Regular pool maintenance might seem complicated, but it's actually fairly simple. Avoiding these mistakes on your home pool cleaning routine will go a long way to helping you to be successful! Read on for a bunch of pool cleaning tips.
When people start taking care of their own pool it can seem overwhelming and the urge might be to just let the "Pool Store" tell you what you need and how to use it. Be careful! That is big business for them and the more bottles and buckets of quick fix products they can sell you, the more money they get out of you! Also those products do not do the work for you, there is still a physical aspect that is going to have to be involved.
Mistake 1: neglecting regular skimming and brushing
It might seem simple, and it is! Get out there and see how the pool looks, especially in spring and fall when there are different trees shedding their leaves. Skimming them out while they are on the surface is one of the easiest things to do to keep the pool clean. Empty the skimmer basket when there is stuff in it.
As for brushing, I feel that it is the 2nd most important part of pool maintenance after proper chemical levels. You can have all the chlorine in the world though and if you don't brush the pool, you will get algae growth. So brush, brush, brush! Pay careful attention to steps and ledges, but really get after it on the walls also! Get a decent pole and brush, it really does make a huge difference!
Mistake 2: improper ph balance
Hopefully this isn't a totally new term. Even if you don't fully understand what pH is, it's not really necessary to get too deep on what it is. The only thing you need to know is that we need it to stay in a range of 7.4-7.6. Muriatic acid lowers pH and soda ash raises it.
Some things that cause your pH in your pool to change: people swimming and all the associated ickiness that entails, adding chemicals (liquid shock has a very high pH), adding fresh water (depends where you live on what pH is coming out of the tap), and also even the weather affects it.
I prefer liquid shock so I very rarely ever see a pH that is too low, it's usually the opposite. I add acid to bring it down, and then the liquid shock I use will bring it back up a bit to the range I want it to be in. It's all a balancing game that you will get the hang of by keeping track of how much acid you are putting in, and testing the water before and after the process to see how much it changes it.
Mistake 3: Overlooking filter maintenance
Filters are the workhorses of the pool. Constantly removing debris such as skin cells, hair, dirt, and even bacteria. They need to be cleaned regularly to be most effective. As they get clogged the whole system starts to slow down. The water can't get circulated in the pool as effectively as it could, and the pool motor has to work that much harder. Filters should be cleaned at least once a season or as needed, depending on how much dirt and other contaminants you have seen in your pool over a few months.
mistake 4: ignoring algae growth
"That's just pollen." Direct quote from someone I've met. If it's yellow tinted or green, it's algae. It's gotta die. You let it sit there and it starts to exponentially multiply, and it starts getting harder and harder to remove. This is where the regular brushing will take it off and keep it away. When you brush the algae off then superchlorinate your pool to kill it all. Then vacuum, and finally either backwash or clean the filter if possible. Then it's gone.
mistake 5: inadequate chlorine levels
Chlorine should be between 1-5 ppm. Any less and you risk it running out if a few people swim, it rains, or something in the water chemistry suddenly changes. Until you get a good grasp on how much chlorine is in your water, test it a lot, maybe even every 2-3 days. If it's low, add some, especially if you just got done swimming.
mistake 6: Failing to shock the pool regularly
This goes hand in hand with the above problem. The pool should be shocked at least once a week in the swimming season. The reason being that a lot of the nastiness is trying to take a hold in the water and the chlorine is constantly being used up. Also the heat and the UV light from the sun remove chlorine from the water. You need to superchlorinate. When I have people on a weekly maintenance program I shock it the day I am there so over the rest of the week the chlorine is slowly coming back down.
mistake 7: not paying attention to pool circulation
When the water is moving a lot more sluggishly in the pool it is a sign something is not functioning properly. The filter might be clogged, the skimmer basket might be full, or the pump basket might even be jam packed with crud. Also get used to how the pool motor sounds and just pay attention to that. If it sounds like it's struggling then the water is probably too low. If you see bubbles in the pool that also could mean the water is too low and air is getting into the system from the skimmer. It sounds like a lot but as you get used to this stuff it will really stand out when something changes. Also if you have any sort of water feature those can be visual clues when the water is not circulating the way it should (i.e. a waterfall that is barely trickling out).
mistake 8: using incorrect pool cleaning products
There are videos of using household products to keep your pool clean, but why would you? You already have the pool, that is a large investment but now you want to save a few bucks on the chemicals and throw some clorox in there rather than pool strength liquid chlorine. Not a good idea. Also read all warning labels and never mix chemicals. Store them properly to maximize their shelf life. Chlorine and acid do NOT mix.
Here is a quick list of the chemicals I carry on my truck for 99% of my customers:
Liquid Chlorine
Muriatic Acid
Sodium Bicarbonate
Soda Ash
Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Cyanuric Acid (Stabilizer)
Chlorine Tablets 3"
That's it.
mistake 9: allowing debris to accumulate in the pool
Organic material (leaves, seeds, dirt) is not your pool's friend. It sucks the chlorine out of the water making you have to use more, and it can stain your pool (it will usually come out eventually though) Algae is a plant so it hitches a ride on all this organic material. You want to keep that out of the pool.
Keeping the skimmer basket empty as much as possible, the pool circulating well, and skimming out the leaves with your net will keep all this stuff from sinking to the bottom and accumulating. Some trees in certain seasons are no fun at all but it only lasts a short while.
mistake 10: Overusing stabilized chlorine
I've seen it time and again. The homeowner that has been taking care of their pool for the past few years and suddenly their pool turns green and nothing is working like it used to. More than likely it is a build up of CYA, or cyanuric acid. This is in some of the powdered shocks that come in individual bags, and definitely in chlorine tablets. If you constantly keep your chlorinator full of tablets all swim season, you are entering a world of pain. Cut back on them and limit their use as much as possible. Most pools I put 1 or 2 in a week and that is only during the swim season. You don't need any of them in the non-swimming months. Getting in the habit of shocking the pool once a week will make it to where you don't even miss using tablets. And they are expensive!
conclusion
There you have it, this has been a quick roundup of the 10 most common pool cleaning mistakes. I hope I have been able to teach you something. Paying attention and brushing your pool will keep things running smoothly most of the time! And remember, if all of this just sounds too much, that's why you can hire a pro. If you need pool cleaning and you live in New Braunfels, I'd love to meet you and get you set up on our weekly route. If you don't live here I'm sure there is plenty of good help around.
Comments