3 Things You Can Do to Keep Your Pool Clean and Clear All Season Long

There’s nothing better on a hot summer day than being able to stroll outside, set your towel down, and jump into a pool filled with sparkling, refreshing water.

But a crystal clear pool doesn’t just happen. You need to look after it and stay on top of maintenance to be able to really enjoy it.

Here are three things you can do to keep your pool pristine throughout the summer:

1. Clean Your Pool Often and Properly

You need to clean your pool for the same reason you need to wash your bathtub. The soaps you use for yourself are good at cleansing your body (just as chemicals like chlorine and bromine sanitize your pool’s water), but they aren’t going to prevent debris from accumulating, nor will they stop scum from building up on the floors and walls.

To effectively clean your pool, make sure you:

• Clean the surface of the water with a skimmer to get rid of any matter (leaves, bugs, twigs, etc.) that’s accumulated on or just below the surface. You can choose between two types of skimmers: flat or deep-pocket. Flat skimmers are typically easier to use (they’re lighter when wet), though a deep-pocket skimmer will be able to hold more. Most pool owners need to skim once a day.
• Brush the sides to scrub the walls and floors, making sure you really get into those nooks and crannies around ladders and stairs. If you have a vinyl pool liner, look for a nylon-bristled brush. You’ll want to brush your pool once or twice per week.
• Vacuum thoroughly to lift any dirt and debris that has fallen to the bottom. You can choose a manual pool vacuum, though an automatic cleaner will make pool maintenance much easier (particularly since you’ll need to vacuum your pool about twice a week).

Don’t forget to look after the areas around your pool as well. If anything (leaves, flower petals, etc.) has begun to gather in certain spots, make sure you sweep or rake it away before it’s blown or tracked into your pool. You might also need to periodically clean your deck with a disinfectant so that things like algae aren’t able to grow and turn into slippery safety hazards.

Do you want to make pool maintenance easier than ever? Have a member of Total Tech’s service team take the stress and guesswork out of keeping your pool looking its best all season long!

2. Check Your Pool’s Water Chemistry Regularly

Ensuring your pool’s water chemistry is balanced helps to keep it safe (killing bacteria or germs), comfortable (for swimmers’ skin and eyes), and gentle on your equipment (not corrosive on liners, ladders, and railings).

When you test your water’s chemistry, these are the levels you want to look for:

• Chlorine: 2-4 PPM
• pH: 7.2-7.8 PPM
• Alkalinity: 80-150 PPM
• Bromine: 2-4 PPM

If anything is outside of those ranges, you’ll want to add water balancing products (pH boosters, chlorine stabilizers, aqua bromine, etc.) to get everything back to where it needs to be.

Ideally, you should test your pH and chlorine levels daily and alkalinity weekly (or immediately after rain) using at-home testing strips. You can also have your water professionally tested for free at Total Tech’s pool store (1380 Speers Road in Oakville). We’ll use our computerized water analysis centre and keep your results so we can reference them when we need to.

3. Consider Other Possible Trouble Makers

Outside of the usual suspects, keep an eye on things like:

• Copper: If your water looks cloudy or you have dark stains (green or black) on your liner, excess copper might be to blame. The most common offender is a high level of copper in your tap water. To remedy this situation, you can use a product that goes after water-borne metals (like Aqua Super Clarifier, Aqua Cop-Out, or Culator). You should test for copper about once a month or as needed.
• Iron: Too much iron will make your water look brown or rusty. The causes are similar to copper (iron occurs naturally in your water or isn’t properly controlled due to fluctuating pH levels), as are the treatments (check monthly or as needed and dose with a sequestrant).
• Calcium: If your calcium levels are too low (under 200 PPM), that can cause long-term wear-and-tear on critical components like your vinyl liner. If the levels are too high (over 500 PPM), that can be a problem for the plumbing (just as it would be for the plumbing inside your home). You can use a product like Spa Life Cal or Aqua CAL to increase the calcium hardness of your water or Aqua Cop-Out to bring levels down.
• Phosphates: These naturally occurring organic chemicals, which make their way into your pool through things like dirt and leaves, are a favourite source of food for algae. Ideally, you want to keep phosphates below 1000 PPM. If they get out of hand, you can treat them with Naturally Aqua Enzyme Plus or Aqua No Phos.

Ultimately, keeping your water looking and feeling its best throughout the season comes down to a few simple things: maintaining its cleanliness, watching its chemistry, and taking actions to nip any problems in the bud before they blossom into major headaches.

At Total Tech, we have all the tools and advice you need—equipment, chemicals, and more—to keep your pool looking its best all season long. Visit us at our pool store (1380 Speers Road in Oakville) to learn more!

Check out:

• 5 Tips for Choosing the Right Pool Installer
• 5 Signs It’s Time to Renovate Your Pool
• 4 Tips for Maintaining Your Pool’s Liner