Spring Cleaning your Pool

Spring is finally here and it’s time to get your pool ready for summer. Here is a step by step guide to getting your pool swim-ready!

Give it a Spring Clean

Remove your pool cover and drain off any dirt or stagnant water. Hose off or sweep the cover to ensure it’s clean and won’t stick to itself or smell over summer. Store using a protective cover or under cover for protection from the elements. Thoroughly check your pump, filter and skimmer basket, even if your pool has been covered during winter it is worth inspecting all moving parts. Ensure everything is clean and in good working order. Use a good quality sanitiser to give the filter a deep clean. Make sure to clean the filter before you turn it on. Once cleaning is complete, start the circulation system and remove any debris from the water. (You can place the blanket back onto the pool while you get the balances right to prevent leaves and debris from getting in to the pool).

Top it up

If the water level has fallen over winter, give it a top up ensuring the level is at the middle of the skimmer opening to allow for proper circulation.

Test your water

We recommend having the water professionally tested if you’re new to pool ownership. After 24 – 48 hours of cleaning and topping up, simply take a water sample elbow deep from the surface and take to a reputable pool shop. They’ll test the mineral content of the water, along with the alkalinity, pH and chlorine levels. Your pool shop will tell you which needs to be adjusted and by how much…  If you’ve owned a pool for a while you’re probably already a pro and can take the levels yourself with a home kit!

Balance & Sanitation

Your pool water is delicate and there are 3 main ingredients to keeping this balanced: pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness. Balancing your pool means keeping the pH of the water between 7.4 and 7.6, which is slightly above neutral on the pH scale. Your pool shop will be able to advise on the correct mix of PH increasers, PH decreases and Alkaline increasers when they take your levels.

Many pool owners use chlorine as their preferred method of sanitation. Chlorine can be introduced through tablets, powder or a salt chlorine generator. Your pool shop will be able to advise which method suits you and your pool best.

Please Note: It can be difficult to get the levels exactly right at the start of the season when your pool has been sitting dormant so be sure to add chemicals in lots of small doses, rather than one big hit.

Wait for the water to clear

Don’t get your bathers on just yet! The filter has to be cleaned daily until the water is clear. Expect the entire process to take about a week. You may have to add chlorine to keep it at the right level. Only when the water is clear and you can see the pool floor should you remove the cover. Remove the cover too soon and you’ll end up with more leaves and pollen and debris to clean out.

Maintenance

A simple maintenance routine will keep your pool in tip-top shape for the entire season; Use your pool blanket when required to keep heat in and debris out, keep the filter clean, vacuum the pool twice weekly, and test the chemical levels regularly.

Remove leaves & debris