One of the perks of having a pool in your own backyard is plunging into the cool waters when it’s too hot outside. This is one of the amenities that will also make your property more glamorous and special. Let’s see about pool supplies and maintenance tips to know about.
This is the perfect place where you can host a weekend party, jog around every morning, and feel invigorated in general. Spending an afternoon at the poolside will also give you the tan that you wanted for so long. However, there’s one critical task that you need to do as an owner, and this is cleaning.
Without proper cleaning and maintenance, the appearance of your pool may start to crumble away. The conditions will be less than luxurious where algae build-up is more prominent, there’s green water starting to shop up, and broken filters mean dirty water. No one in the house will want to lay by a swimming pool that has been neglected and has seen better days.
For the most part, maintenance is easy, especially if you know what to use. Some prefer experts to clean their poolside to remove mold and algae, but if this is your first time, you can check discount above-ground pool supplies that can help you out. These products are usually used for scrubbing the sides, and they work like magic. Other things that you can do are:
- Make Scrubbing and Skimming a Part of the Household Routine
The skimming will remove the debris and leaves off the surface water, which is considered a no-brainer. This appears repeating, and you can get results if you do skim at least 5x a week. There are robot vacuums that can clean the bottom, and you may want to scrub the sides to remove algae.
Fortunately, scrubbing the sides or in-depth cleaning are things that you don’t have to do more often specifically. Once a week is more than enough, especially if you see new growth. For the stubborn spots, you can fill them with chlorine and leave the substance for a few hours so it will start eating away the algae.
- Think of the Filters like a Kidney
The kidneys constantly remove the impurities inside the human body, which is what the filters also do. You may want to consider the leaves, dirt, and small toys left at the pool. In many cases, you can do thorough disinfection by turning off the filters, removing the caps that are often on the deck, lifting the baskets, and removing the debris before you replace them.
It’s best if the baskets are cleaned at least once a week so you won’t have to do a lot. Backwashing the pipes used by the filter systems will also help. Read more about backwash on this site here. You can set the settings of the filters to the backwash and clean out the leaf baskets. It would be best to let the water on the pumps run through the waste pipes until you can see clear water on them.
- Consistent Chemical Levels for the Pool
The chemical levels are one of the most critical factors in maintenance. You need to have water with balanced pH levels, and it shouldn’t look murky or irritating to the eyes. If the pH levels are too low, they can be an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, which you should avoid at all costs. The six chemicals to consider are the following:
Free Chlorine: Chlorine is one of the more effective sanitizers that you can use to kill germs and bacteria and keep the swimming pool safe in general.
Cyanuric Acid: This will protect the chlorine that you put from the ultraviolet rays of sunlight. The ideal reading of the pool should be 30 to 50 when it comes to cyanuric acid.
Total Alkalinity: This should range from 60 to 120, and this will keep the pH levels in a balanced manner. Read more alkalinity here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/alkalinity.
Calcium Hardness: Appropriate levels should always be followed to ensure that the plasters won’t get damaged. The goal is from 220 to 350, but these numbers should be lower when you have a vinyl siding attached.
You can test the waters from the kits that you can buy from a local store. You can fill them with samples, and they will provide you with a change of color that will allow you to determine the chemical levels in the water. You can adjust the waters on your own or let the professionals do them.
The most important thing is that you have supplies whenever you need them, and you can achieve an ideal balance without the additional hassle. Know that when everything is balanced correctly, there should be no other scents, the water should be clear as a crystal, and there should be little to no residues left on the skin when you go for a swim.
