Summer is Here! Tips for Maintaining Your Pool

In previous posts we've discussed home maintenance to prevent costly repairs for your house. With the start of summer officially here, today we're going to focus on pools. Keeping your pool well maintained will prolong its life and delay or prevent costly repairs down the road.

It is important to maintain the correct chemical balance to keep your pool clean, safe and operating at optimal performance. Many stores sell do-it-yourself water testing kits or many pool supply stores will test water samples for you and advise you on what chemicals, if anything, your pool needs to maintain proper chlorine, PH, alkalinity and calcium levels. Aside from your water turning green and cloudy, too high or too low of levels can make your pool unsafe.

Other tips to help you keep a well-maintained pool:

1. Keep chlorine tablets or sticks (or bromine) in the chlorine reservoir at all times.

2. Shock treatments and adding algaecide may be needed periodically, especially when the weather creates ideal conditions (i.e. hot and steamy) for algae to grow. Shock treatments santize the pool water and quickly raise the chlorine level. Algaecide will prevent and control algae. It is much easier to take preventative measures now rather than having to clear water that has already turned green due to an overabundance of algae.

3. Keep filter and pool drains clear and unclogged. Backwashing the filter, skimming leaves out of the pool and regularly cleaning debris from the skimmer are important.

4. Regularly vacuum the pool.

5. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for your pool type.

Not sure what to do? There are many "experts" at pool supply stores that can assist you, and many resources online to assist you.