Who wants to take care of the pool when you have free time? You want to swim when you have the free time, right? Of course you do! The swimming pool contractors from Bella Blue Pools in Toledo, Ohio can care for your pool and do the “heavy lifting” when it comes to pool maintenance, but there are 5 easy swimming pool maintenance tasks you can do between service visits.
From automated tools to using a swimming pool cover to robotic vacuums, pool technology has made pool ownership easier and service and maintenance less onerous. No matter if you do smaller tasks between pool service visits, it is always best to talk with your “pool guy” and discover what steps you can take to keep the pool water cleaner between visits.
5 easy swimming pool maintenance tasks
Pool contractors explain these five tasks will keep the water cleaner and why it’s important:
- Clean, tested water with proper chemical levels – This is very important so that people who are swimming don’t contract any diseases. If the water isn’t free of contaminants and bacteria, anyone swimming could get sick or be plagued by red eyes, dry and itchy skin and any open wounds could get infected. When you run the pump and filter for the required number of hours per day you can help eliminate this issue.
- Keep algae away – Improper water care could lead to a green or black or even mustard yellow colored water. Algae grows quickly — sometimes overnight! Brushing the sides and bottom of the pool will help ensure algae doesn’t take hold. Adding an algaecide also acts as a deterrent. Disinfection and sanitization are the two most important methods to keeping the pool water clean.
- More is better for running the pool pump and filter — It is easy to skimp on the number of hours you run the pool pump and filter, but that could be a recipe for disaster. To efficiently run the pool pump for optimal results you may need to run it for up to twelve hours per day. Look for a variable speed pool pump as that is the most cost effective.
- Clean the overflow channels- The overflow channels on a swimming pool are the gutters that run along the outer edge of the pool. These gutters are constructed to capture debris before it makes its way into the pool. Check that the drainage holes in the gutters are clear and that the gutters themselves are cleared out regularly.
- Water chemistry testing — Invest in a water test kit and ask us how to interpret the readings. You will want to test the water between service visits — especially if you’ve had a higher than usual swimmer load or if it’s rained. Adding the necessary chemicals will keep the water clean and clear and help prevent red eyes and dry, itchy skin. Also if you test the water and the readings are out of line, you can contact us for an additional pool service visit to test the water and add chemistry to get everything back in balance.
Talk with us the next time we pay a service visit and ask for a quick lesson on what you should be doing between service visits to help keep your pool water clean, clear and swimmable.