Step-by-Step Guide To Clean Your Own Pool

Step-by-Step Guide To Clean Your Own Pool

Every pool owner wishes to see sparkling blue water in his pool. But he might want to save some bucks by cleaning the pool himself. It does require a bit of work and you might have to monitor the chemical levels, but it s worth to maintain a clean blue pool. Some cleaning accessories in conjunction with the sanitizing chemicals can do the job for you. Let us see how: Chapter 1: Skimming and Brushing The first and foremost important thing is to ensure you have the right set of supplies. Step 1: Choosing the Right Supplies Ensure you have everything needed to skim and brush the pool. The first thing you would want is a telescopic pole as most of the cleaning tools attach to a pole. Next is a leaf net, also known as a leaf skimmer. This is an important pool cleaning equipment that is used to remove the leaves and other unwanted things from the water surface. It is generally attached to a telescopic pole. You would also want to have a pool brush to clean the ladders, steps and sides of your pool. These can get dirty because of all the dust and debris, hence rinsing the brush occasionally is important.

Step 2: Skimming the surface of the pool water Now that you have the necessary cleaning supplies, the first step to cleaning is to remove the leaves and other debris by skimming the pool surface with the leaf skimmer. The leaf net can also be used to catch the insects floating on the surface of water. Skimming should be done almost every day to remove any foreign body that can be seen at the surface of pool water. Step 3: Brushing the ladder, steps and sides For proper maintenance of your pool, it is recommended that you brush the ladders, steps and sides of the pool at least once in a week. All you need to do is attach the brush to the telescopic pole and run it over these sections. Extra attention should be paid to the areas that have poor water circulation, as there are high chance of grime deposition. These brushes can even be used to clean patio and pool deck.

Chapter 2: Vacuuming Vacuuming the pool can be done by two ways using an automatic pool cleaner or buying a manual pool vacuum. Step 1: Choosing a Pool Vacuum Just like a normal vacuum cleaner, a pool vacuum is used to clean the pool floors. Depending on your requirements and type of pool, you can choose Automatic vacuum cleaner These come in three varieties: pressureside, suction-side and robotic. Pressure-side vacuum cleaners attach to the return jet and makes use of clean, filtered water to run the unit, forming a water vortex which pushes also the debris into a removable mesh bag. This requires you to do some manual cleaning. Suctionside cleaners are just like manual cleaners and they attach to the skimmer that draws in water, forming a siphon to the filter system. This is not recommended as it requires you to filter the filtered out debris. Robotic vacuum cleaners are the most recommended and efficient ones. They are self-contained units that make use of electricity to drive down and suck debris into a bag. The only minus is they are expensive. Manual pool vacuum cleaners If you wish to save some bucks, you can chose to go with the manual pool vacuum cleaners that are created using a telescopic pole, a vacuum head and a vacuum hose

Step 2: Set it up Once you have selected the vacuum cleaner, it needs to be set up. For a manual vacuum cleaner, attach the vacuum head to the telescopic pole and slowly lower it in the pool. Next, feed the vacuum hose into the pole and ensure all the air has been removed from it before attaching it to the pump. Attaching the pump before the air is expelled out of the hose can harm the vacuum cleaner. Step 3: Vacuum clean the pool Vacuum clean the pool just the way you clean your carpet. Move the cleaner across the bottom of the pool and stay longer in areas that require more cleaning. Some of the automatic cleaners do not require manual movement of the device. Make sure you vacuum clean the pool at least once a week as a lot of bacteria and debris gets deposited at the bottom of pool.

Chapter 3: Role of Chemicals Chemicals are added to the pool water to maintain its cleanliness. But these chemicals are affected by factors, such as weather. Hence, one is required to test the ph levels of water at least three times a week to ensure the pool water is safe to use. Step 1: Testing the ph level A ph tester is easily available in local supermarkets, but read reviews online before making your decision of buying a specific brand. Using this tester, check the ph level of the pool. It should be in the range of 7.2 7.6. If it doesn t, use ph reducer or increaser to get it in the desired range. Step 2: Check the Filter Surroundings of pool filter should be free of debris and grime. If any clogging is detected, clear it.

Step 3: Sanitizing using chlorine tablets You can find sanitizing tablets at hardware stores or online. If you are wondering how these work, they dissolve in the water slowly and release chlorine which kills any bacteria present in the pool water. Ensure you use these tablets as instructed on the label. Sanitizing tablets should also be added to the floater, skimmer and feeder to ensure these supplies are bacteria free. Step 4: Using Pool shock You can consider using pool shock, which is a kind of cleaner that kills bacteria released by sweat, hair and urine.

Chapter 4 What to do in case of extremely dirty pools? If you have a pool that is dirty to a level that the water looks green, you might need to put in some extra effort to clean it. Step 1: Use a leaf net to clear the debris

There might be a layer of scum on the water surface of the pool. Ensure not to use the skimmer to clear this debris as it might stir the scum and make the pool worse. It is a good idea to use a leaf net to remove this scum from the surface. Step 2: Adjust the quantity of chemicals An extremely dirty pool is the home of unwanted bacteria, so one needs to adjust the chemical level in a way that the pool is made safe for use. For this, adjust the ph level, which might take few days, and hit and trial with ph increaser/reducer to get it to the safe level. Apart from this, you may also consider adding alkalinity to the pool. Another solution could be a pool shock. Since the pool is in real bad state, it might take a few gallons of pool shock, controlled over a few days, to get the pool in normal state. You can initially start with 3-4 gallons to see the change in color of the water. Repeat till the color changes to light green, cloudy white, or clear. Step 3: Filter for the entire day For a very dirty pool, you will have to run the filter throughout the day, for a couple of days. This will clear out the debris that has gathered and the unwanted bacteria. Ensure you backwash the filter at least 3-4 times in a day, failing which the filter will get clogged. Another important thing is to get your filter checked if the pool doesn t clear up over a span of 5-6 days. This might be an indication of filter not functioning properly. Step 4: Clean the floor of the pool Once the pool water is cleared, you should consider cleaning the pool floor using vacuum cleaner. There might be lot of debris deposited, which will eat up some extra time to clean up. Always seek professional help if there is a lot of debris on the floor as the debris could clog the pool pipe, damaging the pipe and the entire pool filtration system.