Simple Steps for Maintaining a Healthy Pool

Is there anything as welcoming as a beautiful, clean pool with fresh, sparkling water? A well-kept backyard pool is a refreshing place to spend the weekend, whether you’re swimming, playing with your kids, or simply lounging beside it. How do you keep your pool beautiful and healthy? It all comes down to regular maintenance. Follow these simple steps and you’ll have a gorgeous pool, ready for your family to enjoy.

• Remove debris from your pool. It all starts with the skimmer, the rectangular opening on the side of an inground pool, or the basket floating in an above ground pool. The skimmer draws in water from the surface of pool, collecting dirt, debris, and pollutants, including sunscreen. You’ll need to empty the skimmer basket weekly and while you’re at it, clean the pool’s filter.
• Keep it clean. Also weekly, brush, rake, and vacuum your pool. Brush the walls first, to remove particles and buildup that will then sink to the bottom to be vacuumed. Use a rake or net to scoop out debris like leaves, twigs, and branches, then use the pool vacuum to remove all the leaves, dirt, and other debris at the bottom of the pool.
• Test the pH levels. Another thing that must be done on a weekly basis is testing the pH of your pool’s water. You can do this with an at-home test kit, or you can bring a water sample to your local pool store and have it tested. The pH level is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, and the ideal pH for a pool is between 7.2 and 7.6. If the level is off, the most common fix is to add chlorine, a sanitizer that comes in a variety of pH levels and can raise or lower the pH in your pool.
• Check the water level. While you’re cleaning the pool, take a look at the water level. Water can be lost from a pool through evaporation or use, but the level should never be allowed to fall below the skimmer intake tubes. If that happens, it could damage the pump. It’s easy enough to put more water in your pool: put a running garden hose into the water. Just make sure there are no restrictions on water use in place locally before you turn on the hose.
• Shock as needed. There are different products used to shock pools, but the process involves adding a large amount of chlorine to remove organic contaminates like algae, ammonia, and nitrogen. Typically, pools need to be shocked once a week. This is best done at dusk or at night because it allows the filter system to run for 8 hours or more before anyone wants to swim in the pool. That 8-hour time frame is necessary to make sure the water is safe to swim again. Consider adding algaecide 24 hours after shocking the pool, to kill any algae left in the pool and prevent further algae growth.

For everything you need to maintain your pool, call Aaron Pools. We’ve got chemicals, heaters, filters, winter pool covers, and even automatic pool cleaners. Established in 1972, this family-owned-and-operated business has a dedicated, award-winning team with over 400 years of combined experience. We love to help improve the quality time that families spend together at home, and that’s why we’ve installed more than 2,000 swimming pools and hot tubs, from Cape Cod to Connecticut. For the best possible service from our highly experienced installation team, call 508-689-5042 or contact us today.