Maintenance Minute: Pool Care

Arizona and pools go together like peanut butter and jelly. Undoubtedly your pools are getting a lot of use this summer; that’s why we would like to take a look at a few Pool Maintenance Tips and Tricks.

Water Maintenance

One of the most common mistakes made when it comes to pool maintenance is the water level. Make sure to keep the water level anywhere from one third to one half of the way up the opening of your skimmer. If you need to adjust the water level, recheck chemical levels afterwards, as they probably now need some fine tuning.

In order to avoid damage to pool surfaces and skin/eye irritation, it is necessary to properly maintain the pH level of the pool water. The pH level should remain from 7.2 – 7.8. pH tests can be purchased at a local hardware or pool supply store.

Cleaning & Appearance

The most routine form of pool maintenance should be skimming the the water surface with a pool net or leaf skimmer. If left unchecked, the debris from the surface will sink and cause damage to the pool bottom. Additionally, no resident wants to swim in a dirty pool. The pool should be skimmed every day or every few days.

Power-washing the deck is an often overlooked form of pool cleaning that also gives the pool area a brand new look. Power-washing gets rid of algae, dirt and bacteria buildup that can prove both damaging and dangerous. Power washers can be rented from your local hardware store!

Pool Chemicals

Pools that get a lot of use by many different people need to be shocked periodically to clean, reduce odor, and clear up the pool. To shock your community’s pool, dilute three to five times the normal amount of chlorine you use and put it through the return line, slowly filling the pool back up over time. You can also purchase pool shocks from your local pool store. Avoid swimming in the pool until the chlorine drops to a safe level, around 1.5 ppm – 3.5 ppm.

Many pool chemicals can be expensive and there are DIY options that also prove to be effective. For example, baking soda can be used in place of sodium bicarbonate solutions to adjust pool alkalinity. Many swimmers leave behind traces of sunscreen, hair product, etc. Let a tennis ball sit in the pool to collect these oils in the ball’s fibers.

For any other needs, be sure to take a look at our list of AMA-Approved Pool Specialists by visiting our Vendor Directory!

 


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Taylor Fish
Taylor is a staff writer for Multihousing Friends and a student at Brigham Young University.