There are plenty of resources to tell you how to care for your pool, but there are also specific pool maintenance mistakes to avoid. Take the time to make sure you’re not making any of these common pool maintenance mistakes.
Forgetting to check your pool chemistry. If you forget to check your pool’s chemical balance, you may need to make big changes instead of small ones. Large chemical changes at the same time are not healthy for your pool. It is ideal for checking your pool daily.
Let your pH rise above 8.0. You want your pH to be at 7.5. The further you get out of the ideal range, the less effective the chlorine becomes.
Let the alkalinity drop below 80 ppm or above 140 ppm. Your alkalinity level affects your pH level, which, as mentioned above, affects the effectiveness of chlorine. Having a chemically unbalanced pool throws a wrench into pool harmony.
Not checking your TDS (total dissolved solids) frequently. You should check this at least every six months. TDS is affected by human waste, dirt, pH, chlorine, water hardness, alkalinity, and other debris. The maximum this level should be is 1500 ppm. Having a level above this will result in cloudy water and ineffective chemicals.
Not keeping the skimmer basket clean. Not cleaning the skimmer basket enough can cause blockages and poor circulation in your pool.
Not cleaning your pool tiles often enough. If the algae stay on the tiles too long, they calcify and require professional removal.
Don’t wash the filters too often. Backwashing of sand or DE filters decreases their efficiency too much. Filters require cleaning when the gauge reads 8-10 psi from clean.
Addition of chemicals to sunlight. If you add chemicals during the day, you won’t get as much of them. Wait until evening to add your pool chemicals.
Not replacing broken supplies. Broken drains, pool cleaner, filters – if you put off replacing these items, it could be dangerous to the health of your pool.
10. Not running pumps long enough. It is very important to have good circulation in your pool. The general rule of thumb is that pumps should run for one hour for every 10 degrees of temperature.
There are many aspects to pool care, and making any mistake can throw the entire pool out of balance. Make sure you are informed about the proper care needed.