You may think you are the only person on your block or who you know that their pool is always green or cloudy and just a complete mess. Well, you are not. In fact many people suffer with the same problems as you do keeping their swimming pools crystal clear all season long. Well don’t worry, whether you are new at this or a veteran, swimming pool care is very easy and as long as you follow a system then you will have no worries.
There are only a few things that you need to know when it comes to pool care, I call it the three C’s of basic pool care: Chemicals, Cleaning and Circulation. It’s a very simple process, if you keep your chemicals balanced and at the right levels, your pool is clean of dirt and debris and you circulate the pool through the filter system you will be good. Pool care doesn’t have to be hard but if you want to avoid problems (I’ll give it too you straight) it takes time and money.
Keeping your chemicals in check is the very first thing you need to think about. You need to first keep your pH and alkalinity balanced. Your pH should read between 7.4 and 7.6 and your alkalinity should read between 100ppm (parts per million) to 150ppm. Next you need to make sure that your sanitizer is always keep this at the proper reading. This depends on what you use including chlorine, bromine, baquacil, salt or a mineral system. If you keep these three readings correct at all times it will be close to impossible for problems like algae or cloudy water to occur.
Next you need to make sure your pool is cleaned at all times. That means skimming the top of the water and vacuuming the bottom. Also I shouldn’t forget brushing or scrubbing the walls. The dirt and debris that collects in your swimming pool is just another way to cause problems or start an algae growth, so you need to make sure its all taken care of.
Last but not least, you need to keep your pool running. Take this with a grain of salt but if you kept your swimming pool running through your filter system for 24 hours a day for the whole season, then your chances of pool problems will greatly reduce. But of course that would waste a lot of money on your electric bill. It is recommended that you run your swimming pool for at least 8 to 12 hours a day. And when your pool sees a lot of activity from a party or a storm you need to run it longer.
If you follow the three C’s of basic pool care then you will have a much better season then your lazy neighbor with the green and cloudy inground next door.
