A responsible pool owner should always have a nice and healthy pool, keeping pool water clean and clear should be one of your ultimate goals. Although there can be many guides to help you make it possible, this one would not fail you either. We will discuss all the basic ways to keep pool water clean, helping new pool owners adjust and keep up with the pace.
If you are running a commercial pool, it means that it would be a popular place where people would love to spend their summer vacation, and this would also mean that there can be a quite heavy load of bathers to watch out for. It is a need and requirement for you to keep your pool nice and clean every time, especially during these periods, because people would ultimately love to dip into a really clean pool that can refresh their minds and body during the awaited vacation.
Part 1. Is It Important To Have A Clean Pool?
There are many points of importance on why you should keep your pool water clean all the time. This is not only applicable to commercial pools, if you have a small or big pool in your backyard, you have to make sure it is also clean and clear, especially if you love water dipping that much. It is also a place where people can unleash recreation, and have fun times, so it is nice to make sure it is worth every person’s precious time.
If you have a commercial pool, and you always keep your pool water clean, it is also a way to invite more guests, which means more income for you. Once you also learned how to keep your pool water clean all the time, you are also lessening your maintenance costs which could get into a high stroke if your pool is too damaged from the outside and inside as well. A clean pool will also function well, and as a result, pool owners will have less stress.
To make it possible, different steps are essential to remember in cleaning your pool, let us first have an overview of them in the bullets below, before we get into a deep conversation about pool cleaning.
- Always make sure that pool walls, ladders, steps, and floors are always brushed to take off any presence of hardened debris.
- If your pool has algae, remove it. You can also always use algaecide to make the growth of algae slow down.
- It is a must to always make sure that your filters are functioning and clean.
- One of the most important factors is to check your chemical balance, it must be well-maintained and of required levels, this also includes the pH.
- Check if there is proper water circulation, this will help your filter and will also avoid bacteria congestion and infestation.
- Shock the pool to reach needed chlorine levels, especially raise the free chlorine level which can aid in killing all the bacteria and microorganisms in your pool.
- You have to make sure that there will be no bacteria stored on any part of your pool, you can vacuum the walls, ladders, steps, and floors of your pool.
- Get a skimmer to get rid of any debris or leaves that may surface off your pool water.
Overall, the most important thing before all these, is to keep a maintenance checklist which will serve as your guide in keeping your pool water clean. You have to make sure that your checklist will include the weekly maintenance schedules, and will tap all the needed points as we have enumerated above. As long as your pool personnel follows the checklist, then it is not impossible to achieve clean and clear pool water all the time.
Part 2. The Proper Way To Maintain Your Pool Water Chemistry
One of the most important factors to keep your pool water clean is to have a well-maintained pool water chemistry. Once this factor is disrupted, it will be hard to keep a proper eye on the proper maintenance of your pool. As we have said before, the key to achieving it is to make sure that you have an established weekly maintenance routine to add pool water cleaners and clean your pool water as well. One of the most effective ways to do it is to execute weekly pool shocking especially if you have a huge load of bathers all the time.
It is also necessary to have a weekly test of all your pool water chemicals using test strips to determine how much should you add or subtract from the current chemical levels. This will also ensure accuracy which is also really crucial in maintaining pool water chemistry. So, when do you need to execute pool shocking? If you have encountered any of the situations below, then perform pool shocking immediately.
- After the occurrence of a huge storm or heavy rain.
- You already smell strong doses of chlorine in your pool water, or you smell a foul odor already.
- You have lots of bathers, and it is not the same number as usual.
- The temperature is extreme, or there are always weather changes.
- You already sighted algae growth.
- Your water is already slimy or murky.
- Your bathers are already complaining about itchiness, or some may have experienced having red and burning eyes.
When maintaining the chemical balance in your pool, it is needed that you have enough knowledge on the needed levels so you can deliver what is required. When handling chemicals, especially during pool shock you have to remember to follow all the instructions given located on the bottle of the pool shock product. Chemicals must be handed well to ensure safety all the time. So, how do you shock your pool? Let us take a look at the steps to pool shocking in the next part of our article.
Part 3. The Steps To Pool Shocking
Pool shocking can add a tremendous amount of free chlorine levels to your pool water. By having a huge number of free chlorine, there will be enough to fight off all the bacteria, germs, microorganisms, algae, and a lot more, and as a result you will obtain pool water that is clean and healthy. It is also important that you perform the task properly to be able to make sure that all the results that you want will be obtained and achieved.
Step 1. Make sure you have calculated the right amount of pool shock to use.
This is the initial step, and you have to be sure that you will be doing this one right as this will direct all the succeeding ones. The amount of pool shock that you have to use will be based on how large your pool is. As a rule of thumb, you can follow that with every 10,000 gallons of pool water, you have to use a pound of pool shock. Also, make it a habit to check the guide that the manufacturer has provided you at the container of the pool shock.
Step 2. Check the surface of your pool.
The surface of your pool must be cleaned and free from any debris. To ensure it, remove debris and leaves off your pool using a skimmer.
Step 3. Before adding a pool shock, test the current levels of your pool chemicals.
You must determine the current levels of chemicals that your pool has, particularly chlorine. You also have to get the needed range of pH before performing pool shocking.
Step 4. Check your pool water circulation.
It is a must to always check if there is proper water circulation within your pool. Your filters and pump system must run well to keep this factor in check.
Step 5. You can now start adding the pool shock.
It is needed to know that there are three types of pool shock. There is the granular form, the liquid one, and the non-chlorine shock. You can choose which one will suit the current state of your pool physically, and chemically. Once you are ready with your shock, you have to make sure that it is well distributed around the perimeter of your pool, and it must also circulate properly. In shocking your pool wear all the protective gear such as gloves and eye cover or goggles. You should also check the packaging of your chosen pool shock to determine when it is the proper time to swim.
Step 6. The pool must be brushed well.
To make sure that the shock is well distributed within your pool, pool walls, and the floor must be brushed after pool shock.
Step 7. Make your filter and pump run.
You have to run your filter and pump systems running for at least eight hours, and it must be run overnight as well.
Part 4. Conclusion
It is never difficult to keep your pool water clean, as long as you are aware of your responsibilities as a pool owner. Once all these are kept in mind, then achieving a healthy, clear, nice, and clean pool is always possible.