uring the summertime, there's nothing better than gathering friends and family at your house for a dip in your swimming pool. But those pool parties can go sour quickly if you're not keeping your pool in shape.
Keeping your pool healthy isn't just within your swimmers' best interest. If you don't address potential problems early on, they'll end up costing you in the long run. Plus, if you plan to sell in the future, a run-down pool can quickly drive down your house's value.
In the past, we've covered specific pool maintenance issues, like handling cloudy water and keeping out unwanted critters. But today, we'll cover the big picture steps you should follow to keep your pool in shape.
Here's what we suggest:
Make Your Checklist
Whether you've got swimmers in the pool every day or you're diving in once or twice a month, we suggest creating a maintenance checklist.
Checking these things at least once a week will help avoid future problems and give you the confidence that your guests or family are swimming safely.
We suggest you check the following things regularly:
- Is your pool's water balanced? Using a water testing kit, you can check the chlorine levels, pH balance and other essential chemical factors.
- What color is the water? The color and clarity of your water can tell you whether everything is running smoothly or there's a potential issue. Cloudy, milky or green water is an obvious indicator of a problem.
- Are there any signs of algae? Algae can be a real hassle to remove if you don't take care of it as soon as it appears. A major algae outbreak means you'll have to be shocking and re-balancing your water, sanitizing all pool accessories and most likely scrubbing your pool with a good amount of elbow grease.
- Are there any new blemishes? Cracks, stains, discoloration, a change in texture or leaks are a sign that something could be wrong with your pool's foundation.
- Are your filters and cleaning accessories still effective? Many times, issues with your pool's cleanliness and clarity can be traced back to your filter. Is there anything blocking it? Does it need to be replaced? Those accessories are a great place to start where checking your pool's health.
- Have there been any recent storms? Storms can wreak havoc on a pool, introducing dirty rainwater and debris.
By checking these factors often, you'll be able to avoid significant issues, save yourself from costly maintenance and keep your pool healthy for the summer.
Watch The Weather
While we tend to think about how the weather will impact pools during the winter, summer weather events can be just as damaging.
If you know a summer storm is approaching, there are a few things you can do to secure your pool:
- Turn off the circuit breaker that powers electric pool equipment, such as your motor, pool pump, chlorinators and lights.
- Move your pool accessories and equipment, such as floating filters or ladders, inside to protect them from rain or wind damage.
- Remove furniture and toys on your pool deck - high winds could easily toss them around.
While the weather can be unpredictable – especially here in Chicago – it's essential to keep tabs on when the temperature is expected to change dramatically.
This doesn't just go for everyday swimming. When choosing when to open and close your pool, you'll also want to select an opening date that's warm enough at the beginning of the summer and close it before chilly fall weather sets in.
Invest in The Right Accessories
When it comes to cleaning and maintaining your pool, you don't have to do it all alone. Several great pool accessories (that require minimal setup) can help keep your pool clean and safe.
- Testing Kits and Key Chemicals: Having testing kits can quickly give you a diagnosis of your water's health. Then by having chemicals like chlorine, acids and alkalis on hand, you can remedy the imbalances yourself.
- Chemical Dispensers: These tools can efficiently distribute chemicals like chlorine throughout your pool. Plus, they often come in fun designs, like rubber ducks!
- Pool Covers: Covers protect your pool from debris while keeping small children or animals safe from accidentally falling in. You can choose from tarp, automatic, solar or other types of covers – it just depends on which one is right for your pool.
- Nets, Vacuums and Scrubbing Brushes: These cleaning accessories will help you tackle any debris, stains or algae blooms that can put your pool at risk.
Plan for Winter
All the hard work you did keeping your pool in shape during the summer can easily be undone if you don't take care of your pool in the winter.
Winter pool care isn't just about throwing a cover on it for the freezing months of the year (although that is certainly an important part!)
Here are some of our big tips for closing your pool for the winter:
- Check for Damage: If you see any cracks, stains, discolorations or leaks in your pool, these need to be addressed before you close up for the winter. If not, the cold weather could make those issues worse.
- Test The Water: If your water isn't correctly balanced when you close for winter, there's a big chance you'll find an algae bloom when you open the following year.
- Remove Accessories: Any freestanding equipment or accessories need to be removed during the winter months.
- Add Anti-Freeze: This will make sure your pipes don't freeze during the brutal winter weather.
To ensure that your pool is properly closed for the winter, we suggest working with a pool professional to make sure it's ready to take on the cold weather. This brings us to our last point. . .
Hire a Pool Maintenance Company
As we've discussed above, regular, thorough pool maintenance is a must. Unfortunately, this kind of consistent pool care is often too time-consuming or requires chemicals that owners just don't have.
By investing in a pool maintenance company like AAA Pool Service, you'll have a trusted provider who will ensure your pool stays healthy all summer long. If you're interested in weekly maintenance for your inground pool, contact our team today.
