Driving through the northwest corner of Connecticut I’ve seen signs of spring. More mud than snow, crocuses poking through the roughage, small buds on willow branches all whispering, “Summer is around the corner.”
At Denscot, we create enjoyable lifestyles one property at a time, whether that is pool by pool built, or cleaned and serviced each week. A well-maintained pool is the key to a safe and enjoyable swimming experience. Developing a consistent maintenance routine can help you keep your pool in top condition all season long. The simple daily and weekly routines can be planned around when you’ll be home, when you’ll have guests, when you plan to host a poolside dinner or party. If it all seems overwhelming, break it down into daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal routines.
Daily goals would be to skim the surface of the water and checking the water levels. Skim the water’s surface to remove debris like leaves, bugs, and other plant materials from the pool before they become waterlogged and sink to the bottom of the pool. Monitoring the water’s level will ensure that your equipment is not running air through the system, and will help keep water circulating, which goes a long way to keeping the water filtered and the pool’s surface healthy. Stagnant water can lead to staining, calcification, erosion, and more.
Weekly you should be testing the water chemistry, brushing and vacuuming the pool, and cleaning out the skimmer basket and the pump’s strainer basket.
Some people like to test the water every day, others 2-3 times a week. None of it’s overkill, it just depends on how available you are (how often you are home) and how much attention you want to give it. However, testing the water should be done no less than once a week. Keeping an eye on the chemistry and making sure ideal balances are maintained by adding necessary chemicals is essential to keeping a safe and healthy pool (safe for you, healthy for your pool’s life-expectancy). Brush the walls and floor to remove algae and dirt, and vacuum up any stuff that’s settled on the bottom. This will help your filtration system not have to work as hard, and will help your chemicals work more efficiently. The same can be said for keeping your skimmer and pump baskets clear of debris. Think about drinking a milkshake-the effort you have to put on that straw increases with limited results if a cherry gets lodged in the straw! It’s the same for your pump and filtration system.
Monthly tasks are kind of a gray area. Some people will check and clean the filter monthly, or more often, and some people will do this and inspect their other equipment on an as needed basis. Regularly checking the pump, filter, heater, sanitization equipment, robotic cleaners, and accessories like a pool slide or basketball hoop will catch early signs of damage, erosion, or malfunction. Quick intervention will help you avoid many costly repairs.
Seasonally we’re looking at the closing, winterizing, and spring opening of the pool. Opening and closing both include deep cleaning. Winterizing involved blowing your lines free of water, adding winter chemicals, and securing the pool with a well fitted cover.
Remember, chipping away at your maintenance routine in these little by little bits can help make the mammoth responsibility more manageable, and can set you up for a successful pool season.
