For pool owners, you might feel like designing and building your pool was the biggest part of the process. However, the ongoing maintenance for your pool must be a consideration, if you wish to get the most life out of your investment.
Pool maintenance doesn’t have to consume your schedule. Rather, putting in place some simple habits will ensure your pool is getting the attention it needs to function properly and give swimmers the best experience. Here are our top five tops for keeping your pool looking nicer longer.
Ask and learn.
Be sure to utilize your pool company as a resource for knowledge. Before they hand over the “keys” to your new pool, you should feel well equipped to be able to take care of its basic maintenance. Do you know what you need to be monitoring and at what times? Various apps and new technology can help make monitoring your water levels and the pH of your pool easy, however you still need to know how to use them and understand what they’re telling you. Look to your pool professionals to ask and learn what you need to know.
Develop good habits from the start.
Next, you want to form good habits early. From your very first week of pool ownership, it’s important to get on a routine of what you’ll be doing. To start, put reminders on your calendar so you don’t forget to clean and monitor your pool. If you make the effort to turn these tasks into habits, soon it will become second nature and require just a small part of your time. It’s well worth doing this so that you can spend more time enjoying your pool.
No pool maintains itself.
Simply put, there is no such thing as a no-maintenance pool. Even salt water pools require maintenance and monitoring to keep them functioning as they should. If you want to keep your pool looking nicer longer, you have to adopt the mindset that there will be some work involved. If you simply can’t keep up even with the most basic pool maintenance, you might consider hiring a company who can clean and monitor your pool on a regular basis. This is especially helpful if you travel frequently and are not always home to do it yourself.
Keep your deck clean.
When people think about pool maintenance, they often forget that this includes the area around your pool as well. By keeping your deck clear of dirt and debris, you will prevent this dirt and debris from entering your pool. Be diligent about sweeping off your deck to ensure unwanted leaves, grass and mud aren’t brought into the pool on swimmers’ feet or blown in by the wind. You might also consider removing trees or shrubs surrounding your pool that drop a great deal of debris. Preventing this stuff from ever entering your pool in the first place will reduce your cleaning and keep your pool looking nicer longer.
Properly winterize your pool.
Finally and most importantly, you need to invest in the proper winterization of your pool. The winter months can wreak havoc on a pool if it has not been properly winterized. You can damage essential parts of your pool like its pipes and filtration system. You can also damage the gunite, fiberglass or liner of your pool (depending upon what type of pool you own), if this material is left open to harsh winter conditions. It requires an investment to purchase a properly fitted pool cover and to winterize your pool, but it’s only a fraction of what it would cost you if your pool was damaged and needed repair before it could be opened again in the summer.
Whether you are a current pool owner or someone who hopes you own a pool someday, education is key. Be sure to ask and learn from your trusted pool professionals so that you understand everything that’s involved when it comes to owning and maintaining a pool. By developing good maintenance habits early, you can add significant life to your pool and save yourself from costly repairs down the road.
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