Swimming pools are fun, but swimming pools are — or can be a lot of work! The swimming pool service contractors from SwimRight Pool Service & Repair in Scottsdale, Arizona offer 7 ways to care for your new swimming pool. These tips are ideal for the new pool owner who is just learning about pool care or for long-time pool owners who may need a refresher in how to care for their swimming pools.
A swimming pool can certainly be maintained and serviced by a dedicated DIYer. We have found over the course of our business years that DIYers find it costs them less money — and certainly less time — to hire an experienced swimming pool contractor. Ask us for an estimate on pool service for the occasional visit or for a seasonal contract and you may find you’ll save money if you work with us.
Here are some of the seven ways you will need to care for, and understand, to keep your pool water fresh and clean.
7 ways to care for your new swimming pool
This is a quick and dirty list that will get you started thinking about pool care. Ask us for a more detailed list of tasks.
- Check the pool chemistry frequently. Even if you hire us or another pool service company you will want to check the chemistry between visits as there are a myriad of factors that can quickly change the chemistry and lead to the potential of bacteria growth. Ask us how to interpret the readings.
- This is water testing related and involves your paying close attention to water pH levels; if these levels get too high they impact the way in which your chlorine performs to sanitize the water.
- Calcium hardness is another item to keep close track of (we recommend writing down the readings each time you test the water. This will help you remember if something is getting too high or too low) Calcium hardness and total dissolved solids ratio impact water quality. Keep in mind that chlorine is odorless and colorless UNLESS the chemicals are out of balance, then you will begin to smell chlorine. When that happens, your water chemistry is unbalanced.
- Depending on the type of filter your pool has, it will require backwashing on occasion. This is a time- and water-consuming task, but it’s necessary to keep the filter working properly.
- Clean out the skimmer basket. This should be done daily. If it gets clogged with debris it will not function as well as it should and water quality will suffer. This is a task that takes about two minutes.
- Brush the pool walls and floor and behind any water features and steps or stairs. If you don’t thoroughly brush down the walls and floor (and then vacuum the loosened debris) water quality suffers and you run the risk of algae growth.
- Run the pool pump often and for hours. Depending on the size of your swimming pool you can expect to have to run the pool pump and filter for at least ten hours per day. It is crucial to turn the water over in the pool regularly. Ask us how often the pump and filter need to be run. Invest in a timer so you can set the pump and filter to turn on and run during the overnight hours when the draw on the electric grid is lower and electricity typically costs less. The timer will help assure it turns on and off on a regular basis so you don’t have to remember to do so.
Swimming pool service and maintenance can certainly be time-consuming and if you’re not sure what you’re doing with the chemistry it can be costly because you will be adding more chemicals than might be necessary if the water chemistry gets out of balance. Talk with us, get an estimate and you may find you’ll enjoy your pool more if you can just swim in it!
