Additional Pool Maintenance
Please find details below of non-standard pool Cleaning and Maintenance Procedures, in addition to this we do have a general FAQ and a water quality FAQ if you still have an issue that is not listed on this site or wish to suggest an article please contact us.
Monthly Equipment Check
Checking and maintaining your pool and spa equipment monthly in addition to an annual service for your electrical and pumping equipment is the best way to solve most small problems before they become a costly repairs.
Start by following the path of the water through the circulation system. Clean out the pool's skimmer basket (located around the edge of the pool) and Empty the contents of the skimmer basket into a bin. (do not empty these into your garden as they will most likely dry and blow back into the pool
Next, open the pump strainer basket (a handy tip when doing this is to close all of the valves before the basket and after this will stop the water draining from the system causing a pain in re-priming the circulation system) and clean it. Place the basket back in place and make sure to reopen all the valves you just closed.
Check the pressure of the filter. If the pressure is high, the filter medium might need cleaning.
Check the timer clocks for the time of the day. Always check the clocks because power fluctuations can affect the clocks. Also, electromechanical time clocks are not exactly precision instruments. One might run slightly faster than another, so over a few weeks one might show a difference of an hour or more, upsetting your planned timing schedule.
After the equipment check, look for leaks or other early signs of equipment failure. Clean up the equipment area by removing leaves from around the motor vents to prevent fires.
Emergency Recovery of a Green Swimming Pool
There is no magic way to turn a green pool clear overnight! It usually takes a lot of time, effort, and expense to clear up a typical "swampy" green pool. It is certainly best if you never let your pool water get into this state, however most pool owners experience a "green pool problem" from time to time.
Although it is not easy work, there is a proven method of clearing up a green or very dirty pool in the shortest time possible.
Follow the instructions below for the best results.
- Remove most of the large debris from the pool floor with a large leaf net. This will stir up the water, and may make your pool look much worse temporarily, but the stirred up debris will settle within a few hours. Do not attempt to vacuum the pool if you cannot see the bottom of it or if you have a lot of debris on the bottom. You may clog your skimmer, filter or underground pipes!
- Adjust the water pH and Alkalinity levels using pH Plus (Soda Ash) and pH Minus (Dry Acid). These levels must be within the proper ranges or the water will never clear.
- Shock the pool. This means super chlorinating the water to kill off any bacteria and algae. If your pool is very dirty, it may need MANY gallons of liquid chlorine (shock) over a period of days before the water clears. Start off by adding 3 or 4 gallons, and if you see no results overnight, add 3 or 4 more gallons the next day. Continue this process until you notice the water changing colour to either cloudy white, light green or clear. YOU CANNOT OVER SHOCK A POOL! The more you add, the quicker it will clear! Note...shock is available in liquid or you can use chlorine granules. We recommend using shock liquid as it works faster. You may also want to add a high quality algaecide to the water at this point.
- Run your filter 24 hours a day it is essential to regularly backwash regularly during the day for quickest results. Remember, you cannot over-backwash a pool filter. The more you run your pool, and the more you backwash the filter, the faster the pool will clear up.
- If you follow these instructions and your pool does not clear up within 4 or 5 days, your filter may not be functioning properly. If this is the case with your pool, have the filter system checked out by a professional. The pool will never clear up if the filter is malfunctioning!
- Once the water does clear up, you will most probably see debris on the pool floor (dead leaves, sediment, algae, etc.). simply vacuum the pool to remove this debris. If the water is no longer green but still cloudy you can use a flocculent or water polisher to help the filter remove the fine particles in the water.