As a pool owner, you should never feel like your pool owns you. However, it’s easy to slip into a pattern where you become a slave to your pool, manually cleaning it the hard way, ineffectively using chemicals and constantly making minor repairs.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way! There are a lot of “pool owner hacks” out there designed to make your life easier. While not all of your pool-related issues will be quick fixes, there are quite a few that are. Take a look at these few ideas for how you can reclaim ownership over your pool and enjoy more time relaxing, rather than working.
Remove calcium scaling with vinegar.
Before you run out to the pool store for cleaners to remove calcium scaling on your pool walls, start with an all-natural and cost-effective solution. Dilute white vinegar and scrub away! The vinegar quickly breaks down the calcium, leaving you with squeaky clean walls.
Use a solar cover or solar rings.
Sure, it’s one more step when closing up your pool at the end of the day, but this one is worth the small effort. Using a solar cover is a smart way to keep your pool warm overnight or when not in use and prevent water loss. Better yet, the cover can keep debris like leaves, sticks and dirt from winding up (at least so easily) in your pool. If your pool is a unique shape and a solar cover is challenging to find, consider opting for solar rings, which are mini solar covers in ring form that more easily take to freeform pool shapes.
Run your pool pump at night.
Running your pool pump at night will help you save on electric costs and ensure you wake up to a well circulated pool the next day. Depending upon your electric company, you may be able to save money by using electricity during non-peak hours or throughout the night. So by running your pump at night, you reap all the benefits of healthy water circulation while cutting down on your swimming pool bills.
Use fresh lime juice to remove metal stains.
If you’ve noticed a rust or metal stain around your pool, just bust out some fresh lime juice. The lime juice helps to break down even the peskiest of stains. Best of all, it’s all-natural so you don’t have to worry about this causing skin irritation for swimmers or throwing off the balance of your water.
Replace single speed pumps with variable speed pumps.
Switching your single speed pump to a variable speed pump comes with some significant benefits. Variable speed pumps are drastically more energy efficient because the multiple speeds make it easy to manage electrical consumption. It’s also a sound investment. Most variable speed pumps are built to last longer than traditional pumps.
Use a tennis ball to reduce oils in the water.
It’s true. The outer material of a tennis ball is great for absorbing oils from skin, sun tan lotions and soap run off. Simply throw a tennis ball in the pool and let it float. It won’t disrupt your swimmers (maybe just the four-legged kind) and it will help to keep your water clear and oil-free.
Use a time to automate filtration.
Let’s face it. We all get busy and forget to do something. As it applies to pool maintenance, it’s common that people forget to turn off their pool filters and heaters when they aren’t needed. One easy solution is to add an automatic timer. If building a new pool, you can also incorporate technologies that allow you to control everything right from your smart phone. So whether you’re just away for the day, the week or the month, you can be sure your pool isn’t unnecessarily working overtime and costing you money.
Make your filtration system more efficient with pantyhose.
Use an old pair of pantyhose and wrap them over your skimmer basket, like you would a trash bag inside a trash basket. The added filtration of the pantyhose fabric will help capture even more debris and keep it inside the basket for you to easily remove before it reaches your main filtration system.
Keep up with maintenance to save on repairs.
Most importantly, keep up with the ongoing maintenance of your pool’s heat and filtration systems. Ongoing maintenance will keep your pool functioning at its peak performance while preventing undue wear and tear on your systems. Regular maintenance now will help prevent major expenses in the future.
Do you have another pool owner hack to share? Share the wisdom so we can all enjoy a low-maintenance pool this summer! Leave a comment below.