Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Simple Do It Yourself Swimming Pool Maintenance

Having your own private pool is a great idea. You get to swim whenever you want and keep fit with water exercises. However, in order to keep your pool clean and healthy for your family, you need to know what it takes to maintain a pool. It is quite simple but you have to develop a strict routine in order to avoid any problems. This is also because pool repair is quite expensive and you do not want to be without a pool when the warm weather comes round. Here are a some elementary pool maintenance tips that you should stick to:

Sanitizing the pool

Sanitizing the pool is important for the health of pool users. The number of times you sanitize your pool depends on how often it is used. Ideally pools should be cleaned using chlorine every week. The chlorine helps to kill bacteria and contaminants in the water. You can find the chlorine at your local supplies store, which comes in granular form. Remember to wear protective gloves, goggles and a facemask when working with chlorine. Mix the powder with some water and apply it to the water a little at a time. The amount you use depends on the size of your pool so check the instructions.

For people with very sensitive skin, bromine is a great alternative to chlorine for cleaning your pool. It also doesn't have the strong pungent smell that chlorine has but its only disadvantage is that it is more expensive.

Shocking the pool

As the chlorine interacts with the contaminants in the pool it becomes less effective. If you use your pool frequently, you need to "shock" the pool after sanitization every two weeks. The shocker cleans out the left over debris from the chlorine interaction and swimming water such as skin cells, cosmetics, urine, suntan lotions and the old chlorine. If your pool is cloudy or has a strong chlorine smell, it is probably because of poor maintenance and shocking the pool can cure it. The shocker uses an oxidizing process to do this.

Testing the pool water

You should take a sample of your pool water to the local pool dealership for testing regularly, at least once a month to ensure that the water is balanced correctly. This professional testing can also help to identify any problems with your pool. Circulate the water in the pool continuously for 8 hours before collecting the testing sample.

Vacuuming and skimming

Sanitizing your pool with chlorine cannot get rid of the dead bugs, leaves and twigs in your pool. You have to vacuum and skim it to get rid of such debris. Vacuuming and skimming also discourages algae growth on the pool.

Pool filters

You should change your pool filters regularly. You can use old pantyhose around your pool filters as they can capture much finer debris than the filters themselves. Wrap the old pantyhose around the filter baskets to trap debris. This also makes it much easier to clean out the filters and you will not have to change them as often.
Pool Tech is a Tallahassee Pool Service that provides pool maintenence, pool cleaning and much more. http://tallahassee-pool-service.com/