How to Prolong the Life of Your Backyard Pool

Your backyard pool is a great source of entertainment for your family and your guests. It is also a great place for you to exercise. Most importantly, it’s an important deal maker when you plan on selling your house. These amazing benefits of your backyard pool should be enjoyed for as long as possible. So here are some tips regarding a few daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance tasks to help you prolong the life of your background pool.

Some daily tasks include emptying the skimmer and pump baskets. If there’s not a lot of debris, you can relax a little, and clean them out 2-3 times a week. Most pools now have an automatic pool cleaner, but you shouldn’t completely rely on it. Brush the sides and bottom of your pool regularly to loosen up the dirt and other particles that may have been stuck on the walls. During on-season, run your filtration system on constantly. If the water is always moving, there’s less chance for it to be contaminated by dust, pollutants, bacteria, and body oils.

Depending on the chemical conditions of your pool, you should either check it a few times a week or once a week. The pH levels should be maintained at 7.4-7.6 and chlorine levels should stay at 1.0-3.0 ppm. The alkalinity, oxidizer, and stabilizer levels should also be examined and balanced. Shock the pool if necessary. The best time to test the chemical levels is four hours after any swim activity or eight hours after rain or wind storms. Your pool should be also cleaned weekly. First scoop up any visible debris such as fallen leaves, then use a pool vacuum cleaner. Finish up by applying pool surface cleaner with a pool brush.

The monthly inspection should include testing for calcium hardness, total dissolved solids, and total alkalinity levels. Instead of simply dumping out the debris in your filter, you should clean it chemically. Also check for any cracks, holes, or tears on the surface of your pools. Before you close of your pool, drain all the water from the pump, filter, and heater to prevent freezing of the pipes in the winter. Don’t drain all the water from the pool. You only need to reduce the water level. Lastly, cover your pool with a safety cover to avoid damage. However, your job still isn't done. Don’t leave your pool unattended for more than a month. Check up on it every few weeks for cracks or damages to the cover so you can replace it immediately if it does occur.

If you follow the list of procedures, your backyard pool will maintain its pristine condition for a much longer time. If you want more information on how the chemical levels affect the health of your pool or more details regarding how each step should be taken, feel free to book an appointment at Seaway Pools & Hot Tubs. We have many years of professional experience in all things pools so contact us today at 905-294-8030 or send us an email at online@seawaypoolsntubs.com.