Although having your own pool can be loads of fun, many people worry about the upkeep.  With a few basic pool chemicals and pool cleaning equipment, you’ll be on your way to hours of relaxation and entertainment.

Pool Chemistry

The first step in caring for your pool is making sure the pH level is correct.  You need to maintain an adequate balance of acid and alkali.  Having too much acid in your pool will result in corrosion to your pool equipment as well as skin irritations for the swimmers.  Too much alkaline will produce cloudy water.

A neutral pH is 7.0, and the target pH for swimming pools is between 7.2 and 7.8.  Sodium bicarbonate, an alkaline, and sodium bisulfate, an acid, are two products used to keep pool chemistry in check.  Balancing pool chemistry must be done continuously, because body oils and even debris such as leaves can alter the chemical balance.

Chlorine or Baquacil?

Pool owners have depended on chlorine as a pool disinfectant for many years.  Baquacil is a biguanide, or hydrogen peroxide-based oxidizer, that has become a popular substitute for chlorine.  Biguanides are sanitizers, rather than disinfectants.  Either chemical is effective, but they must never be mixed together.

Chlorine and Baquacil both have pros and cons.  Chlorine kills bacteria quickly but also irritates swimmers’ skin and eyes and can corrode pool equipment.  Baquacil is non-corrosive, but it shortens the life of pool filters and does not disinfect the water.

Swimming Pool Cleaning Tools

There is a large selection of pool cleaning equipment.  The following are some basic tools you will need to keep your pool clean.

• Telescoping pole:  These poles are either aluminum or fiberglass and extend to various lengths.  The two holes at the end are used for attaching the different cleaning attachments.
• Vacuum head and hose:  The vacuum head attaches to the end of the telescoping pole, and the vacuum hose attaches to the vacuum head.  You will need to vacuum your pool frequently in order to keep it clean.
• Skimmer net:  Skimmer nets have a frame covered with a mesh netting.  They are attached to the end of a telescoping pole.  You need to use your skimmer net every day, and sometimes more than once a day, to remove any debris floating on the pool water.  Debris should be removed from the water before it has a chance to sink to the bottom of the pool.
• Pool and tile brushes:  Brushes for cleaning the sides and bottom of a pool and brushes designed to clean the pool tile band are attached to a telescoping pole.  A weekly cleaning with brushes is recommended.

More Basics

If you have any questions about the care of your pool, ask a local pool service for advice.  You can even take water samples to some pool services for analysis.  And although swimming pool cleaning is important, keep in mind that pool safety should also be your first concern.

The following services are provided by Pool Captain Corp. This is a partial list of Swimming Pool services…

In-Ground Swimming Pools
Fiberglass Swimming Pools
Concrete Swimming Pools
Pool Repair
Pool Maitinance
Pool Moderization
Pool Cleaning
Pool Services

Pool Captain provides services in the following cities and counties in Florida;

Palm Coast
Ormond Beach
Daytona Beach
Port Orange
New Smyrna Beach
Deland
Deltona
Volusia County
Flagler County

The level of your pH is a important component of creating a balance within your water. When this is out of whack, goofy things can take place. Not to mention that dirty tile line that can build up over time and if your water is too acidic, dreadful things can happen to your pool equipment causing unwanted repairs and hundreds of dollars spent needlessly.

The water’s pH is a gauge of its total acid-alkalinity balance, the relative proportion of acids and alkalis in the water. Basically put, water that is either too acidic or too alkaline will cause undesirable chemical reactions. If the water is too acidic, it will eat away metal equipment, cause etching on the surface materials and cause skin pain. If the water is too alkaline, it can cause scaling on the pool surface and plumbing equipment and can cloud the water.

Additionally, both high acidity and high alkalinity alters the effectiveness of the chlorine. The chlorine won’t destroy pathogens as well if the water is too alkaline, and it will dissipate much more quickly if the water is too acidic.

On the pH scale, zero indicates extreme acidity, 14 indicate extreme alkalinity and 7 indicates a neutral state. I recommend a pool pH between 7.2 and 7.8. To raise or lower pH, a pool custodian simply adds acids or alkali into the water. For example, adding sodium carbonate (soda ash) or sodium bicarbonate will generally raise the pH, and adding muriatic acid or sodium bi-sulfate will lower the pH.

Maintaining the proper balance of chemicals in the swimming pool is a continual process, because any new oils from a swimmer’s body, a shot of chlorine, stuff that falls in the water shifts the water’s total chemical makeup. In addition to pH, pool owners should also monitor total alkalinity, calcium hardness and total dissolved solids.

A chemically well balanced pool, utilizes fewer chemicals, has a nice sparkly blue appearance to the water and creates a much more enjoyable experience to those swimming in the pool.

Swimming Pool maintenance is key in saving money and getting the most out of your swimming pool. Not maintaining your swimming pool maintenance and pool cleaning can result in requiring expensive pool service help.

Not checking your pool’s chemistry often enough is a mistake often made by pool owners. By checking the pool’s chemical levels twice a week in the summer/spring/fall and once a week in the winter you can properly maintain the pool’s chemical levels.

Avoid the pH to go above 8.0, this lowers the effectiveness of your chlorine to 10% active. At 7.0 it is about 73% active; allowing you to use more potential of the chlorine that is already in the pool, thus cutting your chlorine costs.

Keep alkalinity between 80-140 PPM; alkalinity affects water balance and your pools sanitizer’s ability to perform.

Checking calcium hardness every month and the TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) every 6 months helps to maintain water balance too; although not sanitation.

Routinely cleaning the cells in your chlorine generators is important because if they become calcified or corroded the production of chlorine in your pool is lowered.

If you backwash your filters too often the filter won’t clean as much as it can. You should only need to backwashing most filters if the pressure gauge goes 8-10 PSI above clean.

Not cleaning your pools pumps regularly will result in poor water flow, causing problems in your pool.

When adding chemicals be sure to add them in the evening after the sun has set. Adding them during the day lowers their effectiveness.

Be sure to brush your tile regularly, neglecting to do this can cost a lot of money. Brushing down the walls will help any problems with algae your circulation system may have. If you don’t brush enough your tile will become calcified and require a specialist to clean it, costing you more money.

If the space between the bottom of the cantilever and the top of the tile on the deck cracks put in some silicon to keep water from leaking out of the pool under the decking.

As long as you have a good circulation system you should run your pump roughly 1 hour for every 10 degrees of temperature. Your pools circulation is the main determining factor in having a low maintenance pool; the better your pools circulation the lower maintenance it will be.

Make sure to replace any drains that become damaged or lost. Not doing this is a real hazard.

Keeping swimming pool maintenance and pool cleaning regular helps reduce the need to hire pool service.