Did you know that pool maintenance tips will vary depending on the specific type of swimming pool that you have? It is important for you to understand what you are trying to clean if you want your pool to undergo thorough maintenance.
That being said, you need to make sure that you know how to clean your specific pool – whether it is an indoor or outdoor one. Both of these are essentially the same but their locations and unique features would require slightly different maintenance tasks. It is not too great but it will make a difference in your maintenance efforts.
Differences between maintaining an indoor and outdoor pool
There are a couple of things that you need to remember when it comes to specific pool maintenance tips for indoor or outdoor pools.
First of all, indoor pools are regularly used. That means you do not have to winterize your pool like you would an outdoor pool. However, that means you need to clean it even while you are in the midst of the winter season. This will ensure that it is ready to use all year round.
Another thing that you need to consider is the fact that contaminants in an outdoor pool are greater than the ones you will encounter in an indoor pool. That means the cleaning and skimming of the water will have to happen more frequently. For indoor pools, this can happen at least weekly – at least if it is not used regularly.
Shocking an indoor and outdoor pool will also be different. First of all, an outdoor pool is directly under the Sun. That can reduce the algae formation in your pool. The indoor pool does not have this feature – unless you have a sunroof. That means you might have to add some UV water treatment systems – especially if your pool is really shaded.
When you put chlorine in the pool water, you need to keep the place well ventilated. The chlorine releases the contaminants into the air. It needs to have a way out into the open air to avoid having it fall back down the water.
Common pool maintenance tips
Now that you know the differences, it is time to define the common pool maintenance tips that indoor and outdoor pools share. There are three basic rules when you are cleaning any type of pool.
Pool cleaning
Cleaning is the primary task when you are maintaining your pool. It is what will make your pool safe. Admittedly, this is the task that will require the most effort. Fortunately, there are a couple of tools that will make this easier to accomplish. Among the tools include a pool vacuum, pool brush, and a net skimmer.
Start by getting rid of the physical debris that is floating on the surface of the pool water. You can use a net for this. After working on the surface, work on the ones that sunk underwater. Then, using baking soda paste to clean the tiles or vinyl liners. Brush it on and work on the walls and surrounding pool tiles.
This is something that you need to do weekly. If you do not have the time to invest long hours to do this, invest in an automatic pool cleaner. The skimming and brushing will be cut down.
Pool circulation
One of the main problems of a swimming pool is stagnant water. You want to ensure that it is always circulating so it will avoid issues like pool algae or cloudy water. Ideally, you want to keep your filter running 24/7. But if you are conserving energy, running the filter 10 to 12 hours a day should suffice. But if you are using the pool regularly, you need to run it longer and more frequently.
Apart from that, you should also make sure your pool filter is maintained but backwashing it frequently. This is reversing the flor of the water to deal with the contaminants that built-up and the dirty water. The process will depend on the type of that you are using.
Pool chemistry
After cleaning, the next pool maintenance task is to work on the chemistry of the pool. This will help keep the water safe for swimming and minimize the growth of algae and other bacteria. To begin, you need to have a water testing kit. This will help you determine the chemistry levels of the pool. Once you know the levels existing, you can work on adjusting it according to the standards.
For the pH levels, the range should be 7.4 to 7.6. If you have low pH levels, that would make your pool water too acidic. If it is too high, then it is basic. You need to keep it balanced.
The next chemical concern is alkalinity. This is the buffer for the pH level of the pool water. It has to be between 100 and 150 part per million (ppm).
Finally, you have the sanitizer or chlorine level. You can also use bromine. The level that you need to follow will depend on what sanitizer you plan on using.
If the water testing kit reveals that the chemistry levels are not within the right range, then you need to add more.
You should also familiarize yourself on how to properly shock your pool. This involves raising the chlorine amount by up to three times the normal level to burn off unwanted waste and bacteria in the water. This is ideal for pools that have been used excessively or after being exposed to a lot of rainwater. If you will shock your pool, make sure to do it at night. When you shock the pool while the Sun is up, it will only make the chlorine worthless. Once you have shocked the water, make sure to run the pump for a minimum of 8 hours.
