Getting Your Pool Ready for Summer

Summer is just around the corner.  Keeping your pool clean is of utmost importance.    I have a few tips to help make the process a little easier so you spend less time working on the pool and more time enjoying it. Hopefully, you are starting off with a pretty clean pool. I know some of you out there start their season off with a pool that looks more like a pond than a pool. If that is the case, before you start putting a ton of chemicals in the pool take your leaf rake and take out as much as the debris as you can. I have found using the leaf rake is about the fastest way as any. A leaf master is helpful too but, I prefer to use the leaf rake attachment. Once you have cleared away most of the debris now you can start to add your chemicals.

The fastest and most inexpensive way to clean your pool is to hit it hard with chemicals. I have found that liquid chlorine is the best way to do this process along with a good algaecide. I like the product Algae Tec. Make sure you keep your ppm up at 3.0 or higher until the pool clears up. Keep your filter clean and going during this process. Filtration is 80 percent of water clarity; you might have to clean the filters multiple times depending on how dirty your pool is. Now keep in mind when you are dumping a lot of liquid chlorine in your pool more than likely your ph will sky rocket. Make sure you check your ph and keep it at the desirable range 7.4-7.6. Once you past the desirable range and get closer to 7.8 or higher it affects the chorine’s effectiveness. For example, let’s say you have a chlorine level reading of 3.0 and a ph reading of 8.0. Your chlorine’s effectiveness is maybe only working 30% of its effectiveness thus wasting the chlorine’s usefulness.

You want to get the biggest bang for your buck and keeping your ph at the correct reading will help you save money along with keeping your pool looking its best at all times. It also can result in cloudy water and scale something none of us want! Now that you have cleared your pool water up check its Alkalinity and make any adjustments necessary to get it in its right range. Now for your spring start up chemicals you want to have your calcium hardness level read and your stabilizer/cyanuric acid level read. These are products you only add at the begging of the year and then not again until next spring. I will explain the benefits of them both in another blog. If you have a salt generator it is at this time you will want to check your salt level and add according to your needs. Taking care of a pool can be rewarding and fun if you have the right tools and the right chemicals. And, best of all….you have a beautiful pool to swim in and enjoy along with the visual beauty.