Home Swimming Pool Care

Introduction

Having a swimming pool outside your home can mean many things for many people. For some, its a sign of status or a place to entertain guests. For others, its a great place to exercise. For most of us, its a wonderful, relaxing place where we can go on a hot, sunny day to cool off and soak up some sun. Regardless of what you use your home swimming pool for, there is one thing that all of us have in common: we must take care of and maintain our pools.

One of the best ways to take care of your swimming pool is to keep it clean. If your swimming pool is located outside of your home, it will become the landing place for debris. One way to help prevent this is to purchase a pool coverage for when you are not swimming, but even with a cover, your pool will need cleaning (the coverage will also need to be kept clean). Most swimming pool owners have a net they can use to skim the top of the water when the pool has only minor cleanliness issues. A vacuum or automatic device that scopes the bottom of your pool is also necessary for cleaning the floor.

You should also invest in a brush to help keep problems such as algae at bay. Brushing the swimming pool walls and the tile around the top of the pool at least once a week can save you a ton of money in the long run. If a problem such as algae is not immediately eliminated, you may need to call in a professional and this can cost hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Also, do not forget your skimmer. Debris such as leaves or small animals may get sucked into the skimmer and should be removed within a few days. The longer debris is left in your pool or skimmer, the bigger chance you take of welcoming bacteria into your pool. Also, debris can clog your filters.

 

 

In addition to cleaning your home swimming pool regularly, you must keep the chemicals in the pool balanced. Not doing so can be dangerous for the people who swim in your pool. Pool owners should check the pH balance of their swimming pools at least once a week. Most of the time, a pH balance between 7.2 and 7.6 is acceptable, but what do you do when it goes above or beyond those numbers? Your local pool store should have chemicals available to help with this problem. These might include liquid hydrochloric acid, dry acid or sodium carbonate. Always be careful when handling these chemicals.

Your pool should also be tested for chlorine often. Chlorine works as a sanitizer, but many home swimming pools end up with too much or too little of it in the water. Most pools should have a chlorine level around 2.0 ppm. If you have too little chlorine, your pool may become a breeding grown for bacteria, and too much can make your swimmers sick or irritate their skin and eyes. If you are unsure of how much chlorine should be added to your home swimming pool, again, your local pool store employees should be able to help.

 

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