Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Pool Maintenance Tips - 4 Basic Elements of Pool Care

There are five basic elements of pool care and you need to consider all of them if you own a commercial or a family pool. 

Eastlake Pool Service, a Chula Vista pool service, asserts that proper care and pool maintenance should be one of the most important things that you need to consider to keep your pool safe, clean and enjoyable.  But before you begin to apply these simple pool care tips, it is imperative that you should first try to understand how your pool operates.

Here are the components that you need to check regularly to ensure that your pool is working properly: 

1. The Circulation System

The circulation system plays a major role in cleaning, sanitizing, and heating the water in the pool.  It is composed of a pump, filter, main drain, and returns.  These components work together to make the pool function normally and free from debris, algae and perhaps bacteria.  When your pool is in constant use, you should run its circulation system for not less than six hours per day or several times a day for shorter periods.

2. The Filter

The filter is one of the most important pieces of equipment that help to maintain the cleanliness of your pool.  It primarily works to ensure that it sifts the water it receives from the pump.  This is to ensure that the water is free from debris and particles before the pump releases it to the pool.

Keep the filter work efficiently by backwashing it or having its trapped materials removed every time the water pressure in the filter exceeds by eight psi above its manufacturer's standard.  You also need to clean your filter with chemical cleaners if you notice oils and hard-to-remove debris in it.  And to make sure that your filter is thoroughly cleaned and in top shape, you should tap a reliable pool filter services company for help.

3. Regular Manual Cleaning

Even though circulation systems are required of swimming pools, there are certain pools where circulation is low or not existing at all.  A pool or any part of it that doesn't have sufficient circulation is conducive to the growth of algae or bacteria.  You should prevent this by brushing and manually cleaning the floor and walls of your pool on a weekly basis. 

4. Water Balance and Chemistry

It is imperative that a working pool should be checked or tested on a regular basis.  It is the best way to ensure that your pool's pH and active sanitizer levels are healthy.  Regular tests will also help to let you know and monitor how your water is affected by the weather, chemicals, and bather load.  Test your pool's water balance with the use of:

Test Strips or litmus paper - This is the simplest and quickest way of knowing your pool water in terms of pH and chlorine levels.

Liquid Reagent – It is the process of using a substance that produces chemical reaction, allowing researchers to detect, measure, or change the levels of the substances present in the water.

Test Tablet – This is the best and most accurate way of testing the water balance of your pool.  Many pool owners use this test because of its simplicity, accuracy and cost effectiveness.

These are the four basic elements of pool care and maintenance.  Eastlake Pool Service, a Chula Vista pool service, can offer these services for your convenience and satisfaction.  And they can do more should you need to enhance or repair your pool system.  For more information, visit http://www.eastlakepools.com.