Supplies to Maintain a Salt Chlorinated Pool

By creating their own chlorine, salt chlorinated pools provide pool owners with a convenient way to keep their pools clean and free from harmful bacteria. While salt chlorinators certainly ease the maintenance process somewhat, it doesn’t eliminate it altogether.

The following are some of the things you need to keep your saltwater chlorinated pool in great shape:

• Cyanuric acid protects the chlorine created by the saltwater chlorinator from being broken down by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Cyanuric acid is typically added to the pool at the start of each season.
• A free chlorine and pH test kit will allow you to monitor the amount of free chlorine in the water, as well as its alkalinity. Testing should be done weekly. Then, following the recommendations in your pools owner’s manual, regulate the amount of free chlorine in the water by adjusting the chlorine output on the salt chlorinator control box.

Control the alkalinity of the water using:

• Muriatic acid to lower its pH level or
• Soda ash or sodium bicarbonate to raise its pH level.
• Very occasionally, you might also need to replace your system’s salt cell, which converts the salt in the water into chlorine.

Despite how little maintenance is needed to maintain a saltwater pool than with traditional chlorination, it should never be neglected. Just a few items are all you need to take care of your pool with a saltwater system, so there shouldn’t be any excuse not to perform the needed maintenance.

3 Common Pool Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid

Swimming pools provide delightful leisure time for most people, as the cool water usually feels good and relaxing for sore muscles and fatigued bodies. However, owners must also do their part in keeping their pools in top shape so they can enjoy it more. Here are some things owners tend to forget, but shouldn’t, in maintaining their pools:

Overlooking the water chemistry levels

Check your pool’s chemistry levels once a week during winter and twice a week during warmer months, lest you risk microorganism activity that can not only shorten the service life of your pool, but also endanger your family’s health and safety. Modify pH levels, calcium hardness and alkalinity levels accordingly.

Not running pumps long enough

Turning off your pumps can help you save on electricity bills, but it also makes you spend more on service maintenance as lack of water circulation can promote algae growth and spread out debris. Always remember that great water flow is often the key to a well-maintained swimming pool.

Neglecting to brush the pool

You’re vacuuming your swimming pool so it’s all good, yes? Not quite, because vacuum heads don’t really reach deeply to stop algae from growing on the sides of your pool. Choose to routinely scrape and sweep your pool with a nylon brush after you vacuum for more effective cleaning.

Swimming Pool Cleaning Tips

Because of its exposure to the outside elements, swimming pools unfortunately can’t help but be littered with rubbles and tree branches blown with the wind. Before diving into the blue, here are some helpful tips to help you clean and maintain the cleanliness of your swimming pool:

Get rid of debris.

Examine the surface of the water for floating debris like leaves and branches and remove them using a skimmer basket. Dispose of them properly so it won’t go back into your pool again. If you have foliage around, prune them back, or think about replacing them with plants that shed less.

Vacuum the pool.

An average swimming pool needs at least 30 minutes of thorough vacuuming, depending on the size. Move the equipment across the water in intersecting parallel lines, as you would when trimming the lawn.

Clean your pool filters.

Clean your pool filters regularly, about every 4 to 6 months. You can soak them up in 10% solution of muriatic acid or trisodium phosphate in a rubber container. Don’t forget to wear gloves and eye protection while cleaning and rinsing them carefully before leaving them to dry.

Adjust chemical levels.

Check your pool’s pH level weekly and adjust it accordingly. If it’s above 7.6, regulate with muriatic acid, and when under 7.4, correct with soda ash product. A pool’s ideal reading is between 7.2 and 7.8, when pool sterilisers work at its most efficient.

On Maintaining a Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is one of the best implements for a home. Not only does it provide a good avenue for exercise, but it is also a great venue for entertaining family and friends on special occasions or simple get-togethers.

However, maintaining a pool is probably one of the most difficult tasks there are. As a pool is exposed to outside elements, its condition is bound to deteriorate over time, especially when used on a daily basis. This means that regular maintenance is necessary to keep it sparkling clean.