10 tips to make your pool maintenance easier and save money!
The idea of having a swimming pool in your backyard will always be incredibly pleasant. It's easy to get carried away dreaming of weekend parties and spending long afternoons lounging by the pool while cultivating that perfect tan. Without proper maintenance, your pool could succumb to a whole host of less than luxurious conditions: green water, broken filters, algae buildup, to name a few. Here are some maintenance tips you need to try right now! Whether you've just opened your pool for the very first time or you've been a proud owner for years, check out these tips to get your summer season off to a good start and save a few dollars.
1. Properly store your vacuum head, brush and pool cleaner
The main reason you need to replace your accessories is that the bristles on the brush and the vacuum head have fallen out or become dry.
Store your accessories upside down and out of direct sunlight. During the winter, make sure it does not contain chlorine (rinse them with fresh water). If you do this, you double the life of your maintenance equipment, which can be expensive to replace.
2. Be sure to clean your pool daily
Removing leaves and debris from the surface of the water is easy, but it bears repeating. If you have some money to spend, consider buying an automatic pool cleaner that will clean the bottom of the pool for you. The automatic cleaner Prowler 920 de Pentair ranks at the top of the charts in terms of price and consistently receives five-star performance reviews.
You should scrub the walls of the pool to prevent algae buildup. Luckily, it doesn't need to be done as often. You can get away with scrubbing once every two weeks. All you need to do is examine and clean them with a brush to keep your upholstery clean. This will save you an impressive amount of pool chemicals.
3. Use a solar blanket with your pool heater
The solar canvases, also called sun covers, keep the heat in the pool, they keep debris out and they keep the heat from escaping from your pool.
If you have a water heater, you can turn it on to the required temperature and install the solar blanket at night. The heat will be maintained more easily and you will save a lot in energy costs. However, remember to remove the solar cover every day to prevent algae from forming in your pool.
Bonus : if you don't want to put on and take off the solar cover every evening, consider the covers liquid sunscreens (Cover free). They are easier to use and cost much less in the short run.
4. Think of the filter as the kidney of your pool
Just as your kidneys are constantly working to remove impurities from your body, your pool filter is responsible for removing impurities from the water. Think dirt, leaves and even toys in the pool.
It is best to clean the baskets (skimmer and pump) at least once a week. It is also necessary, once a month, to clean the filtration system, which you can do by performing a backwash (sand filtration system) or taking out your cartridges and cleaning them (cartridge filtration system).
Bonus: The more efficient and optimal your filtration, the lower your consumption of chemicals and maintenance.
5. Run your pump less in colder climates
During the hottest part of summer, run your pump 24 hours a day. You need to keep this water clean and moving so you don't run into problems, like algae growth.
Algae like warm water. This is why your system needs to be maxed out during this time of year.
You can reduce the speed of your pump during the period when your water is cold (beginning and end of the season) either run your pump at low speed (2-speed pump) or reduce the RPM if you have a variable-speed pool pump .
Bonus: invest in a variable speed pump, which consumes less energy, is mathematically one of the best purchases for a swimming pool.
6. Buy chemicals on sale during early season promotions.
Some pool stores usually have spring start-up specials to entice you to start the pool earlier. This is a good thing ! Often product prices skyrocket later in the season or are out of stock.
Tip: Do not hesitate to choose larger volumes of product, they are often very advantageous!
7. You need to watch the water level
As important as the chemical composition of water is, the physical level of water is just as important. Levels fluctuate naturally after a heavy rain or an afternoon when children and adults are making bombs in the pool. You want to maintain a level that is 75% of your skimmer opening.
If the water level is too low, just use a garden hose to fill it with the necessary amount of water. For those who own a vinyl liner, keep it in water at all costs, this will increase longevity and decrease fading. If the water level is too high, the skimmer will no longer work and the consumption of sanitizer (chlorine and bromine) will increase drastically.
8. Use an automatic cleaner
These self-contained electric units can clean an entire pool faster than you can. Automatic pool robots move around the pool on their own, climbing walls and stairs and collecting all kinds of debris in their filters.
These cartridges also filter the water, so if you operate the robot, you are helping your filter and pump while keeping your pool clean. Even if the pool is out of service, this automatic cleaner can be used!
9. Conserve your pool water
Water is not free, and the world's water supply is not infinite, especially as droughts are becoming more frequent and severe. It pays to save water.
The average pool wastes water in four ways:
- Evaporation
- Leaks
- splash
- Backwash
While the water wasted at any given time may be small and seemingly insignificant, it can add up to thousands of wasted gallons, which can translate into hundreds of wasted dollars.
10. Learning to properly close your pool prevents damage
As important as pool maintenance is in the summer, it's even more important to make sure you're securing it properly for the winter. After all, no one wants to take off a pool cover at the start of summer only to find their pool has a leak or its water is full of bacteria.
By taking the right steps to properly winterize your pool, you can save a lot of time and money on repairs for the next season. Take the time to listen to your specialists in this field, they prefer to see you again with a smile at the start of the season...!