Swimming pool maintenance becomes routine after a while. You brush and vacuum the pool with the understanding that it is part of the responsibility of pool ownership. There are a few tips that make maintenance easier.
Check Out Our Top Hacks To Make Pool Maintenance Hassle Free:
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a great cleaner. Make a paste of baking soda and use it to clean the tile in the pool at the waterline. The bicarbonate of soda foams a little when water is added. Your tile can collect oil from lotions and soaps on swimmers. The gentle, non-toxic paste and its little foam will remove the oil and grime while adding alkaline to your pool water.
Baking soda works well on grout and caulking. Use it to clean the decking. It will not hurt wood, stone, plantings, grass or the pool. This is a good cleaner for spa tubs.
Tennis Ball
A tennis ball is another good cleaner to soak up oils. Use an old felt tennis ball to pick up any slick oil spots floating on the surface. Wash the tennis ball and reuse it for more spots.
You can also rub it along the surface near the waterline to pick up oil from any pool material. This includes fiberglass and vinyl pool liners. The tennis ball is mildly abrasive, but it will not harm surfaces. Tennis balls are also good for cleaning spa tubs.
Pantyhose
Old, torn pantyhose can be recycled for pool maintenance use with your skimmer basket. Wrap old pantyhose around the skimmer basket to collect tiny particles of debris that might pass through the skimmer’s screen. Pantyhoses are very fine-denier nylon, and they work as strainers or filters.
Clean out the basket and discard the old pantyhose when they are worn. Wrap pantyhose around your hand skimmer to pick up finer debris floating on the surface.
Leaf Blower or Power Washer
A leaf blower or power washer can be used to remove debris from your pool cover. Do not use either machine full blast. Use the blower to get rid of leaves, twigs, and dirt from the pool cover as well as the decking after a rain or wind storm. The power washer on a low setting can also be used to remove dirt and debris from a heavy cover before it gets into the water.
Lemongrass
Keep bugs away from your pool with plants such as lemongrass or any form of citronella. Plant lemongrass in attractive pots and hanging baskets. Mosquitos are always a problem, but bees and wasps may decide to move into your pool area.
A small, brown paper bag stuffed with old plastic bags will resemble a wasp nest if it is hung under the eaves of a patio awning. This will keep wasps away since they don’t nest near other nests.
Hang dryer fabric softener sheets from a line near the pool or patio area. This also keeps mosquitos and other flying insects away.
Be Sure To Check for Leaks When Doing Pool Maintenance
During routine pool maintenance, you can save yourself from large expenses related to pool repairs by staying alerted to leaks in your pool. By always taking the time to check for pool leaks you can catch a leak when it begins. Finding and repairing a leak immediately will save water, your pool’s pump system, and your grounds. This also applies to spa tubs and even water features such as ponds.
Water Level
It is important to know the right water level for your pool or spa tub. It should be about two-thirds above the bottom the skimmer assembly. This allows water to be sucked into the filter and pump system.
Check the water level when the pump is off and the pool is not in use. You can check it in the morning when you uncover the pool. Daily evaporation should be no more than a quarter of an inch for an uncovered pool. Notice any minor changes in the water level over a few days if the water loss is not significant.
Perform the bucket test over a 24-hour period if the water level continues to drop. This will confirm a leak.Questions to ask yourself or someone else involved in pool maintenance:
- When was the drop in water level first noticed?
- Were there any unusual weather conditions?
- Was the pool covered completely?
- Did several people use the pool and splash too much water?
- Did the pool stop losing water at a certain level?
Dry, windy weather can cause more evaporation when the pool is uncovered. If you notice a lower water level after a few windy days, that could be the cause. Continue to monitor the water level and keep the pool and/or spa tub covered when not in use.
Splashing by playful children will lower the water level. It is nice to control the splashing if you can. Take this type of event into consideration when you are cleaning the pool after extensive use.
If the leak stops after a couple of inches, check your fittings near the top of the pool. A loose ladder or a crack in a step where it meets the pool shell may be the cause.
You should also check for pool leaks at the skimmer assembly if the water level continues to drop.
Examine the Grounds
Splashing may cause water to puddle on the decking but a leak in the plumbing line will also have this effect. You probably have a plumbing line leak if the deck water does not evaporate.
Check for pool leaks if water continues to puddle on the decking when the pump is off. A crack in the PVC intake or return line may be responsible for this problem. This can be repaired immediately to prevent erosion under the pool.
Excessive dirt in your pool is another indication of a leak. This type of leak can possibly be at the drain. The drain at the lowest part of the pool should also be sucking water into the filter when the pump is on. A loose or clogged drain can cause a leak.
Swimming pool maintenance starts with checking your water level. If your pool’s water level drops unexpectedly, you may have a leak. Check your drains, skimmer, and pool fittings. Call Aquaman Leak Detection for repairs as soon as your suspect a problem. We can often detect and repair your leak in one visit.
