So you just got a swimming pool, your pool party is set up and you are ready to enjoy the summer, right? Not so fast. Unless you hire a pool service company you need to learn how to properly maintain that pool.
As fun as it is to own a swimming pool, maintaining it can be a daunting task for many pool owners, especially if they are new to the pool business. While many may think pool maintenance is easy - just dump chlorine into the water and that’s it, they often don’t realize balancing pool water involves multiple repetitive steps.
Before you get started you need to understand three important things when maintaining your pool. How to read your pool water, how to manage your filtration system, and how to balance your chemicals.
Shocking is part of regular maintenance, but what happens when there's no chlorine reading after shocking your pool?
If there's too much chlorine in your pool, like a faulty reader, the levels could be dangerous for your family.
But, if there's no free chlorine in the pool, that means your pool could be teeming with bacteria.
So, what's going on, and how can you get a chlorine reading? Use these tips to troubleshoot your pool and make sure it's safe.
Similar to pools, hot tub water needs to be balanced before it is safe. Although hot tubs may seem like little pools, maintaining a hot tub requires a little more monitoring.
If you are new to balancing hot tub water let us help you become a water chemistry Jedi.
While both pools and spas keep the same chemical ranges, there are some differences making maintaining a hot tub a little more challenging.
Difference #1
The
Are you still debating between a saltwater and chlorine pool? You are not the only one, saltwater pools are increasingly more popular. Before we go into detail about the difference, let’s first say that both are great sanitizing options.
Although many assume saltwater pools are free of chlorine, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Salt pools simply generate chlorine through a process called electrolysis which converts sodium chloride into free chlorine.
Some people choose salt over chlorine because they are tired of the skin and eye irritations it can cause while others like the idea of saving money on pool chemicals.
Let's explore the difference between a saltwater versus chlorine pool
It’s hot tub time!
Are you new to spa ownership? Or maybe you haven’t operated one in a couple of months?
Have no fear!
Our step-by-step hot tub start-up guide will get you filled up and soaking in no time. The directions are general and apply to any hot tub. You should always review your brand's manual for special consideration and to ensure sure you don’t damage your new tub.
Note: With the exception of step 1, all steps can be followed for either existing or new hot tubs.
Pool maintenance is a time-consuming task. Vacuuming your above ground pool is necessary to eliminate debris and contaminants that have sunk to the bottom. Some people choose to manually vacuum their pools while others prefer to use an automatic cleaner.
Depending on the usage of your pool, vacuuming it once a week is typically sufficient. If your pool is particularly green you might need to clear your swampy pool first by balancing and shocking it. Once you can see the bottom of your pool it’s go time.
An average of 350 children drown in swimming pools every year. 76 percent of those children are under the age of 5. Another 2,600 are treated in hospitals for near-drowning incidents. But with the proper water safety measures, you can ensure your children’s safety.
Here’s what you should do to keep your kids safe around the pool.
Any kid that’s going to be in the water should take swimming lessons. This will give them the confidence and ability to move around easily in the water, and keep their heads in the air. Swimming lessons often teach young kids what to do if they get scared and worry about drowning. This can save their life.
Until they're capable of swimming where their feet can’t touch the bottom, they should wear life vests or floaties whenever they’re in the pool.
Anytime children are in a pool, there should be adult supervision. Kids like to roughh
Picture these two scenarios
Scenario 1: Pool season is here, the temperatures are rising and you promised your children a dip in the pool this weekend. You take off your pool cover after a long winter's rest and discover your pool is a swamp. This is a pretty common scenario.
Scenario 2: Life happens. When it does, your regular pool maintenance might fall by the wayside. By the time you get back to it, there’s a swamp where your pool used to be. Don’t worry, it happens to every pool owner.
The rough part is there’s no easy way to fix it. But with the right tools and a bit of elbow grease, these steps will help you have a clean and clear pool in no time.
The sand in your sand filter serves as the filtration media for debris, oils and other contaminants that float in your pool filter. This will ensure continuous flow and pressure to your pool. A sand filter is a good low maintenance alternative to other filters such as D/E or Cartridge because you never have to take the filter out to rinse it. To clean a sand filter you simply just backwash it.
Eventually, there comes a time when the sand wears out and needs to be replaced.
The general rule of thumb for changing sand in a sand filter is every 5 years or when water pressure from
If you have been an above-ground pool owner for a while you may be familiar with some of their struggles. You finally picked out the perfect stairs for your pool. You haul them up on your deck or lift them over your pool edge and drop them in. You are proud of the superman powers you used to get those stairs in and are thinking to yourself “this wasn’t too bad”. All of a sudden you realize your stairs are either not sinking or won’t stay in place. What now?
This is the struggle many pool owners face and we have a number of solutions for you?
Some stairs are designed to fill with water once you drop them into your pool but often need the right angle. You can either try to fill them with the hose before droppin
