Spring Clean Your Pool
It doesn’t seem fair that as spring approaches, we feel inclined to scrub our homes, detox our bodies and cleanse our souls but manage to ignore the one thing that needs the most love and attention at this time of year…
As you put on your gloves in preparation for a day of scrubbing indoors, take a wander outside and have a little look at the state of your pool.
As the long, hot summer approaches, it is definitely time to get it back to the sparkling best. If you do the hard yards early, when an unseasonably hot day attacks mid-spring, it will be ready to embrace you and cool your weary spring-cleaned body.
If you are in the habit of covering your pool over winter, and remove the cover each year to discover a swamp, or if you have left the pool uncovered and let it get a little unruly over the cooler months, here are a few tips to spring clean your pool and get her back in tip top shape before the warm weather hits.
1. Firstly, remove debris from the pool, in particular big leaves. Use a pool cleaner such as a kreepy krauly or a barracuda pool cleaner to make this a quick job, but be careful with the bigger leaves. Use a pool skimmer or pool net for big leaves before using a proper pool cleaner.
2. Add 10 - 15 litres of chlorine, or a similar swimming pool chemical to shock the pool back to a normal colour. If you don’t notice a difference over night, add another 10 – 15 litres of chlorine. Continue this procedure until there is a notable change in colour, either to clear, cloudy white or at least a lighter shade of green.
3. Next, ‘backwash’ the pool several times within 24 hours (don’t worry, we don’t expect you to start drinking and spitting your pool water). Simply run the filter repetitively over a 24-hour period.
4. As you clean the pool, ensure you check it for leaks. If you notice any unusual drips around your pipes or filter, or any strange bubble activity from your jets, it is best to call a professional to check it out before the problem worsens.
5. We would also recommend taking a sample of pool water to be tested by your local pool shop, to ensure the Ph levels are where they should be.
Remember, the sooner you spring clean, the sooner you can swim! And consistent maintenance is the best way to avoid hard work in the long run when it comes to pools.
Now, bring on summer!
