Swimming is the fourth most popular sports activity in the US. After all, it’s not only fun and relaxing; it can also benefit people with chronic diseases. For instance, it can help relieve the painful symptoms of arthritis.
So, lucky you if you have a pool at home, as you can always indulge in the pleasure and health benefits of swimming.
Unfortunately, however, an ill-maintained pool can be a source of infections and injuries. For this reason, it’s vital to implement proper pool care.
We rounded up some of the key steps on how to care for a pool in this guide, so be sure to read on!
Run Your Pool’s Circulation System Daily
Pool circulation systems are responsible for keeping the pool water in motion. They also ensure that cleaning chemicals remain mixed with the pool water.
Without them, swimming pools will become swamps of stagnant water. Stagnant water, in turn, is prone to harmful microbiological growth and pests.
Circulation systems do their jobs using pumps, filters, skimmers, drains, and returns. Pumps pull in pool water and pass it through the skimmers, main drains, and filters. From there, the pumps push the cleaner, filtered water through the main returns.
With that said, a key step on how to take care of a pool is to run its circulation system for at least six to eight hours a day. It’s not advisable to run it for less than that, especially if you always use the pool for long periods.
Ensnare Those Large Floaters
If you use your pool every day, it’s best to skim the surface of the water with a net before you take a plunge. This way, your circulation system will also have fewer contaminants to deal with. Besides, you wouldn’t want to swim in a pool chockfull of leaves, insects, and even small frogs, would you?
Empty the Skimmer and Pump Baskets
Your pool’s circulation system has a skimmer and skimmer basket installed on one side of the pool. Their job is to catch debris and contaminants before they get saturated and sink to the pool floor. As such, you can expect the skimmer basket to become clogged if you forget to dump out its contents.
For that reason, in- or above-ground pool care involves emptying the basket once or twice a week. To do this, open the front panel of the skimmer, recover the basket, and throw its contents in the bin.
Know Your Pool Chemistry
Proper pool chlorination and routine testing help kill disease-causing pathogens in pool water. As such, it’s best to invest in a pool care kit that comes with chlorine and testers. Use your kit at least once or twice a week or more frequently if your pool gets heavy use.
To keep your pool water safe, test it to ensure its free available chlorine (FAC) content is 2 to 4 ppm (parts per million). Its combined available chlorine (CAC) level should also be under 0.2 ppm. Lastly, make sure its pH level remains within 7.2 to 7.8.
Keep Your Pool Healthy and Safe with Proper Pool Care
Pool care not only keeps pools in tip-top condition; it also helps swimmers bathe safely. So, be sure to stick to your pool maintenance schedule to keep waterborne diseases at bay. If you don’t have much time to shower your pool with TLC every day, then you can rely on pool care specialists.
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