Keep up with pool cleaning this summer to make sure your paradise is happy and healthy!
Paradise can’t truly be paradise if it’s dirty and grimy! That’s why it’s important to make sure your pool is clean as can be at all times. Aside from the visual unattractiveness of a dirty pool, dirty water can also be quite dangerous to swim in. There might not even be visual signs of unhealthy water, which is why it’s crucial to keep up with pool cleaning. As pool owners open up paradises throughout Maryland, here are some tips to make sure that your paradise is clean and healthy all summer long.
Physical Cleaning
- Surface Skimming. It all starts at the surface. Leaves, bugs, and other debris are practically inevitable. While water circulation will push a good deal of it into your pool’s filter baskets (which, by the way, you need to empty frequently), you’ll likely need to take a pass with a skimmer to totally clear off the surface. This reduces the amount of debris that sinks into the pool and reduces the amount of chlorine you need to keep your pool safe.
- Vacuuming and Brushing. Your pool should be vacuumed about once a week to clear out any debris that sinks to the bottom. There are both manual and automatic varieties, and we’ll touch back on this later. In addition to vacuuming, pool cleaning also means giving the tile and walls a good scrub once a week to prevent algae growth and calcium deposits. The material of your pool walls or pool finish will determine what tools you use — the harder the surface, the harder the brush you can and should use.
Mechanical Cleaning
- Pool Filters. Your filter needs to be cleaned or replaced to keep your water clean, but doing so too often can actually reduce the effectiveness of the mechanism. It should be cleaned (generally simply rinsed with a hose) when the flow pressure into the filter reaches about 10-15 pounds per square inch.
Chemical Cleaning
- pH. This is a measure of the water’s acidity or alkalinity, on a scale from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline). The target for cleaning your pool is between 7.2 and 7.8 — the ideal range for healthy swimmers and effective sanitizers. Test kits are easy to find and easy to understand, and will tell you which types of chemicals your pool needs to balance out to a neutral pH.
- Chlorine. Chlorine is one of the most commonly recognized pool cleaning agents. Organic contaminants like ammonia, nitrogen, and various bacteria will accumulate over time. Chlorine eliminates these contaminants and keeps your pool clean.
Easy and Automatic Pool Cleaning with Paradise Pools
Did all of that sound like a whole lot of work? We have great news. Paradise Pools offers a few different automated cleaning systems that can take care of some (sorry, not all) of that hard work all on their own. Click through to that link to learn more about each of the systems we offer. With each one, however, this much is true: investing in an automated pool cleaning system will help ensure the prolonged cleanliness and healthiness of your pool — water, structure, and mechanisms. The amount you save by increasing the longevity of your pool, and the value you get from its cleanliness, far outweigh your initial investment. If you have any more questions about any of the pool cleaning systems listed here, feel free to reach out and get a conversation started.
Keep Paradise Clean with Paradise Pools
With over 30 years of experience under our belts, Paradise Pools is committed to turning your dreams into reality as we build your backyard paradise. We aren’t any ordinary pool contractor. From pool construction and renovation to creating a full-blown outdoor living space, we have plenty to offer any style and any budget.
Serving central Maryland, including Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Montgomery Counties, we hope to bring a little piece of paradise to your home. We have the expertise needed to create beautiful and long-lasting outdoor living features that will enhance your landscape and add to your property value.
If you’re ready to get started, shoot us an email from our Contact Us page, or give us a call at (301) 725-0005. While you’re here, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook,Twitter,Google+, and Pinterest to stay up-to-date on our blog, goings on within the company, and other cool and important information!