How to clean your swimming pool the right way..
Has your pool seen a lot of action lately? The kind of canon-balling, splash-tastic action that’s left it a bit murky and full of sand? Yikes.
If you’re anything like us, then you probably enjoy swimming in your pool a heck of a lot more than cleaning it. Alas, cleaning your pool properly and regularly is essential for keeping the water safe to swim in and sparkling clear.
Not sure where to start? Luckily for you, the pool technicians at Swimart have shared their expert tips for maintaining a swimming pool, from cleaning the pool filter to getting the chemical balances right. All broken down into simple steps to tackle by day, week or month.
Keep your pool water sparkling and safe for the whole family with our step-by-step pool cleaning guide. Picture: Swimart
1. Daily: check sanitiser levels and run filtration systems
When it comes to swimming pool maintenance, a few daily checks are essential to keep your pool’s water fresh and hygienic – especially during the peak swimming season.
Firstly, you’ll need to check water levels as it’s important to maintain the level at least half way up the skimmer box opening. Next, you’ll need to operate the filtration system for 6-8 hours a day. This can happen on a timer, so you can put that task on auto-pilot.
It’s also a good idea to check sanitiser levels, ideally on a daily basis.
Pool cleaning tip: regularly clear debris and scoop out leaves. Picture: Swimart
2. Every two days: check your pool’s chlorine and pH levels
When it comes to pool maintenance 101, it’s important to check your pool’s chlorine and pH level every two days, especially after a period of heavy usage, a hot day or period of solid rain. So, if you’ve been really enjoying your pool over summer, start with chlorine and pH.
Read more: How to maintain your pool
3. Weekly: clean your pool’s skimmer basket
Nobody wants to swim with other people’s – or even your pet’s – hair. So, make sure you clean out your skimmer basket, and hair and lint pot in your filtration pump weekly. A quick skim of the surface, to remove leaves and other debris, will keep your pool water clear.
It’s also important to regularly brush or vacuum a pool’s walls and floor. You also need to check Total Alkalinity (TA) weekly with a Swimart test kit or by taking a sample to your local Swimart store.
Swimming pool cleaning tip: clear out the skimmer basket and hair and lint pot each once a week. Picture: Swimart
4. Monthly: re-balance pool water and backwash your sand filter
We say monthly, but this can change depending on how often you use your pool, and whether it’s been raining.
To re-balance pool water, take a sample from elbow depth away from the pool returns and take it to your local Swimart pool store to be professionally tested.
Thoroughly backwash your sand or DE filter, or remove and clean the cartridge from your cartridge filter with a hose, depending on pool use. And, of course, use a quality algaecide like Aqua-Health Concide to keep stubborn algae at bay.
How to clean your swimming pool: ensure your pool water is safe for swimming by getting it professionality tested. Picture: Swimart