Pools need regular care and maintenance. Go through this item checklist to make sure you are properly taking care of every aspect of your pool throughout the seasons.
- Pump baskets. Check your pump basket for cracks and splits. If your pump basket gets cracked, that can allow debris inside your impeller. This will cause a clog. This causes poor filtration and loss of water flow- not to mention water clarity problems.
- O-Rings. This is a simple check. Make sure the pump lid o-ring is properly lubricated, this will help maintain longer life.
- D.E. Filters. If you own a D.E. filter, it is a good habit to check your filter and clean it thoroughly in mid-season. To do this you’ll want to open the filter, remove the entire grid assembly, and hose off all the D.E. from the grid. You way be wondering, isn’t that what a backwashing does? It does, but backwashing only removes about 80% of the D.E. If you have too much of this in your filter the grids will bridge together and cause high filter pressure and poor filtration.
- Equipment Area. Look around your equipment area a few times each season. Check for leaves, grass, dirt, or mulch. If your equipment is covered with too much debris this can cause your pump to overheat, which is never good.
- Ladders or Diving Boards. This is VERY important. This step is about the safety of your friends and family. Multiple times throughout your swim season check your ladder, handrail, and diving board bolts. If the bolts are not tightened properly it can be dangerous and cause serious injury. While inspecting the diving board, be sure to check for cracks as well. This is a sign it will need to be replaced. When checking the handrails and ladders, make sure they do not rock. If they do, you may be able to tighten the bolts and fix it right up. If tightening the bolts doesn’t work, it might be a structural issue and time for a replacement.
- Electricity. Do a thorough look-through of all your connections and conduits. Are they all intact? If they are split or cracked, electrical tape will not do the trick in this case. They should be replaced. Unsafe electricity around a swimming pool is extremely dangerous. Water and electricity are deadly enemies and because of this, we recommend all electrical work is completed by a professional.
- Skimmer Baskets. Check your skimmer basket for cracks and splits. If it is cracked or split, unwanted debris will enter your pool. Most small cracks are able to be replaced before they crack completely.
- Safety Covers. If you do have a safety cover for your pool, check your anchors to make sure they tread out or pop up properly. Check to see if they are securely in place.
- In-Floor Cleaning System. Do you have one? They are a nice feature to have in a pool, but they also require regular check-ups. On these systems right at the distribution system, there is an in-line filter. It is located right at the union heading towards the unit. It needs to be regularly checked and cleaned. If it gets clogged, your cleaning system won’t work properly.
- Heaters. Heaters are a great addition to any pool. There may be months where using your heater is simply unnecessary. However, it’s always a good idea to periodically turn on the pool heater to make sure it’s still working properly. Rodents have a tendency to burrow in pool heaters, especially in warmer climates.
- Auto Fillers. If you want to save yourself from a costly water bill and an unnecessary mess, be sure to check your auto fill once and a while. You want to make sure it shuts off at the appropriate level.
Have any pool care tips you want to share? Leave a comment!