Swimming Pool Care 101: Equipment, Water Balance, Cleaning & more

Swimming pool care means keeping the water clean and safe, and looking after the pool equipment. People new to swimming pool care sometimes miss these points. They might use the wrong chemicals or clean their pools in ways that don’t work well. This can lead to water getting cloudy quickly and needing more chemicals than necessary.

The three pillars of swimming pool care are essential for maintaining a clean, safe, and enjoyable swimming environment.

1. Pool equipment: High-quality pool equipment, especially a robust pool pump, is crucial. The pump ensures water circulation, crucial for preventing algae growth and maintaining clarity. It’s advisable for the pool pump to run 6 to 8 hours daily for optimal results.
2. Water balance with pool chemistry: Understanding and managing water chemistry is vital. Key parameters include alkalinity (80-120 mg/l), pH value (7.2-7.6), and calcium hardness (200-400 mg/l). Regular use of pool chemicals like chlorine is necessary to eliminate algae, bacteria, and germs, thus preventing cloudiness.
3. Manual pool cleaning: Despite technological aids, manual pool cleaning is indispensable. Pool owners should regularly check water values, inspect for damages, and physically clean the pool. This involves using tools like pool vacuum cleaners, scoops, and brushes to remove organic impurities such as leaves, sand, and body residues.

Maintaining these three pillars ensures a pristine and healthy pool environment. If the pool care plan doesn’t work, your pool can become a place where germs and algae grow. This can damage the pool and make it more expensive to keep clean.

The next sections of this swimming pool care guide will show beginners how to clean their pools the right way. This will help keep the swimming pool in good shape, make it safe to swim in, and cut down on costs.

What Pool Equipment Do You Need For Pool Care?

Pool care requires specific equipment and resources. Here are 6 tools you need to clean a pool and keep it permanently clean.

1. Telescopic rod: The brush, the landing net, and the manual vacuum cleaner are attached to the rod – a solid telescopic rod costs around 30 $ and does not break in the first season.
2. Pool brush: The brush removes algae or limescale deposits on the pool floor and walls. In a PVC pool, you should not use a steel brush. In addition to the brush, a simple sponge should always be in your pool kit.
3. Landing net: The landing net helps clean the water’s surface in the swimming pool. Leaves, insects, and small drowned animals are removed quickly with a net.
4. Pool vacuums: The pool vacuums are available in different versions. The most common is the manual pool vacuum. You can vacuum the dirt from the pool floor without having to drain the water – the pool vacuums always include a sufficiently long pool hose and a telescopic rod.
5. Test kit: If you don’t have a multifunctional electronic water tester, various test strips are required to check the parameters in the water.
6. Pool chemistry: The water must be disinfected regularly, and various agents such as chlorine, active oxygen, bromine, and other disinfectants are suitable for this. If you want to use less pool chemistry, you can install special systems for disinfecting the pool water. You can find more about pool chemistry in my pool maintenance blog.

Storing equipment properly after pool care is crucial. This routine is suitable for both novice and experienced pool owners, maintaining the pool’s cleanliness and hygiene.

Why Is It Important To Maintain Pool Water Balance With Chemistry?

Incorrect water parameters ​​in a swimming pool are often the reason why the pool water has become cloudy and needs to be cleaned. Alkalinity, pH and calcium hardness are three important parameters for pool care. The 3 water parameters ​​and their values for swimming pools are listed below.

1. Alkalinity: The total alkalinity (also referred to as acid capacity or TA level) interacts with the pH level and is decisive for further optimizing the water levels. If the acid capacity is not balanced, there will be strong fluctuations in the pH level and the calcium hardness – ideally, the total alkalinity is 80 – 120 ppm (80 – 120mg/l).
2. pH level: The pH level indicates how acidic or basic the water in the pool is. A low pH leads to cloudy pool water and can damage the joints in a concrete pool. However, a high pH level can also cloud the water and lead to the formation of limescale – the optimum pH level in the pool is in the neutral range between 7.2 – 7.6.
3. Calcium hardness: In addition to the alkalinity level and the pH level, calcium hardness also plays an important role in water treatment. A deviation from the ideal level 200 – 400 ppm (200 – 400 mg/l) can lead to calcium deposits and cloudy pool water.

These pool parameters ​​can be determined by using test strips. Another method is to use electronic water testers. If the water parameters ​​in your pool are not correct, even the best pool care plan will have little success. Therefore, the pool water parameters should be checked regularly.

How Do You Clean Your Swimming Pool?

Cleaning a pool is a structured process that involves 8 key steps. This pool cleaning guide provides 8 steps to ensure a clean, safe, and well-maintained swimming environment.

1. Check the Water Level During Pool Maintenance: Begin by assessing the pool’s water level. If too low, top it up using a garden hose. It’s important not to worry about water values at this stage, as they will be adjusted later.
2. Scrub the Entire Pool: Engage in thorough cleaning by scrubbing the pool’s floor and walls with a pool brush attached to a telescopic pole. Start with the pool edge and then move to the rest of the pool, including the steps, ensuring all areas are scrubbed well.
3. Remove Coarse Dirt in the Swimming Pool: After scrubbing, use a pool landing net to remove debris like leaves and insects from the pool’s surface. This step is critical for preventing bacteria growth. Also, clean the strainer in the skimmer.
4. Vacuum the Pool with a Pool Vacuum Cleaner: Connect the pool vacuum cleaner to the filter system and ensure no air is trapped in the hose. Vacuum the pool starting from one corner to the middle, then the other side, ensuring to overlap areas to avoid streaks.
5. Cleaning and Care of the Pool Filter Screen: After vacuuming, set the multivalve to closed and clean the filter in the pump housing by rinsing with water. Reinsert the cleaned strainer and set the system back to normal operation.
6. Backwashing and Rinsing the Filter System During Pool Maintenance: If the pressure is high, backwash the filter system by setting the multivalve to flush and rinse until the water in the sight glass is clear. This step ensures no dirt re-enters the pool.
7. Store Equipment and Pool Cleaner After Pool Maintenance: After maintenance, disconnect and store all equipment properly. Ensure the pool vacuum cleaner is dried and stored in a dry place.
8. Check and Optimize the Water Values in the Pool for Optimum Pool Maintenance: Finally, test and adjust key water parameters like chlorine (0.3 – 1.5 mg/l), pH value (7.2 – 7.6), and others as needed. Regular testing ensures the pool remains in optimal condition.

By following these 8 pool cleaning steps, you can eliminate 90% of all problems with dirty water in your pool. All other problems in your swimming pool require extra pool troubleshooting measures.

How To Get Rid Of Algae In Your Pool?

Addressing local algae growth is key. Using a pool brush, scrub the affected areas thoroughly. If the algae prove resistant, applying chlorine granulate directly onto these spots can be beneficial. During this process, ensure the filter pump is inactive to allow the chlorine to work effectively.

Following the physical removal of algae, it’s crucial to run the pool’s filter system. This helps to eliminate any remaining algae particles from the water. The filter run time should ideally be between 6 to 8 hours daily but may need to be increased up to 12 hours during severe algae outbreaks.

Implementing a flocculant is another step to improve water clarity. This substance helps to coagulate fine algae remnants, making them easier to filter out. After clearing the algae, using an algaecide can prevent future growth. These chemicals are designed to inhibit algae development and are a vital part of pool maintenance.

Finally, it’s essential to balance your pool’s water chemistry. Regular testing and adjusting of water parameters, particularly pH levels, which should be maintained between 7.2 and 7.6, are crucial. This not only aids in preventing algae growth but also ensures the effectiveness of other pool treatments.

In cases where the pool has turned completely green, a pool shock treatment might be necessary. This involves adding a high concentration of chlorine to the pool, which effectively kills algae and other pathogens.

Understanding the causes of algae in pools provides additional insights into prevention strategies. Algae growth is often accelerated by imbalanced pH levels, insufficient filter run times, and inadequate disinfection and flocculation. Ensuring these factors are adequately managed can significantly reduce the likelihood of algae problems. Regular maintenance, especially during winter, is also crucial to prevent algae bloom as the warmer season approaches.

How To Clean A Pool After Winter?

Here are 9 steps listed below on how to clean a pool after winter.

1. Remove leaves and other dirt from the pool cover with a brush so that the dirt does not fall into the water. The cover is then cleaned, dried, and stored in a dry place.
2. Dirt on the surface is removed from the pool with a pool net.
3. Now the sand filter system can be switched on – circulating – for 10 to 15 minutes to get the dirt out of the corners – please do not backwash beforehand.
4. It is advisable to drain the pool water with a submersible pump and refill the pool in the spring. The risk of clogging was minimized by removing the dirt in the second step.
5. The emptied basin should be checked for damage. Damaged joints, cracked pipes, and limescale deposits should be fixed before the first filling.
6. In the next step, the pool is scrubbed with an acidic pool cleaner to remove any algae deposits – then an algaecide can be applied, but this is not a must.
7. The pool is now rinsed with clean water and is ready to be filled.
8. Before that, however, all important components must be connected. Do not forget to check the skimmer, filter system, plugs, and seals. A new cartridge is used for a cartridge filter – the sand in the sand filter system may have to be changed (every 1 – 3 years).
9. Finally, the cleaned pool basin can be filled with water, and the water balance ​​can be optimized.

Most pool owners start cleaning the outdoor pool in mid-April. But you can also orientate yourself on the water temperature – you can start cleaning from 54 to 60 °F. If you need more details on how to clean your pool after winter, I recommend my blog article linked above.

As a rule, water treatment in your pool takes 2 weeks after the winter. The reason for this is the strongly fluctuating parameters in the pool water, which have to be regularly checked and optimized. Start cleaning the pool as early as possible after the winter.

How Does A Pool Maintenance Plan Look Like?

A good pool care plan involves daily, and periodic maintenance tasks listed below.

• Daily cleaning includes removing debris like leaves and insects, cleaning the skimmer basket, checking for algae, maintaining the water level, and monitoring the pH and disinfectant levels.
• Weekly maintenance involves thorough cleaning of the pool’s floor, walls, and steps, either manually or with a pool robot, as well as vacuuming the pool floor and cleaning the waterline.
• Monthly, it’s essential to check cyanuric acid, alkalinity, and calcium hardness levels, clean or backwash the filter, and use a flocculant.
• Annually, inspect and repair any damages post-winter, change the filter sand every two years, and adjust the water if cyanuric acid levels exceed 50 mg/l. These steps form a comprehensive pool maintenance routine for optimal water quality and pool functionality.

Regular swimming pool maintenance is key to keeping your pool clean and safe for use. Learn more about swimming pool maintenance on my blog by following the link.

Why Is Pool Care Important?

Pool care is important for maintaining a clean and safe swimming environment. Many beginners use the wrong chemicals for pool cleaning without addressing the actual root cause of water problems. This approach often leads to short-term success in water treatment but eventually results in water cloudiness. Using incorrect or excessive chemicals for pool care increases maintenance costs and poses health risks, such as over chlorination, which can be harmful to swimmers.

Neglecting pool care leads to more than just cloudy water and health risks. A wrong swimming pool care can cause damage to expensive pool equipment, including seals, valves, pipes, and joints. Incorrect pool care routine result in the need for costly repairs or replacements of components like pool pumps or sand filter systems.

With proper swimming pool care, maintaining a pool is straightforward and cost-effective. Regular, correct pool maintenance prevents these issues, ensuring a safe and enjoyable swimming experience while keeping costs manageable.