Effective Cleaning Strategies for Beginners
Regular pool maintenance provides a wide range of benefits to your pool, including correct pH balance, less risk of health hazards, and overall pool longevity. However, you need to understand how your pool functions and the most effective care routines to engage in so you'll be able to resolve any pool problem that drifts your way.
Understanding How Your Pool Functions
Taking care of your pool requires you to understand the way your pool works. With that understanding, you'll be able to apply the right fix and acquire the right parts when a problem occurs or when you need to make a replacement during maintenance.
You don't necessarily need to have expert knowledge on the subject. Simply knowing about your pool's liner, filter systems, skimmers and returns, and the pool water itself will help you extend the longevity of your pool.
Good Water Circulation
Cleaning your pool effectively requires you to have good water circulation. When your water is stagnant, it attracts a lot of dirt and other organisms, such as mosquitoes and algae. Providing your pool with consistent water circulation allows it to remain clean and free of any organism.
Ideally, you want to keep your pool pump running every day for the whole year. But since that may be impossible due to budget or equipment limitations, you'll need to make sure you run your filter for 10 to 12 hours a day.
Balance The Water Chemistry
Balancing your pool chemistry is an important part of pool cleaning. Start with your water testing kit to help determine the alkalinity, pH, and sanitizer levels. The normal pH of a pool should range between 7.4 and 7.6, while the alkalinity should be between 100 to 150ppm, also known as parts per million.
The sanitizer levels refer to the level of bromine, chlorine, or other chemicals you use and should be adjusted based on the type of sanitizer.
Utilize Pool Shock
Using pool shock helps you eliminate bacteria, bather waste, and chloramines, otherwise known as combined chlorine molecules. Depending on how well you use your pool, you can shock your pool every three to four weeks. Make sure you apply pool shock to your water at night. Doing so will ensure that the ultraviolet rays from the sun don't consume the chlorine, thereby allowing it to do its job.
Once the shock has been added, run your pool pump for about eight to ten hours to circulate the shock. You can also shock your pool after a heavy rain, when you're closing your pool for the winter, or after heavy usages, such as a party.
Utilize and purchase authentic pumps, filters, chemicals, and pool parts from a reputable pool supply company like Pool Parts Unlimited. And if you're looking to learn more about how to upgrade your pool with cost-effective parts as well as how to diagnose and care for your pool pump, our experts can help.