CLEANER WATER
CRYSTAL CLEAR and safe!
The secrets of keeping a swimming pool clean and bacteria free
P
roperly maintained swimming pools stay crystal clear and safe for swimmers. Periodic vacuuming cleans pool surfaces of debris and other substances that cloud pool water. A pool also requires regular chemical treatments in order to stay clear and blue. Regular chemical treatments keep the pool water clear by ridding the water of body wastes, algae, and other contaminates. Chlorine shock treatments eliminate harmful substances in the water and algae treatments prevent the pool from becoming green and cloudy, keeping pool water looking crystal clear. There’s a simple three step measure to follow:
1) Hook up the vacuum equipment that came with your pool and clean the pool bottom. Manoeuvre the vacuum slowly over pool surfaces to ensure all debris is picked up. Moving too quickly spreads debris. Vacuum pool surfaces at least once a week.
2) Apply a shock treatment to the pool. Mix shock with water inside a 5 gallon container. Pour the mixture into the pool water with the pool circulating. Do not pour shock directly into your pool’s skimmer. Perform a shock treatment every two weeks.
3) Treat your pool with an algae preventor. Walk around the edge of your pool and pour in an algae preventor chemical. Typically these are applied two to three ounces per 10,000 gallons of pool water. Perform an algae treatment once per week.
80 WHAT POOL & HOT TUB
Ask your pool installer for advice. Some installers now include a full maintenance service contract and will do it all for you.
Regular routine checks are important
Daily
Check skimmer basket: The skimmer basket must be checked and cleared of debris, so as to ensure fresh and circulating pool water. Debris such as leaves, insects, bird droppings and other substances must be cleared from the surface of the pool by using a leaf net or leaf bagger. Leaves and other debris at the bottom of the pool must also be cleared by using a leaf net or bagger.
Weekly
PH Level: Maintaining the right water balance is very important. The pH level is the measure of acidity or alkalinity, and should to be tested weekly. The pH level in the pool water must be slightly alkaline, that is a pH of around 7.2-7.6 must be maintained. It is at this pH level that chlorine is most effective. Moreover, this level is similar to the pH of our skin. It can be controlled by adding either an acid or an alkali such as baking soda. Incorrect pH levels can lead to damage of pool surface and pool equipment!
Should you worry about chlorine?
Adding chlorine to pools is like sterilising it, killing bacteria and algae consistently and thoroughly. So chlorine works and as
water’ checklist n pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness are all inter linked and affect each other, so it will take trial and error to get all three in the proper range at once. Before you add any chemical – especially an acid – to the water, remember you need to first turn on the pool’s filter
n Always be careful to follow the instructions when you use chemicals
n Wear goggles and rubber gloves when handling chlorine, and always put the chlorine into the water – don’t pour the water over the chlorine
n Add chlorine three to four times a week for a pool in heavy use
n Occasionally – no more than once a week – you may need to superchlorinate (also called shock) the pool to burn any built-up bacteria, algae and ammonia
n Keep the pool floor clean by regularly sweeping with pool vac
n Clean your pool filter at least monthly thoroughly. Clean a sand filter by backwashing: Reverse the flow of water through the filter for 2 to 3 minutes until the wastewater is clear
n For a cartridge filter, remove the filter cartridge and wash it with a hose with a high-pressure nozzle. Replace the cartridge
Your own ‘clear
long as it’s used carefully and correctly then there should be no side effects. SPATA, the Swimming Pool and Allied
Trades Association recommends chlorine as its preferred system for cleansing pools. It is also likely to be recommended by pool installers and pool accessory shops. But there are now chlorine-free products on the market which use mineral combinations to cleanse the water.
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