So, you’ve just moved into a house with a swimming pool and you don’t know have a clue how to clean it? Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it looks; follow these five simple tips and you’ll be on your way to having a sparkling clean pool in no time.
Check leaf baskets regularly
Leaf litter can be the bane of a pool and depending on the type of trees and vegetation surrounding your pool your leaf basket may need to be checked and emptied daily. The leaf basket is located in the skimmer box, usually located at the deep end of your pool where you will see an opening where the water is drawn in by the pump. The other leaf basket is located inside your filter pump and while it needs to be checked less often, you should inspect it at least once a week and empty it if needed.
Scoop your pool surface regularly
Scooping the surface of your pool every day or second day is a good habit to get into and will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. By removing leaves that blow into the pool before they sink or are drawn into the skimmer basket, you can lessen the time needed to vacuum your pool and the risk of your skimmer basket blocking up and damaging your pump.
Vacuum your pool regularly
Vacuuming your pool on a weekly of fortnightly basis, even if there is not too much visible leaf litter, will ensure sparkling clear water by helping to assist the water circulation. Remember that slow and steady wins the race when vacuuming your pool – if you rush around you will just stir things up and have to wait for them to resettle.
Backwash your filter regularly
With all baskets clean and no vacuum hose attached, turn of your pump and move the filter handle to the backwash setting. Turn the pump on and let it run for at least a minute or until the water in the sight glass is clear. Then turn off the pump, move the handle to rinse and run the pump for a further 30 seconds. Once completed turn off the pump and move the handle back to the standard filter setting. If you need a replacement filter, pool supply specialists such as Alliance Pool Stores ( http://www.alliancepoolstores.com.au/ ) have a wide range to choose from.
Clean your salt cell regularly
Most pools these days have a saltwater chlorinator. The newer ones are self-cleaning but many older ones still need to be cleaned at least once a month. The chlorinator cell is usually housed in a clear plastic tube with wires attached to it and plumbed into the outlet pipe of your filter. Remove the wires from the cell, take it out of the housing, and submerge it in a bucket filled with a solution of one part hydrochloric acid to 10 parts of water until clean.
So there you have it, follow these five simple tips and your pool will be clean and ready to swim in whenever you want to use it.
