Pool School: How to Keep Pool Water Clean

Having a splash about in a swimming pool can provide a welcome escape from the heat of summer. But without proper maintenance, your pool can soon go from being a sparkling blue oasis to a murky green swamp. Below are 3 maintenance tasks you should be carrying out on your pool to help keep it clean.

Remove Debris

You should skim the surface of your pool everyday, removing any debris floating on the surface. Make sure you dispose of the debris well away from the pool; this will prevent it from being blown back into the pool. You should also consider trimming trees and bushes that are near to the pool to help prevent leaves or blossoms from entering the water.

Shock Treatment

Shocking your swimming pool involves adding chemicals to your pool to help get rid of contaminants such as suntan lotion, cosmetics and bacteria, which can cause cloudy water, odours and irritation to the eyes and skin. You should shock your pool at least once a week.

Balance the Water

The make up of your pool water is constantly changing. By carrying out tests every week on the water you can monitor pH, calcium hardness and total alkalinity levels. Levels can be monitored using testing strips which will change colour when they come into contact with pool water. 

• pH and Total Alkalinity Levels You should aim for pH of between 7.2 and 7.6. If the pH or total alkalinity is high, they can be lowered by adding a small amount of muriatic acid to the water. PH and alkalinity can be raised by adding sodium bicarbonate to pool water. You should wait 6 hours and test the levels again before adding any additional chemicals to the pool.

• Calcium Hardness The level of calcium in your pool water will largely depend on your local water supply. Hard water contains high levels of calcium and other minerals, whereas soft water contains low levels. You should aim to keep your pool water at the midpoint between hard and soft, within a range of 150 - 400 parts per million. If your pool water becomes too soft, the water can become corrosive, causing damage to material which lines the pool. Hard pool water will result in cloudy water and limescale building up on pool surfaces. The calcium hardness level can be raised by adding calcium chloride to the water. Lower the level of calcium hardness by partially draining and refilling your pool with fresh water. Muriatic acid will also lower calcium levels, however it will also lower pH and total alkalinity, so this should be kept in mind.

If you have ongoing problems with your pool water becoming cloudy or causing irritation to the skin or eyes, you should contact a professional pool contractor.