If you’ve got a backyard pool, you know how much work goes into to keeping it well maintained. And how great is it to have a professional take care of all the details for you, leaving you to simply enjoy the sparkling water on a hot day?
There are a few things to keep in mind as a pool owner, in order to keep everything in good working order between the pool pro’s home visits. Here is what your local pool care professional would like for you to keep in mind:
Backyard Construction
If you’ve already got a pool, but you plan on doing some landscaping, installing a deck, or anything else that changes the topology of your yard, you need to talk to your pool care company first. Why? Because you need to avoid unforeseen runoff.
Any type of construction or restructuring of your yard’s surface can negatively affect your pool if it isn’t planned properly. You don’t want to end up with a lawn that slopes toward your pool, or it will honestly never stay clean. And you don’t want construction-related debris clouding up your pool water right when swim season begins.
Take these things into consideration, and collaborate with everyone involved. Whether it’s a landscaping company or a construction company, they need to be in communication with you and your pool care company to ensure appropriate planning.
Pay Attention to Your Skimmer Basket
Keeping your skimmer baskets clear of debris only takes a moment, and it cuts back on the work- both of your pool care professional and your filtration system! When yard debris begins to break down, this process puts your pool chemicals on double-duty as they try and neutralize the organic material.
Additionally, this buildup can not only shorten the life of your chlorine levels, but that of your pumps and your filter as well. Take a quick moment a few times a week to dump out the leaves, twigs, and bugs your skimmer basket has collected.
Too Much Oil in the Water
We all know it’s important to use sunscreen, but greasing up with tan-enhancing oils can wreak havoc on your pool. When these oils get into your pool water, they trap small particles in nasty little blobs of oil, making it very difficult for your filter to work properly.
This is why many public pools used to mandate a quick shower before swimming, because even the natural oils in our hair and skin can clog up the filtration system. Just like cooking oil attaches to certain herbs and spices in your food, oil in pool water encapsulates all the contaminants you actually want your system to clean out.
If you notice a ring of black greasy buildup around the edge of your pool, that is a sure sign that you’re using too much oil! Be sure you’re clean, and that you’re only using necessary skin care products, in order to keep your pool water sanitized.
Mind Your Water Levels
Adequate water levels ensure that your pumps are keeping cool and working properly. They need a certain amount of pressure to circulate the water, and low pressure can cause air bubbles and poor circulation.
The result is a pool that isn’t being cleaned efficiently, regardless of having a good filter and optimal chemical balances. Additionally, prolonged issues can even cause cracks in overheated pumps, which is a costly repair no one wants to face.
Preventing this is as easy as keeping your water levels up! Aim for ⅓ to ½ foot of water above the opening of your pool’s skimmer, and you should be fine.
Try to Minimize Clutter
Pool care companies know better than to expect you to put away every single floaty and pool toy after every swim session. It’s pretty normal to leave a few things laying out, that get used on a regular basis. However, smaller objects can be problematic.
Goggles, diving rings, etc. can get in the way of pool vacuums. Clearing them out is added work from your pool professional, and if you’re paying by the hour, why not just take a moment to clear things up for them before they arrive?
Can My Dog Go Swimming?
Well, that sort of depends. Remember how we mentioned the way oils can harm the health and functioning of your pool? Dogs typically bathe far less than we humans do, so you need to consider that before letting Rufus enjoy a daily swim.
The oils, dander, and hair from dogs can actually use 10 to 20 times more chlorine than a human! This is especially true for outside dogs who get large amounts of dirt, pollen, etc trapped in their fur. While we won’t tell you to keep Rufus out of the pool altogether, you need to understand that he’s putting your pool chemicals and filtration system into overdrive every time he takes a dip.
Pool Toys
If you’ve got children or frequent backyard company, it is all too easy to leave pool toys, floats, etc. in the pool itself for days at a time. However, smaller objects such as goggles can trip up your automatic cleaner.
This creates additional work for your pool professional, as they spend extra time untangling small objects so your equipment can function properly. Yes, it is an added step, but clearing out your pool before the professional arrives will allow them to do their job more quickly and efficiently.