How To Maintain An Above-Ground Swimming Pool

Having a swimming pool in your backyard is one of the best ways to decorate your outdoor space. You can take a refreshing dip in the water on a hot summer day and host pool parties with family or friends whenever you want.

A pool is an excellent feature to have, as long as you maintain it right. There’s a lot of work and time involved in maintaining an above-ground swimming pool. By doing regular maintenance and consulting with professional pool contractors, you can ensure that your pool is in good hands!

If you own a pool or you're considering getting one, here are some tips to keep your swimming pool well-maintained.

1. Add Chlorine Tablets

Keeping pool water clean is one of the biggest challenges of pool maintenance. Having large bodies of water sitting still is prone to growing bacteria, viruses, and pathogens which may harm your family.

A great way to prevent this is by adding chlorine tablets to the pool water. Chlorine tablets are inexpensive yet powerful agents that kill bacteria, viruses, and anything else that may pollute water.

2. Test Chlorine Levels Regularly

To maintain the pool, you need just the right chlorine levelA level is a tool used to determine whether a surface is horizontal (level) or vertical (plumb). It ... to kill harmful substances without damaging the pool itself. Therefore, one must test chlorine levels at least every two weeks, especially when your pool is not in use. Use test strips to make sure your chlorine levels stay within 1ppm and 3ppm. 

3. Monitor pH Level

Besides chlorine, the pH level of your pool water should also be checked regularly. The pH level of the water determines how safe the water is for swimming and whether it will harm your water pump.

When the pH level of your water gets too low, it becomes acidic and can hurt the eyes; if it gets too high, it becomes basic and can cause skin rashes. The recommended pH level is between 7 to 7.6 to ensure the water is as neutral and safe as possible.

4. Shock the Pool Water

When you add chlorine to the pool water, some of it kills bacteria and algae, while the rest stays in preparation to do so. The latter is called free chlorine. You want to have higher levels of free chlorine in order to fight off substances that will contaminate the water.

To raise the levels of free chlorine in your water, shock the pool water at least once a week by adding more chemicals, such as chlorine, into the pool to kill more contaminants.

5. Put Solar Cover

Another way to keep pool water clean is by preventing debris, leaves, and other objects from falling in. To do that, remove all your pool accessories, then put a solar cover over the pool.

Not only will this keep your pool clean when not in use, but it also helps raise the temperature of the pool water without the use of energy.

6. Clean the Surrounding Areas

When you use the pool, you get water outside the pool, such as on your deck. And when surfaces have prolonged water exposure, they are prone to developing molds, algae, or even serve as a breeding ground for insects. Prevent this by cleaning the surroundings of a pool at least once a week.

7. Run the Pump Once a Day

When water sits still, it can be a breeding ground for contaminants such as algae and bacteria. To keep this from happening, run your pool pump at least once a day for around eight hours at a time. The pump keeps the water moving and prevents bacteria and virus growth.

8. Check the Pump

The pump circulates the water in your pool and is an essential part of pool maintenance. Depending on the type of pool pump you get, you may need to replace it every eight to fifteen years in order to keep your pool in top shape.

Some signs that you need to replace your pump include strange noises, leaks, frequent breakdowns, shutting off on its own, and loss of suction.

9. Maintain Water Level

Too much water may lead to way too much spillage. On the other hand, put too little and you may dry out your skimmer box and damage your pool pump. The recommended water level is to keep water at a third to a half of the pool skimmer box. This ensures that the skimmer box has enough room to pull debris and dirt from the water without drying out.

10. Prepare for Winter

Pools are awesome to have in the summer, but they are typically not used during winter. To make sure your pool survives next summer, make sure you prepare adequately for the colder months. You can start by cleaning and covering the pool and by inspecting the filter, and blowing out the lines. 

11. Hire a Pool Contractor 

Pool maintenance can be a breeze as long as you follow the steps above. Now that you know how to maintain a pool, the next step is to find a skilled pool contractor.

Get the outdoor pool of your dreams by hiring a reliable pool contractor from West Hills Masonry. Our pool designers and pool contractors are known for their unmatched creativity, accountability, and commitment to serving the community.

Learn more about how we can help bring your dream pool to life and book West Hills Masonry, the best pool contractors in South & North Orange County!