8 Critical Pool Maintenance Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

While a pool can offer a lot of enjoyment to your family, it's not all fun and games. When you own a pool, it's crucial that you maintain it properly to ensure it lasts well and needs very few repairs over the years.

The truth is, it takes work and dedication to make sure your pool stays in great condition throughout the summer and the rest of the year. However, with a little bit of know-how, you'll be able to take care of your pool and ensure it always looks good.

Below we'll look at 8 critical pool maintenance tips you need to know about to make sure your pool stays in great shape.

The first thing you'll need to remember when maintaining your pool is to make sure that you're testing the water qualityoften and adding the right chemicals to the water. You need to keep the chlorine levels consistent at all times.

Adding chemicals to your swimming pool is one of the most important things you can do to maintain it. A pool without the right chemical balance can harbor bacteria, look murky, and be dangerous to swim in.

Water quality should be checked at least once per week during the summer months, but even more often if possible. The pool should also be checked during the winter months as well, though you'll have to do it less often. 1-2 weeks is usually often enough during the winter for checking chemical levels.

Remember that the pH should always stay between 7.4 and 7.6. An off-balance pH may lead to calcium builduparound the sides of your pool and other problems, so it's important you're maintaining it well.

The next thing you need to remember to do when maintaining your pool is to clean the filter regularly. While you won't need to clean the filter as often as you check the chemicals, it's still important to do to make sure your pool is looking good and working as it should be.

Depending on the conditions of your pool and the weather you'll want to make sure to clean the filter out every 3-6 months. After a heavy storm, it's also a good idea to check the filter. Heavy rain and bad weather can also lead to a filter needing to be cleaned a bit sooner.

Aside from the pool filter, you'll also want to check the other various baskets and collection pots that your pool has.

First of all, you'll want to clean the hair and lint pot on your pool's pump. The hair and lint pot is located inside of your pool's pump within the clear glass. To do this, you'll want to turn off the pump and then release the system pressure. This cleaning should be done every 2 weeks but you may want to check it more often if necessary.

Additionally, you'll also want to clean out the pool's skimmer basket and a debris catcher or leaf basket if
your pool has these.

Another thing you need to do regularly to keep your pool in great shape is to check the water level. A water level that is too low can create problems in the pump and can cause it to run dry or burn up.

Water levels that are too high can also be a problem. High water levels can cause the skimmer door to not work as it should.

Water level changes are to be expected from time to time particularly after a heavy storm or after a lot of pool usage, so it's important to check from time to time. Make sure that the water level remains at the halfway point of your pool skimmer.

Regular maintenance to your pool wouldn't be complete without plenty of skimming and scrubbing.

Skimming is one of the most common and regularly done types of maintenance that you'll be doing for your pool. Skimming simply refers to removing leaves and other types of debris off of the surface of your pool. This will likely need to be done every day in order to keep your pool looking great.

Scrubbing won't have to be done as often but should be done every other week at least. Remember to scrub the sides of your swimming pool with a scrub brush to make sure your siding is looking great. Watch out for any algae growth and use the scrub brush to ensure it doesn't build up.

While this particular pool maintenance trick may seem a bit unusual, using a tennis ballin your pool can actually be a great way to help keep it clean.

To do this, you'll simply want to drop a tennis ball into your pool and let it stay for a while. The tennis ball will actually absorb any oils that find their way into the water of your swimming pool.

Oils such as suntan lotions, hair products, and natural body oils can often find their way into a pool. This trick will allow the tennis ball to absorb these oils instead and make your pool much cleaner in the process.

The next thing you need to remember when maintaining your pool is that you always need to be ready for winter.

By doing a few things to winterize your pool you'll avoid a lot of potential issues and make sure that it's still in great shape when the next summer season rolls around. If you don't winterize your pool well, on the other hand, you may have to deal with costly repairs later on.

To winterize your pool make sure you use a water testing kit to make sure that chemicals are balanced before you close your pool up for the year. Then get any extra water out of the plumbing lines and cover it up tight to keep debris out.

While you can do a lot on your own to ensure that your pool is maintained well, nothing beats a professional servicing. It's a good idea to get at least one professional servicing for your pool every single year to ensure that it remains in good shape.

Professionals can do things you can't do for your pool. Plus, they are particularly good at checking pool equipment and parts such as filters, pumps, and heating systems. They have the specialized knowledge to make sure every part of your pool is working as it should and can help you prolong its life.

By using the pool maintenance tips above you'll ensure that your swimming pool always remains in tiptop shape and doesn't have any huge problems throughout the year. It's important that you keep your pool clean and well-maintained.

As long as you follow the strategies above you'll make sure your pool remains in great condition and continues to provide you and your family plenty of enjoyment.

Need professional help with your pool maintenance? Contact us todayto learn more about what we can do for you.