Here's How to Keep Your Pool Pristine

Regular pool maintenance is an important part of being a pool owner. While you can hire pool cleaners to handle weekly pool maintenance for you, it is possible to do it yourself for a much lower cost. Believe it or not, swimming pool maintenance is not that difficult once you know how to go about it.

Keeping up with your pool involves:

Removing solid particles like leaves, insects, and other debris
Keeping up with the water's pH levels
Ensuring the pump and other plumbing are working correctly

Each of these steps can be learned, even if you have no prior knowledge when it comes to pool maintenance.

Opening Pool Steps: How to Open Your Pool for the Season

The first step in proper pool maintenance starts as soon as you open your pool for the first time each season. There are a few steps that you will need to complete before the water is safe for swimming.

Step 1: Remove the pool cover
Step 2: Connect and turn on your filter and plumbing
Step 3: Vacuum your pool to remove any debris and build-up
Step 4: Add chemicals to the water to keep your water chemistry balanced

When to Open Your Pool

You need to make sure the temperature is at least 21 degrees C or above consistently for several weeks before removing the pool cover. This will help keep algae and bacteria from accumulating beneath the cover.

This may happen at a slightly different point each year, so pay close attention to your local weather. Better yet, have an outdoor thermometer nearby to check the temperature in your exact location each day.

Getting the Pool Plumbing Connected

When closing your pool for the winter, you (or someone you hired) should have added plugs for the plumbing system to winterize it. You will now need to go around and remove them from the plumbing.

The next step in pool maintenance is to reattach all the drain plugs in the pump and filter system using a quality thread seal tape. Then you will lubricate the O-rings with a pool gasket lubricant. Check any O-rings for cracking to ensure damaged parts can be replaced immediately. Remove drain plugs from any chlorinator or pool heater at this time as well, if you have them.

You should also open the return valves so water can be fully circulated by the pump. If your system has a multiport valve, then you will need to turn the handle to "waste". You will also need to replace the sight glass, air bleeder, and pressure gauge.

All you need to do now is turn on the circuit breaker and flip on the pump. Notice to make sure that water is flowing properly through the system, and then turn the multiport valve to "filter."

Cleaning the Pool for the First Time

Using a skimmer, go through and remove any small debris that may have fallen off the pool cover during removal. This is one part of pool maintenance that you should not skip, and it may need to be done several times per week depending on the environment. Go through to brush and vacuum your pool as well to remove any trace amounts of algae and sand that may have accumulated at the bottom of your pool.

Opening Pool Chemicals

You will always need to use shock when opening a pool, but if your water pH is way off, then you should use a full pool opening chemical kit. You can use test strips to determine whether your pH levels need work, though more accurate results can be obtained by sending a water sample to your local pool supply store. Start by adjusting the alkalinity of your water, followed by pH and then calcium levels. This will prevent the addition of any chemicals that aren't really needed. Use chemicals with caution! Many people are injured each year due to improper use of swimming pool maintenance chemicals.

Weekly Pool Maintenance Schedule

While most aspects of pool maintenance can be done occasionally or once per season if you're lucky, there are certain tasks which should be done weekly or bi-weekly to keep the pool at its best.

Cleaning the Water with a Net or Strainer

Skim the pool as needed using a pool skimmer. This will allow you to remove any leaves, insects, and other debris
Use a pool vacuum to remove dirt and other small particles from the pool bottom
Brush the pool as needed to reduce algae buildup (though this shouldn't be an issue if your filter is working, and the pool pH is at optimum levels)

Checking Pool Chemicals and Water Ph

Occasionally, you may need to recheck the water's pH levels. If you notice the water looks green tinged, murky, or cloudy, these could be signs that the pH is off. Keep test strips on hand so that this can be done quickly, and then add the proper pool chemicals depending on the results.

Checking, Cleaning or Replacing Filters

Pool filters should be checked regularly to ensure they aren't getting bogged down. They should be either cleaned or replaced when needed, depending on the type of filter.

Troubleshooting Common Pool Maintenance Issues

Occasionally, despite your best efforts, you may notice that your pool isn't as clean as you'd like. This can be due to a number of issues and isn't necessarily a sign of poor pool maintenance. For instance, heavy rain can sometimes throw off the pH of your water. Common issues and solutions may include:

Cloudy water - This can be caused by any number of things, including excessive chemicals. First, make sure you are running your filter often enough. If it's not turned on at least 8 hours a day, this could be the source of your pool maintenance issues. Secondly, using a pool clarifier might also help.
Green water - If your water is green, then you almost always have an issue with algae. This can often be fixed by adding more free chlorine to your water. Green water can also mean that you have high stabilizer or phosphate levels, both of which can cause your chlorine to lose effectiveness. These issues can be fixed using a de-stabilizer or phosphate lowering agent.

Closing Pool Steps: How to Close Your Pool

Once the season is done, taking proper steps to close your pool is also an important part of pool maintenance. Closing your pool is very similar to the process of opening, just done in reverse.

Cleaning and Vacuuming the Pool

Give your pool a thorough vacuuming to remove sediment and other debris from the bottom of the liner. You should also give it a final skim and brushing to make sure it is as clean as possible.

Closing Pool Chemicals

Use specialized pool closing chemicals before putting the cover in place to lower the chances of excess algae and bacteria growth during the winter and early spring months.

Preparing Plumbing Lines and Filter System

You will need to drain all water from your pool lines before closing them off in order to prevent them from bursting during freezing weather. Then, turn off the filter and put all drain caps back in place.

Final Details

Your pool maintenance for the season is done once you remove the ladder and rails and then put the cover back in place. To install the cover, attach the grommets while slowly unfolding the cover and moving it away from you. Be careful not to let it fall in the pool during this process. The cover should fit snug on all sides to prevent it from drooping into the pool.