|
To keep your pool a tempting sanctuary
from the heat, and to ensure the safety of your family and guests,
your pool must be properly maintained and cleaned.
On hot summer days, a dip in a crystal
clear pool can be wonderfully refreshing. To keep your pool a
tempting sanctuary from the heat, and to ensure the safety of your
family and guests, your pool must be properly maintained and
cleaned. If bacteria and algae are allowed to build up in the water,
illnesses such as eye, ear, throat, and intestinal infections can
occur. Improperly tended swimming pools can also become a breeding
ground for mosquitoes and other insects.
Keep the area around your pool clean. Regularly sweep the sidewalks,
decks, and other surfaces near your pool. Rake up leaves off nearby
grassy areas. Remove any debris close to your pool, as dirt, leaves,
and other nearby items can easily fall or be blown by the wind into
your pool. Occasionally clean the deck with soapy water to keep dirt
from building up and being tracked into your pool by wet feet.
Remove your pool cover very slowly to prevent any leaves or dirt on
top of it from falling into the water.
Keep your pool water clean. An automatic pool cleaner is a great
device, but you will still have to vacuum settled debris off the
bottom of your pool and scour the sides with a mop. A skimmer and
leaf rake can be used to remove leaves, grass, bugs, litter, and
other items floating on the top of the water. Watch out on windy
days; you don’t know what might be deposited in your pool.
Check the pump filter. Clean it if it is dirty. If you leave it
dirty, it will put dirt and debris back into your pool.
Vacuum first. If you mop the sides first, you will stir up debris in
the water and they will be harder to remove. Vacuum slowly and use
overlapping strokes.
Clean the sides. Give the sides of your pool a good mopping or
brushing. If you use a brush, be sure to use one that is recommended
for the type of liner in your pool. It should be stiff enough to
clean the sides, but not so hard that it could tear or damage the
liner. Buy a brush that has a long retractable pole so that you can
brush the sides of the pool from the deck. Be thorough. Don’t rush,
and take extra care around ladders, steps, and creases in the liner.
Use the pool cover. Keep the pool cover on the pool when the pool is
not in use.
Keep the pump and filters clean and in good working condition.
Regularly check and empty the skimmer basket. To keep the water
moving, position your pool inlet valves at an angle.
Check the ph level of your pool water. You can buy a test kit and
check the ph level as often as three times a week. Make sure your
pool is properly chlorinated. Too little chlorine, and bacteria and
algae will grow and build up in your pool. Too much, and the
chlorine will sting the eyes and irritate the skin. If you use a
non-chlorine chemical system, you will still check pH the same way.
Check with your pool supplier or refer to the instructions for the
chemical system you use to make sure that you have the right amount
of the proper chemicals in your pool water.
Give your chlorine-based pool system a “shock” treatment. Once every
couple of weeks, you should give your pool water a shock treatment
with a large dose of chlorine. This is important because the
chlorine in your pool reacts with dirt, body oils, lotion, and
makeup, leaving harmful chloramines and trihalmethanes in the water.
Shocking your pool will solve this problem. You can buy
pool-shocking kits at your local pool supply store. Follow the
instructions on the kit for the size of your pool.
Regular maintenance is all important. The better care you take as
you go along, the less cleaning you will have to do all at once. |
Home page
swimming pools supplies
Types of swimming pool
supplies:
Information and how to articles:
|
