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Home Maintenance Ben Soreff Home Maintenance Ben Soreff

Top Tips for Keeping your Swimming Pool Maintained

Putting a pool on your property can be exciting for the whole family. However, a certain amount of maintenance is required to keep your new addition clean and attractive. The cost of a swimming pool is usually not cheap, so ensure you keep it well maintained by following these tips.

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Putting a pool on your property can be exciting for the whole family. However, a certain amount of maintenance is required to keep your new addition clean and attractive. The cost of a swimming pool is usually not cheap, so ensure you keep it well maintained by following these tips. 

Regular Skimming

Most inground pools have rectangular holes along the inside of the pool walls. These compartments hold a basket known as a skimmer box. They collect leaves and debris from the top of the water by catching trash that floats by. To work correctly, the water level should be covering the hole halfway. This basket should be taken out and cleaned on a weekly basis.

It's also important to regularly clean the pool with a manual skimmer to clear the leaves and debris that aren't caught by the skimmer box

Cleaning the Filter

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The filter cartridge on your pool should be cleaned at least once every six months. This swimming pool maintenance step will keep the filter healthy and stop deterioration. If the filter is too worn, arrange for a replacement. You can clean the filter by simply hosing off or using a mild detergent. Take care to place parts back together snugly.

Maintain the Landscaping Surrounding the Pool

Professional landscaping can enhance the beauty of your pool, but only if it is well maintained. Installing grass, plants, benches and rocks around a pool area can make it feel like your personal oasis. Pool landscaping maintenance is a necessary part of your pool maintenance costs. Without hiring or taking the time to mow, weed, fertilize and water your lovely landscape, it can soon wither and die. Before long, debris has found its way into your shining pool and working on your pool becomes twice as timely and difficult. Subcontracting the care of your landscape to a third-party will guarantee it the care it deserves.

Check Water Levels

There is a science in the amount of water that should be kept in your pool. Too much water can cause overflow onto decks and bringing damage to the pump. On the other hand, too little water can fall below the skimmers and force the pump to run dry. Watching out for the correct water level in your pool should be a regular task. 

Check pH Levels

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Keeping your pH levels balanced will determine the comfort of your pool. The perfect pH balance for a pool is 7.4%. This should be checked two to three times per week to keep a steady reading. This pH level matches that of our eyes and mucus membranes, delivering a comfortable atmosphere in the water. When a pH level is running below average, chlorine is not as effective in cleaning the impurities from the water. When it is too high, cloudy pool water and damage to the pool sides can occur. Once the pH levels become too far off the mark, they are hard to correct. 

Pool cleaning chemicals are used mainly for balancing the pH levels of the water. Sodium carbonate, or soda ash, is a chemical used to raise the pool water's pH levels. Stabilizer, or cyanuric acid, protects chlorine from sunlight and helps protect your water from germs by giving it a healthy dose of sanitizer.

Monitor your Pool's Structure

Brushing off the sides of your pool can help reduce particles that build up along the sides of the porous concrete or fibreglass. This should be a daily ritual unless you have a pool maintenance crew coming in on a regular basis. Keeping the water level in line with the skimmer holes is an excellent way to mark the water level's balance and potential damage to the walls. If the water level consistently rides along the concrete portion of the walls, they could start to crack at the joints. Be diligent in looking for signs of distress in the pool walls before too much damage is done. 

Maintaining a pool and the surrounding landscape is no easy feat. It is time-consuming, and the chemical balancing of the pool must be mastered. Swimming pool maintenance is required for keeping a pool healthy and ready for fun. Follow these tips to keep your pool from falling prey to unwanted debris, scum or cloudy water. A regular maintenance program is recommended if you wish to add a pool to your property that will provide years of enjoyment.

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Home Maintenance Ben Soreff Home Maintenance Ben Soreff

End of Season Pool Maintenance Tips

Pool use declines or stops in cool weather. These end-of-season pool maintenance tips can help you maintain your pool when you use it less or close it.

End of Season Pool Maintenance Tips

As with many of the best home features, pools require maintenance. Depending on the climate where you live, you might get year-round use out of your in-ground pool. Elsewhere, you’ll have to close it for the season and wait for summer’s return. Whether you use your pool less or not at all when cold weather arrives, end of season pool maintenance is very similar—learn more.

Check Your Supplies

Maintenance continues even as use declines. Make sure you have an adequate supply of pool chemicals safely stored away (refer to the manufacturer’s instructions) to get you through off-season cleanings, as well as to maintain the quality of the pool water.

Clean the Pool

An unused pool should still be a clean pool. When summer begins to fade, and you find yourself using the pool less, this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for keeping it clean. Skim, scrub, vacuum, and empty debris traps as usual—even if you don’t plan to swim for weeks. Additionally, backwash the filters.

Check Water Levels and Balance Chemicals

Test your pool water’s pH, calcium hardness, and alkalinity. If you’ll be closing the pool entirely for the season, consult your pool supplier about winterizing chemicals. There is also some debate about lowering the water level a little to guard against damage to the skimmers. If you live in an area that is sure to get a hard freeze, hire a professional to drain the pipes and plug the skimmers to avoid cracking or damage.

Remove Accessories

Take toys and floats out of the pool and remove handrails and ladders if they would interfere with the pool cover you intend to use. Additionally, store anything that would collect rain, creating the perfect condition for breeding insects.

Shock and Apply an Algaecide

Once the pool is clean and balanced, give it a chlorine shock. Make sure no one uses the pool for several days according to the package instructions. About a week after the chlorine shock, use an algaecide just before you cover the pool for the season.

In cold climates, you’ll drain and remove the pump and hoses, as well as the chlorinator if you have one, and then store them inside. Store clean filters (except heavy sand filters) inside over cold winters as well.

Cover Safely

People—especially children—can fall into covered pools and drown under pool covers. If you’ll be using a pool cover, ensure it is a type that reduces the risk of this kind of tragedy. Check your fences for any gaps, holes, or other ways children or animals could get into your pool area. Further, if you have a pool enclosure, repair or replace the pool screen if necessary.

When summer winds down, end of season pool maintenance will help keep your pool in good condition for when spring arrives next year.

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3 Ways to Make Your Pool Unique

With the weather warming up, many people are starting to think about ways to improve their outdoor spaces and to ensure they can get as much use out of them as possible. When you’re looking to update your outdoor space, a great place to start is your pool. Whether you have an existing pool or are considering adding one to your yard, making it unique can really transform your outdoor space. Check out the coolest ways to make your pool unique.

3 Ways to Make Your Pool Unique

With the weather warming up, many people are starting to think about ways to improve their outdoor spaces and to ensure they can get as much use out of them as possible. When you’re looking to update your outdoor space, a great place to start is your pool. Whether you have an existing pool or are considering adding one to your yard, making it unique can really transform your outdoor space. Check out the coolest ways to make your pool unique.

Go with a unique shape

If you’re building a new pool or due for a full remodel of your existing one, consider a less conventional shape. There are plenty of shapes to choose from—for example, some people choose kidney-shaped pools for a little bit of style. Consider how large you want your pool to be and the space you have to work with. Talk to a contractor if you have questions about whether your desired shape will work with your yard and budget.

Change the pool color

Use different products that can change the color of your water without compromising the pH and composition. Pick a color to keep all season long, or switch colors for different events. There are endless possibilities—you may even become known as the house with the rainbow pool or the house with the coolest pool parties.

Choose a theme

Use a theme for your pool and pool area for a fun and unique twist on a traditional pool. For example, if you choose to make your pool area mermaid-themed, you can use mermaid tile to create a mosaic in your pool interior and purchase mermaid-themed chairs and towels. The lighting can even factor into your theme. Don’t be afraid to really steer into your theme—it can transform your whole backyard.

You can make many updates to your pool in order to make it unique. Now is a perfect time to get creative and really personalize your outdoor area.

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Guest Post – Five Common Home Swimming Pool Problems Answered

Having your own swimming pool is the ultimate in home luxury. A beautiful way to bring people together, get active or just relax in the sun, a pool, however big or small, is a wonderful addition to the home.

A high-quality home swimming pool, either above ground or built-in, will come with all the necessary functions to ensure it is clean and safe to use year-round. However, it does need to be maintained, both in terms of the mechanics and also the water’s chemicals.

While the majority of their maintenance processes are simple, it isn’t uncommon for first-time pool owners to encounter problems. Here, we run through some of the frequent mishaps that people can experience with their home pools, along with solutions that can get them back up and running!

pool

Having your own swimming pool is the ultimate in home luxury. A beautiful way to bring people together, get active or just relax in the sun, a pool, however big or small, is a wonderful addition to the home.

A high-quality home swimming pool, either above ground or built-in, will come with all the necessary functions to ensure it is clean and safe to use year-round. However, it does need to be maintained, both in terms of the mechanics and also the water’s chemicals.

While the majority of their maintenance processes are simple, it isn’t uncommon for first-time pool owners to encounter problems. Here, we run through some of the frequent mishaps that people can experience with their home pools, along with solutions that can get them back up and running!

The Pump is Working, but There’s no Water Flow?

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This problem is one that can frequently be discovered when opening a pool for the first time in a while, such as after the winter season. Ultimately, swimming pool pumps work by creating a constant flow that sends water through filters before returning it cleanly to the pool.

If you’re confident that the pump is in full working order, but there’s just no flow taking place, the chances are that air has entered the system, which stops it creating a steady stream.

To remedy this, you need to go through a process known as pump priming. Here, you turn the pump off, close the valves and fill the main pump manually with water. Most pump systems will come with instructions on how to do this.

If the air problem persists, then there might be an air leak in your pump system. In this case, speak to your manufacturer directly or contact a professional who can take a closer look for you.

Green Water

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Another problem prevalent when opening a pool for the first time in a long time. If the walls and water of your pool are turning green, that means it’s filled with algae. While this is common, it’s something that still needs to be fixed. Thankfully, the process is quite simple.

The reason we use different chemicals in our swimming pool water, such as chlorine and alkalines, is to stop algae from forming. If this has happened in your pool, it’s likely because there are not enough chemicals.

To rectify this chemical shortage, you go through a process known as ‘shocking’. Here, you add a high amount of concentrated chlorine into the water – more than the usual level – which starts to destroy any green algae that have accumulated.

Once it’s all been removed (usually after a few days) you can then look to restore the right chemical balance to your pool. It’s important that nobody swims while shock chlorine is being used, as the chemical levels in the water can be unsafe.

Scratching Surface

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This problem is one that some first-time pool owners are willing to put up with, but it doesn’t have to be this way. So long as your pool has been well-installed and scratchy surfaces haven’t been an issue since day one, chances are this is a result of the water, also.

The main culprit here is the level of calcium in your water, referred to as calcium hardness. Similar to chlorine and pH, this is another level that needs to be maintained in your water. If it’s too low, the water can start to eat away at nearby plaster and similar calcium-containing substances. If the level is too high, the water can turn cloudy, and the calcium can begin to stick to surfaces, creating that rough feel. Excess calcium can also cause problems for swimming pool heat pumps, trying to increase the temperature of the water. Therefore, if you think your heater’s not working, this may be playing a part.

So long as you spot and prevent calcium hardness issues early, they are simple to solve. As with other pool chemicals, simply use tests and chemicals to adjust to the desired chemical level. Once that level is reached, you should start to see the rough surfaces become smooth – you can also use a light scrubber to remove the debris.

If the problem is more deep-rooted, you may need a professional cleaner to remove calcium build-up, particularly from solid surfaces.

Clogged Filter

This problem is not only common but perfectly natural. The filter’s job is to collect dirt so it will get clogged over time, leading to a reduction in performance. Thankfully, all filters are designed for regular cleaning.

Pool filters generally fall into two categories: those that use minerals such as sand or diatomaceous earth (DE), and cartridge-based filters that use sheets of a paper-like material. The latter can be cleaned by simply removing it and washing it with a hose or something similar.

Sand and DE filters are often cleaned through a process known as backwashing. Most pump systems will come with this feature, allowing you to reverse the flow of water through the filter. As most of the dirt collects on the top of the sand or earth filter, reversing the flow removes most of the debris. Note that you will need a backwashing hose for this procedure, to ensure that the dirt doesn’t return to the pool.

Swimming Pool Surface Stains

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Sometimes, stains can begin to appear in the corners and by the surface of your swimming pool. As with other common issues, these stains are commonly caused by the chemical makeup of the water.

The type of stain you have will determine what the problem is and how it can be fixed. Generally, stains in a swimming pool are either organic or metallic. As mentioned above, issues such as calcium build-up and algae are biological and are usually easily rectified when the water level is corrected. Metallic stains, often indicated by a copper or rust appearance, can be caused in different ways, some more severe than others.

Sometimes, having water with excess iron (often copper) can cause stains to form as the metal leaves the water. In these cases, restoring the water’s chemical balance can help. However, certain signs of rust can point to structural issues with the pool’s foundation. If you are in any doubt, speak to whoever installed the pool or another maintenance professional about your concern.

Lines that appear on swimming pool walls by the water surface level are often a simple mix of water and oil and can be wiped with the correct cleaner.

We hope that these pieces of advice will help put you on the right path to fixing any issues you may be having with your pool. Remember that, no matter what the problem, all pools are different, so follow the instructions for your specific pump, filter or pool for the best results!

Author Bio: Will Taylor is an expert when it comes to home swimming pools and spas, having written extensively about the subject for a range of online publications. From picking your first pool to general outdoor maintenance, Will’s advice is trusted by many owners.

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