Do you have time to care for your own swimming pool? Do you have the knowledge necessary to properly balance the pool chemicals? When you have free time do you want to swim or do you want to clean the pool? How to care for and maintain your swimming pool is something you need to think about when you become a swimming pool owner.

The swimming pool contractors from Tipton Pools in Knoxville, Tennessee explain that whether you’re a new pool owner or a long-time pool owner you may want to work with a pool service contractor and you may even find it’s less expensive to hire a pool contractor.

 Taking care of your own swimming pool means there are specific items you need to address regularly and pay attention to. It may only take one day for algae to take hold and you’re looking at a green pool and at not swimming for quite some time.

How to care for and maintain your swimming pool 

Here are some of the maintenance steps that go into swimming pool care.

  1. Cleaning the tiles. Keeping the pool deck clean is important because you don’t want dirt and debris to fall into the water you’ve just cleaned. Use a pool brush or a leaf blower to clean debris off the deck and away from the water. Use a pool cover, too to keep dirt and debris out.
  2. Brush the pool tiles and floor and walls when you clean the pool. Use a pool brush made for the specific pool construction material of your pool. Clean with a pool water safe cleaning product. Scrub the tiles above and below the water line, then move onto the rest of the pool cleaning tasks. 
  3. Vacuum the pool after you’ve brushed and cleaned the pool tiles and after you’ve brushed and cleaned the pool walls and floor to loosen any debris or algae spores.
  4. What do you need to do daily to keep the pool water clean? Skim the pool water to remove floating debris. If you’re not using a pool cover you may need to do this multiple times a day.
  5. Add water when it has evaporated or been splashed out and is lower than the skimmer level.
  6. Inspect the pool equipment and make note of any noises or items that aren’t working up to par. Clean the skimmer basket. Check the pump strainer basket and clean it. Check the pressure of the filter and make sure it’s within proper ranges.
  7. Test the pool water chemistry. Add chemicals as necessary.

You will need to remember to run the pool pump and filter for at least 12 hours a day — ask your pool contractor for the ideal amount of time it needs to be run to completely turn over all of the water and give it a chance to be run through, and cleaned by, the pool filter.  

If you’re not up to, or just don’t want to, be responsible for swimming pool service and maintenance, give us a call. We can give you an estimate for pool upkeep and maintenance — you may find, especially when you factor in your time, that it will cost you less money to hire it done for you.