Pool Maintenance Checklist From A Pool Professional: Including An Infografic

Pool Maintenance Checklist From A Pool Professional

If you are one of the fortunate people who have a swimming pool at your home, you want to be sure it will stay beautiful, clean and blue. Your pool is the centerpiece of your backyard as well as a place to get exercise, play with your kids, and hang out with friends. So you want to be sure it looks nice and can be enjoyed at any moment. So here is a Pool Maintenance checklist from a pool professional to help.

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Pool cleaning and maintenance on a regular basis has proven to be cost-effective and efficient, regardless of the type of swimming pool you have. Eric Stanton, owner of Valley Pool Plaster, will take you through the steps of maintaining your pool so that it will be in great shape for many years.

Take a look at this infographic to learn more about the steps involved in maintaining and cleaning your pool. Please share with your friends and neighbors!

Pool Maintenance Check List - Click to Enlarge

Circulation

Baskets

Keep all baskets – pump, skimmer, and leaf canister – empty. Generally, this is done once/week, but it should also be done after a wind storm. Full baskets act like a partial clog in the circulation system, which reduces the pump’s efficiency.

Filter

Clean your filter when the pressure reaches 8-10 PSI above its clean pressure, or every 3-4 months, whichever comes first. The dirtier your filter, the slower water runs through your system.

Pump Run Time

Every pool is different, but the general rule of thumb is to run your pump 4 hours in the winter, 6 hours in the fall and spring, and 8 hours in the summer. Ultimately, you want to run your pump however long it takes to keep the water clear.

Return jet angles

You want your jets to be pointed down at a 45 degree angle. Many people like to point their jets up, so they can see the water rippling in the pool, but this is the least effective position for return jets.

Cleaning

Weekly

Remove all debris through vacuuming and netting Brush all surfaces (plaster, pebble, fiberglass, quartz, etc.)

Monthly

Brush tile with a pool specific tile brush and soap

Chemistry

pH

Ideal range 7.4-7.6 Can be adjusted through muriatic acid or granular acid

Chlorine

1-3ppm Can use such products as liquid chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, and trichlor

Alkalinity

80-120ppm Adjust up with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and down with acid

Conditioner

Below 100ppm Increase by adding granular cyanuric acid and decrease by removing water

Calcium

20-400ppm Increase with calcium chloride and decrease by removing water

Bonus Items

Automatic Pool Vacuum

These help keep your pool clean throughout the week. The most common types are suction based, pressure based, and robotic.

Poolskim

This is a great product that attaches to your return line and creates a venturi to act as an additional skimmer.

Phosphate remover

Phosphates are food for algae. By constantly maintaining phosphate levels below 100ppb, you can decrease your pump run time, chlorine level, and use of algaecide since algae is much less likely to grow with low phosphates.

Enjoy
   Richard