life of your pool.
For instance, if you notice a tear in your pool lining or if your filter does not seem to be running the way it should, don’t wait to call a pool repair specialist. You don’t want a major replacement to cause you to miss out on valuable time in the pool, not to mention the cost of extensive repairs.
Schedule your Atlanta Swimming Pool Maintenance Today
Swimming pool maintenance takes time and labor, but it isn’t a burden you need to bear all by yourself. Contact the experts at The Pool Butler on our website or call us at (770) 439-2644 to help address all of your swimming pool maintenance and repair needs.
We have served Atlanta, Georgia, and surrounding areas for years, and have provided five-star service to all of our clients since our launch.