Yay! It’s almost summer swim time. Are you ready? Is your swimming pool? Have you found a swimming pool service contractor or will you care for the pool on your own? The swimming pool service contractors from Tipton Pools offer 6 pool maintenance tips every pool owner needs to know.

Swimming pool and spa maintenance can be confusing – especially if you’re a new pool owner. Even long time pool owners sometimes struggle with reading the water chemistry test kit results and adding just the right amount of pool chemicals to keep the water swimmable, crystal clear and bacteria-free.

6 pool maintenance tips every pool owner needs

  1. Keep track of the pool pressure on the pool pump. Ask your pool contractor to write down the recommended pool pressure right on the pump (most pool contractors will do this anyway). If you notice a change in the pressure — whether higher or lower — contact your pool contractor and let him know. It could be a sign of an issue with the pump itself.
  2. Keep all manuals and warranty and contact information for the swimming pool in an easily accessible location. Keep track of cleaning, updates and upgrades, repairs and anything associated with your pool.
  3. Ask when the pool filter needs to be cleaned and/or replaced. If you’re a do it yourselfer, you may be able to do this on your own, if not, your pool contractor will do it for you.
  4. Keep a pool water test kit on hand and understand its readings. Even if you work with a pool contractor, it’s always ideal if you test the water on your own between cleanings and that you understand the readings. If you are going to clean the pool on your own, you need to understand the readings so you can add the chemicals needed to bring everything back in balance.
  5. Invest in a pool cover. A cover reduces your overall maintenance, saving on chemical use and heating costs. A cover reduces evaporation and can also act as an additional safety barrier to keep children and pets from falling into the water.If you don’t have a retractable cover you will need somewhere to store it when you’re enjoying the water.
  6.  Skim and even plan to vacuum the pool between service visits. Consider getting a robotic pool cleaner to make the vacuuming easier. Skimming the pool is something you should do every day — perhaps several times a day to keep debris from falling to the bottom of the pool.

Always use a swimming pool cover. This is a pool accessory that will help save money on pool chemicals, will make cleaning the pool easier and will also help slow the rate of water evaporation.

If this is your first year of swimming pool ownership you may want to do a comparison in pricing of buying the chemicals, finding a place to store them and how long it will take you to clean and maintain the pool on your own. You may find it is less expensive, and will definitely be less time consuming, to hire a pro. Give us a call.