The summer season means one thing – a lot of time in the swimming pool! The heat outside can be overpowering and instead of regulating the temperature inside, you can choose to cool off by dipping in the pool.

Of course, if you use the pool often, that means you need to exert more effort to make sure it is well-maintained. Your body and the pool toys and equipment you use will leave microorganisms in the water. The more you use it, the dirtier it gets. If you want the water to remain clear, you have to make sure that you learn how to take care of it.

Fortunately, it is easy to take care of your swimming pool – as long as you follow these simple tips.

REMOVE DEBRIS OFTEN

This is probably the easiest part – removing the physical debris. You can actually do this before you go swimming. Or you can spend a couple of minutes each day to use a net to remove floating debris from the surface of the pool. Take out any leaves, flowers or branches that landed on the water.

VACUUM THE POOL

This is something that you should do on a weekly basis. This will help remove the debris in hard to reach places in your swimming pool. Doing this will also decrease the need to add so many chemicals. That means when you vacuum, you will not only clean the pool. You will also save some money. If you think that a vacuum is too much work, you can get an automatic vacuum that you can program to work on schedule. Make sure you check the filter of the vacuum to remove the debris that is stuck in it.

CHECK THE POOL FILTER

Make sure this is clean. If not, then you know what you have to do. The maintenance will depend on what type of filter you have. Check the cleaning instructions based on the filter that you have. One thing is for sure, both of them will require regular cleaning. If not, it will not trap debris effectively. It will end up making your swimming pool look murky. Not only that, the pressure of the water will also change.

MEASURE THE PH LEVEL

The pH level is very important – but only if it is the right level. This involves the acidity of the pool water. The ideal level should be 7.2 to 7.8. This is enough to keep the water clean and still safe for those swimming in the pool. You need to purchase a testing kit to help you measure this level. If the pH level is low, you should increase it by adding the right chemicals – like soda ash. But if it is high, you need to add muriatic ash to lower it to the right level.

SEARCH FOR LEAKS

Finally, you need to see if there are leaks anywhere. In fact, you need to do this before the start of the summer season. Here’s a tricky way to see if there is a leak. Get a bucket of water and fill it with water up to ¾ high. Mark the inside with a line where the water ends. Place the bucket in the pool and mark the outside of the bucket where the water level is. Allow it to float for a few days. In case the water inside and outside of the bucket goes down the same amount, that is caused by evaporation. But if the outside appears to lose more water, there is a leak. This can only be fixed by a professional.

Follow these tips so you can keep your swimming pool in good condition throughout the summer season.