Pool Maintenance Tips | Pool Guides » swimming pool test strips http://1800poolsblog.com Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Save Money and Clean Your own Swimming Pool http://1800poolsblog.com/cleaning-your-swimming-pool-yourself/ http://1800poolsblog.com/cleaning-your-swimming-pool-yourself/#comments Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:17:27 +0000 Guest Blogger http://1800poolsblog.com/?p=135 A lot of us owning Swimming Pools are doing our own maintenance this year. Everyone is saving all the discretionary money that they can. Doing your own Pool Maintenance isn’t all that bad. Here are some steps to ensure you can do it yourself if you never have.

There are basically 4 levels you need to keep an eye on and they are Chlorine, PH, Calcium Hardness and Total Alkalinity. Pool. You can monitor all of these levels with a Water Testing Equipment Kit, or you can use Aquacheck Silver 7-Way Test Strips. Chlorine should be checked daily. PH, Calcium and Alkalinity can be checked weekly. Most kits will tell you what to add to stabilize your water in each of these 4 areas. Make sure you add the right amount of chemicals in the right way to ensure safe and effective use.

To clean the top of the water you will have to use a hand held skimmer. I’m sure most Swimming Pool owners have one of these. Depending on where you live, you will have to clean the top of the water of debris (leaves, bugs, etc.), when needed. We have to skim our Swimming Pool every other day where we live.

Cleaning the bottom of the pool can be done by manually by a hand held Swimming Pool Vacuum. Most people now a days use an Automatic Swimming Pool Cleaner. These pool cleaners either run off of your Pool Pump and Pool Filter, or are self contained, run off of low voltage DC and deposit the debris into their own catch bags. Let your goals and budget determine which one is best suited for you and your Swimming Pool. A quick tip before you vacuum the bottom of your pool is, several hours or preferably overnight, brush the walls of your pool and let the dirt settle to the bottom. That way you can minimize your time spent cleaning the inside of your pool.

Monitor your Pool Filter weekly. Backwash if you have a D.E. or Sand Filter. For Cartridge Type Filters, lots of times you can clean them with a Pool Cartridge Cleaner and a Pool Filter Cleaning Wand. This is very crucial to do this weekly so any algae and bacteria do not build up. If this build-up does happen, you will have to use a shock treatment to your pool.

Follow all the manufacture guidelines with regards to cleaning and maintaining your Swimming Pool. It should only take a couple of hours a week of your time, and you can save money by doing it yourself in the process.

Incoming search terms for the article:

]]> http://1800poolsblog.com/cleaning-your-swimming-pool-yourself/feed/ 2