Keeping your pool or hot tub clean requires maintenance on a regular basis. It also requires balancing the water chemistry, checking and adjusting pH levels, and adding the right amount of sanitizer.
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How to Keep Your Pool Clean
Swimming pools and hot tubs are a welcome luxury on many residential properties. They provide a place to relax and cool off, but they also serve as breeding grounds for bacteria and contaminants. Fortunately, the right maintenance routine can prevent the pool or spa from becoming an eyesore and a health risk.
A clean and healthy pool starts with a schedule of cleaning and testing. Even if you hire a professional pool cleaner, adhering to a maintenance schedule will keep the water looking and feeling its best all summer.
Start with the basics: skim the pool or spa daily, vacuum it regularly, and brush and scrub the walls of the pool every week. Skim the surface to remove dead leaves, debris and bugs that are a perfect environment for algae growth. Brush the walls and floors weekly to scrub away algae spores that cling to surfaces and can burrow into cracks. Vacuuming weekly (and always after brushing) sucks up loosened spores and abrasive dirt that can wear down your sanitizer levels.
Test the water frequently (1-2 times per week), and shock the pool or hot tub bi-weekly to maintain optimal chemistry. A quality test kit is essential, as it allows you to monitor the chemistry and quickly catch any imbalances before they become major issues.
Consider switching to bromine as your preferred water treatment, as it works better in hot temperatures and doesn’t have the strong chemical odor that chlorine does. It may take a little longer to balance, but it is a safer and more effective solution for your family and the environment. Finally, drain and replace the water in your pool or hot tub on a quarterly or bi-monthly basis. This is a great time to test the water, find any leaks and re-balance the chemistry.
Tiles
A backyard pool is a great asset to any home, but it comes with its fair share of upkeep and cleaning. Tiles around a pool add to its aesthetic while protecting the water line and minimising mineral build-up and staining.
Regular dirt and grime can be removed using a pool brush and scrubbing pad, however more stubborn stains can require more intensive methods. If calcium deposits are visible on your pool tile, a solution of vinegar and water can help remove them. If this doesn’t work, muriatic acid can also be used, but it is essential to wear protective gloves and eye protection when working with these chemicals.
It is recommended to drain the pool before using a chemical such as muriatic acid, and even then it’s best to start with a low pressure and wide nozzle in order not to cause damage. Once the stains are loose, they can be scrubbed away with a hard scrubbing brush or even an old toothbrush, and once the area is clean you should lower the water level and test your pool chemicals again to ensure everything is in balance.
If stains remain, it’s usually best to use a professional tile cleaner. There are many different ones available and most are acid based which will break down the stain. A lot of them also have a bit of scrubbing action which can help, but it will still take time and patience to get the tiles looking as good as new. It’s also recommended to use a bucket of water or a sponge to rinse off the cleaner and prevent any stains from being transferred back into your pool.
For more serious stains, you may need to use a pressure washer. This method can be quite effective and is usually the easiest way to get rid of any algae growth, etching or general discolouration that has occurred over time. Again, it’s important to be careful and use the lowest setting in order not to damage your tiles or crack them.
Sanitizers
Sanitizers are the chemicals that kill bacteria, algae and other unwanted contaminants in your pool or hot tub. Your pool water must contain a certain amount of sanitizer for it to be safe and healthy for swimmers. Chlorine is the most popular sanitizer in swimming pools because it’s effective, affordable and easy to use. It’s important to test your pool water regularly, especially during periods of heavy use and when the weather is hot. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant, but it can also dry out your skin and eyes. If you have sensitive skin or eyes, there are alternative sanitizers to chlorine like biguanide and ozone.
The best sanitizer for your pool depends on the unique needs of your home, lifestyle and swimming habits. The sanitizers that work well in pools can be used in hot tubs as well, but you may want to consider alternative options for the comfort and health of your skin.
There are many sanitizer choices for hot tubs, including chlorine, bromine and non-chlorine or non-bromine alternatives. Chlorine is the most commonly used sanitizer in hot tubs, but it can be irritating to the skin and eyes and can bleach swim suits and damage the underside of your spa cover. Bromine can be more gentle than chlorine but some people have a sensitivity to it and find that it still causes dry or irritated skin. Non-chlorine or non-bromine sanitizers are odourless, gentle on the skin and do not fade swimsuits.
If you want to reduce the amount of chemical sanitizers in your hot tub, you can use a salt water system that generates chlorine with a mild electric current passed through salt. This will cut down on the amount of chlorine in the water, making it easier to maintain. You can also add a mineral sanitizer to your hot tub that uses silver ions to sanitize the water with fewer chemicals. If you want to eliminate chlorine altogether, there are ozone systems for hot tubs that can help with this. These will require some maintenance on the equipment as well.
Filters
The filter is the heart of your pool and spa. It’s what keeps the water circulating and picking up dirt, debris and leaves. It’s also what makes the water clear and clean. But when it’s not working right, you can have a lot of problems.
You can find several types of filters for your swimming pool and spa. These include sand filters, DE (diatomaceous earth) filters and cartridge filters. Each one works in a slightly different way but they all trap pollutants from the water.
Sand and DE filters are made of grid-like materials that catch the impurities in the water. These are the most common filters found in pools and spas today. They work well in all temperature ranges and can last up to three times longer than silica based filters.
These filters need to be cleaned regularly, just like the other components in your pool and spa. The best way to do this is by backwashing them. Backwashing is a process of reversing the flow of the water through the filter and flushing out all the debris and dirty water in the filter tank.
When you backwash the filter, it’s important to follow your manufacturer’s instructions exactly. This helps prevent damage to the tank and ensures that your new filter is operating at its peak performance.
Cartridge filters are a popular choice for spas because they don’t require backwashing or disassembly. These filters are basically aquatic versions of pleated air filters in your car. They use a tight pleated interior to catch the pollutants in the water. They can be used for pools or spas and may have up to 12 small cartridges inside them.
You can also find these filters in a variety of sizes to fit any size pool or spa. The size of the cartridge is important as is its surface area. The more surface area a cartridge has, the more pollutants it can capture.
If you notice that your water is cloudy, the first thing to check is the filter. It might be dirty, or the pressure gauge might have risen 8 to 10 pounds above its clean reading. If that’s the case, you can backwash it or disassemble and clean the filter.