Pools are great, especially in the summer. They liven up your life when the weather is way too hot, the sun is way too strong, and all you want to do is lounge in the pool all day and stay cool and play in the water.
We all know that pools also require maintenance, but what does that really mean? If you’ve never done it before, it can be complicated and intimidating. It requires certain tools and supplies and can be expensive.
First off, there’s the added value to a home. Having a home with a pool can add anywhere from $11,000 to $95,000 to your home value, depending on where you live. Now, aside from being a good investment, you need to determine if you want to own these tools and supplies and handle your pool maintenance yourself. The other option is to hire a pool maintenance service, or even start your own business as a pool maintenance service, with the proper training and practice, naturally!
Now, if you do get the supplies you need for yourself, you can some of them in bulk which is a great long-term investment. If you buy in bulk to open a pool cleaning service, you should be able to secure a good source of income, depending on how well you market your service and your level of customer service.
As stated, it is necessary to know what the basics of maintaining pools are, and what supplies you absolutely need to maintain your pool. We can help with that! As always, it pays to look for the right stores to save on swimming pool supplies and tools.
The Basics of Maintaining Pools
First of all, a very important aspect of dealing with maintenance when it comes to pools is cleaning. There are a lot of foreign objects that can greatly influence the water inside of any pool, including:
- Rain
- People
- Branches
- Leaves
- Dirt
- Rocks
- Animals
These things can unbalance the levels of pH inside of the water, which is always recommended to be between 7 to 7.6 to be completely safe and healthy for swimmers. For this reason, regularly cleaning the pool can help avoid serious inconsistencies in the water, which can stimulate problems such as algae growth, bacteria, and microorganisms.
To take care of these problems, you need certain tools. The most commonly used tools include nets to get rid of leaves and other foreign floating objects, brushes to clean the stairs, floor, and walls, water pumps to empty the pool if needed, and high-pressure water jets to speed up the process of cleaning algae and dirt that are stuck hard to the sides of the pool.
Swimming pool equipment list for pool owners:
- Telescopic Pole
- Skimmer Attachment
- Pool Brush Attachment
- Vacuum Head
- Vacuum Hose
- Pool Filter Pump and Cartridges
- Pool Heater
- Chemicals (Chlorine, pH, Alkalinity, Algaecide, Metal Sequestrate)
- Optional: Caulk
- Optional: Chemical Feeder
- Optional: Automatic Pool Cleaner
Some of these items are rather inexpensive, but others can be very expensive so knowing what you need and what you can afford will help you save money to get what you are going to need. Once you know what you need, make that investment to purchase it all at once so you have it when it is needed.
If you check out this one article https://www.wikihow.com/Take-Care-of-a-Pool, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Besides that, you will have to make sure that the pool’s water is in good condition. To do that, pools often have filters that help keep the water’s condition in check, but you will most likely need to understand the basics of pool chemicals, and how to properly use a kit to measure pH and chemical levels.
Getting to Know Pool Chemicals
Chemicals are the thing that allows water to remain clean, clear, and healthy. Without them, microorganisms and bacteria grow much faster, and they can end up causing infections and diseases.
Although filters are very helpful during this task, they require maintenance and at times, you will probably end up needing to balance chemical and pH levels manually.
That is why it is absolutely necessary for you to understand the basics. For example, Chlorine is the one compound that is used the most to keep the water clean and clear, but it can be influenced by various factors, from the amount of sunlight the water receives to the temperature of the weather, rain, and even the amount of people that use the pool, which is the reason why Cyanuric acid is used along with it since it makes sure that the Chlorine does its work diligently.
Thankfully, you have access to kits that accurately measure the condition of the water, from the balance between chemicals and water, and pH levels, and I do recommend you to learn how to use them to manage chemicals as efficiently as possible.
If you struggle with this aspect of maintenance, check this article out here for more detailed information on how to handle pools and all the possible situations involving them. Considering all the problems that can arise, learning how to handle them one by one is the right way to go.
