The idea of having a pool in your backyard will always be incredibly appealing. It is easy to let yourself dream of weekend parties and spending long afternoons lounging by the pool while developing the perfect tan. Without proper maintenance, your pool could succumb to a whole range of less luxurious conditions: green water, broken filters, algae buildup, to name just a few. Here are some maintenance tips you should try right now! Whether you have just opened your pool for the very first time or have been a proud owner for years, check out these tips to get your summer season off to a good start and save a few dollars.
1. Store your vacuum head, brush and pool skimmer properly
The main reason you need to replace your accessories is that the brush bristles and vacuum head have fallen out or dried out.
Store your accessories upside down and away from the sun. During the winter, make sure they do not contain chlorine (rinse them with fresh water). If you do this, you will double the lifespan of your maintenance equipment, which can be expensive to replace.
2. Make sure to clean your pool daily
It is easy to remove leaves and debris from the surface of the water, but it is worth repeating. If you have a little money to spend, consider buying an automatic cleaner that will clean the bottom of the pool for you. The Pentair Prowler 920 automatic cleaner ranks at the top in terms of price and regularly receives five-star performance reviews.
You need to scrub the pool walls to prevent algae buildup. Fortunately, this does not need to be done as often. You can get away with scrubbing once every two weeks. Simply inspect them and clean them with a brush to keep your liner clean. This will save you a remarkable amount of pool chemicals.
3. Use a solar cover with your pool heater
Solar covers , also called sun covers, keep heat in the pool, prevent debris from entering and prevent heat from escaping from your pool.
If you have a heater, you can turn it on until the desired temperature is reached and install the solar cover at night. The heat will be retained more easily and you will save considerably on energy costs. However, remember to remove the solar cover every day to prevent algae from forming in your pool.
Bonus: if you do not want to put on and remove the solar cover every evening, consider liquid solar covers (Cover free) . They are easier to use and cost much less in the short term.
4. Think of the filter as your pool’s kidney
Just as your kidneys constantly work to eliminate impurities from your body, your pool filter is responsible for removing impurities from the water. Think of dirt, leaves and even toys in the pool.
It is best to clean the baskets (skimmer and pump) at least once a week. You should also clean the filtration system once a month, which you can do by performing a backwash (sand filtration system) or removing and cleaning your cartridges (cartridge filtration system).
Bonus: The more efficient and optimized your filtration is, the more your chemical and maintenance consumption will decrease.
5. Run your pump less during colder weather
During the hottest part of the summer, run your pump 24 hours a day. You need to keep the water clean and moving to avoid problems such as algae growth.
Algae thrive in warm water. That is why your system needs to be maximized during this time of year.
You can reduce your pump’s operating speed when your water is cold (at the beginning and end of the season) by running your pump at low speed (two-speed pump) or reducing the RPM if you have a variable-speed pool pump.
Bonus: investing in a variable-speed pump, which consumes less energy, is mathematically one of the best purchases for a pool.
6. Buy chemicals on sale during early-season promotions.
Some pool stores generally offer special deals for the start of spring to encourage you to open your pool earlier. That is a good thing! Product prices often skyrocket later in the season or items go out of stock.
Tip: Do not hesitate to choose larger quantities of product; they are often much more economical!
7. You need to monitor the water level
As important as the chemical composition of the water is, the physical water level is just as important. Levels naturally fluctuate after heavy rain or an afternoon when children and adults do cannonballs in the pool. You want to maintain a level that is at 75% of the skimmer opening.
If the water level is too low, simply use a garden hose to add the necessary amount of water. For those who have a vinyl liner, keep it in the water at all times; this will increase its longevity and reduce fading. If the water level is too high, the skimmer will no longer work and sanitizer consumption (chlorine and bromine) will increase drastically.
8. Use an automatic cleaner
These self-contained electric units can clean an entire pool faster than you can. Automatic pool robots move around the pool on their own, climb walls and stairs, and collect all kinds of debris in their filters.
These cartridges also filter the water, so when you run the robot, you help your filter and pump while keeping your pool clean. Even when the pool is out of service, this automatic cleaner can be used!
9. Conserve your pool water
Water is not free, and the world’s water supply is not infinite, especially as droughts become more frequent and severe. It is worth saving water.
An average pool wastes water in four ways:
- Evaporation
- Leaks
- Splashes
- Backwash
Although the water wasted at any given time may be small and seemingly insignificant, it can add up to thousands of gallons wasted, which can translate into hundreds of dollars wasted.
1 0. Learning how to properly close your pool prevents damage
As important as pool maintenance is during the summer, it is even more important to make sure you properly secure it for the winter. After all, no one wants to remove a pool cover at the beginning of summer only to discover that their pool has a leak or that the water is full of bacteria.
By taking the right steps to properly winterize your pool, you can save a lot of time and money on repairs for the following season. Take the time to listen to your specialists in this field; they would rather see you again with a smile at the start of the season…!