Purpose:

                To give you the basic knowledge on how to clean and care for your pool. There are 3 main areas I will be covering today that have to be maintained to keep a pool clear and spotless.

1.        Maintenance

2.        Chemistry

3.        Filtration

Maintenance:

                A routine maintenance schedule must be actively pursued in order to help achieve and maintain water chemistry. Initially, pool maintenance may seem complicated and time-consuming. But, once routine maintenance becomes an integrated part of your life as a pool owner, it will be very easy to maintain your pool. Furthermore, as you continually engage in pool maintenance, you will begin to develop an understanding of your personal pool needs.

                Once your pool is clean, clear, blue, and sparkling, it becomes much easier to maintain. Remember, it is always easier to maintain a pool and prevent problems than it is to rectify problems.

·         Test water - but do not add chemicals until the maintenance schedule for that day is complete.

·         Use your net(s) - remove all leaves and other large debris from the pool.

·         Use your brush - remove dirt, or perhaps algae, stains, or scale from the pool walls and floor.

·         Clean all baskets - for the skimmer(s) and the pump.

·         Vacuum - remove any settled and remaining dirt, leaves or other debris from the pool.

·         Clean the filter - if it is a sand filter or a DE filter, then backwash. If it is a cartridge filter, then rinse the individual pleated filter elements with a garden hose and a pressurized nozzle.

·         Add the necessary chemical(s) - from the test(s) taken earlier that day.

·         Shock regularly

Tools Needed:

1.       TELEPOLE

2.       NET

3.       BRUSH

4.       VACUME HOSE

5.       4-WAY TEST KIT

6.       VACUUM HEAD

7.       CHEMICALS

1.        TELEPOLE: A long aluminum pole that can extend to various lengths in order to complete its intended maintenance procedure at any area and at any depth of the pool. The telepole attaches to your nets, brush, vacuum assembly, and other maintenance equipment in order to perform a maintenance task.

2.        NETTING: There are two styles of standard pool nets:

1.        The deep leaf net (also called a leaf rake)-has a wide opening and a deep net. This style of net is primarily used to reach leaves or large debris that have settled to the pool floor. The deep leaf net can also be used to skim leaves and debris off the surface of the water, but the skimmer net is best at performing this task.

2.        The skimmer net has a shallow net and is primarily used to remove leaves, grass clippings, debris, or insects that float on the surface of the water.

1.        NOTE: It is important to routinely net leaves and debris out of the pool. Netting literally takes 10 - 15 minutes, and should be done anytime a significant amount of leaves or other debris are present in the pool. Netting should be performed after any windstorm. Netting should be performed daily during autumn, and perhaps multiple times per day on any windy autumn day.

3.        BRUSHING: Pool Brushes are typically 18" long and have either durable nylon bristles (to be used on any type of pool) or stainless steel bristles (to remove algae, stubborn dirt, stains or scale on concrete, gunite, shotcrete, or fiberglass pools).

1.        Brushing is an extremely important, but often overlooked, task towards maintaining your pool. Brushing will remove microscopic matter from the pool walls and floor, suspend this matter in the water, where they will be killed by chlorine (or its alternative) and filtered out of the pool. NOTE: If the microscopic matter is too small and remains in the pool, you will need to add a Clarifier to coagulate these small particles into larger particles, where they will indeed be killed by chlorine (or is alternative) and trapped by the filter. Always brush the pool from the walls to the floor, using a top to bottom brush technique. Start at the shallow end and brush towards the deep end. Brushing takes no more than 10 - 15 minutes of work, and should be accomplished at least twice per week (and perhaps more often if landscaping or construction are underway near your pool). You should also make sure to brush the day before vacuuming the pool. When you do this, make sure the equipment is operational for a couple hours after brushing so that the main drain and skimmer(s) can remove the recently brushed dirt and debris from the pool. Then, shut "off" the equipment overnight-vacuuming should be accomplished after the water has been calm for several hours so that any dirt and debris that remains in the pool can settle to the bottom in order to be vacuumed out of the pool. Then, that next morning, restart the equipment and vacuum the pool. After the vacuum, monitor the pressure guage-if it is 8-10 psi above the standard operating pressure, clean the filter. Brushing is the one of the easiest items of the maintenance schedule. If, however, brushing is neglected and favorable conditions should allow for an outbreak of algae, brushing will need to be done daily, and perhaps multiple times per day, and it will be time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, makes sure brushing is part of your routine maintenance schedule.

4.       VACUUMING: Vacuum leaves, dirt and debris of bottom of pool

5.        SKIMMER BASKET(S): At times, the pressure gauge on your filter will show the operating pressure to be low, which will cause circulation to be poor. The first area to check is to make sure the water level in the pool is adequate. If not, fill the pool to the standard operating level (halfway up the skimmer). If the water level is adwquate, check and clean the skimmer basket(s). Some pools have only one skimmer, while most pools have at least tow skimmers. Here are the steps to clean your skimmer basket(s):

6.        CLEANING THE PUMP BASKET: A pump basket will sit in the pump housing-the front part of the pump. Your pool will also have a skimmer basket in each of the skimmers. It is the job of these skimmer baskets to trap leaves and other debris so that they do not enter the plumbing. At times, though, some debris (particularly pine needles, dog hair, and other small debris) will escape the simmer basket(s) and will enter the plumbing. If this occurs, it is the job of the pump basket to trap this debris before it enters the equipment, where real damage could occur. Like the skimmer basket(s), the pump basket has very fine passages that will trap dirt or debris, but allow water to pass through. The pump basket is usually positioned under s clear lid, so you can literally see if it contains any debris. You will have to monitor the pump basket daily and clean it out whenever needed. Follow these step to clean your pump basket:

7.        CHEMICALS: Add chemicals as necessary

Chemistry: 

1. Chlorine: The most widely-used chemical that pool owners use to kill bacteria, living organisms, ammonia, and any other contaminates (such as dirt, debris, and algae spores) that are in pool water. The two most common forms of chlorine are granular chlorine often referred to as shock and chlorine tablets .Chlorine tablets come in two sizes: 1" tablets and 3" tablets.
2. Cyanuric Acid: Chlorine, by itself, is susceptible to being destroyed by the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Cyanuric Acid, which is referred to as either "Conditioner" or "Stabilizer" will protect chlorine from being destroyed by the sun.

Alkalinity:    Is the measure of the alkaline materials dissolved in the water.

                                Helps keep the PH in balance

                                Recommended range for gunite pools is 100 – 150 PPM. For vinyl pools 125-175 PPM

                                If Alkalinity is to low, may cause PH to bounce in and out of range.        

                                If Alkalinity is to high, becomes difficult to adjust PH

                                If Alkalinity is low, use Sodium Bicarbonate to bring it up sometimes referred to as alkalinity up

                                or Alkalinity plus.

                                To lower, use muriatic acid

PH:         Is the measure of relative acid/base of the water.

                                If PH is out of balance on the low side, use Sodium Carbonate

                                If it's out of balance on the high side, use muriatic acid.

                                Recommended range is 7.4 to 7.6     

Filtration:

1. CLEANING A SAND FILTER: If you have a sand filter, it will need to be backwashed when the pressure is 8-10 psi above the standard operating pressure. Here are the steps:

·         Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "filter" to "backwash".

·         Turn "on" the equipment.

·         Allow the equipment to backwash for 2 - 3 minutes. If your filter is equipped with a sight glass, backwash until the water in the sight glass turns from dirty to clean. When you backwash, you will sacrifice some of your pool water-chlorinated (or its alternative) pool water. Monitor the level of your chlorine (or its alternative) after a backwash. Also, monitor the water level. If it gets low, add water until the water level is at least half way up the skimmer.

·         After backwashing, turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "backwash" to "rinse".

·         Turn "on" the equipment.

·         Rinse the sand for 20 - 30 seconds to assure that all dirt and debris has been eliminated from the fresh sand.

·         Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "rinse" back to "filter".

·         Turn "on" the equipment and operate as normal.

·         Sand should be replaced every 4-5 years.

2. CLEANING A DE FILTER: If you have a DE filter, it will need to be backwashed when the pressure is 8-10 psi above the standard operating pressure. The main drawback of backwashing with DE filters is that as the dirt and debris are removed from the filter, so is the DE powder. This requires adding new DE powder after each backwash. Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "filter" to "backwash"

·         Turn "on" the equipment. Allow the system to backwash for 2-3 minutes. If your filter is equipped with a sight glass, backwash until the water in the sight glass turns from dirty to clean. When you backwash, you will sacrifice some of your pool water-chlorinated (or its alternative) pool water. Monitor the level of your chlorine (or its alternative) after a backwash. Also, monitor the water level. If it gets low, add water until the water level is at least half way up the skimmer.

·         Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "backwash" to "rinse."

·         Turn "on" the equipment.

·         Rinse the new layer of DE powder for about 10 seconds to assure that all dirt and debris have been removed from this new DE powder.

·         Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Move the multiport handle from "rinse" to "filter."

·         Turn "on" the equipment.

·         Add new DE powder

·         Mix DE powder in a bucket of water, following the manufacturer's directions.

·         Pour the DE powder/water mixture into a skimmer. The mixture will enter the DE filter and disperse evenly to create a fresh layer of DE powder on the DE grids. The DE powder forms what is called a filter cake on the grids.

·         Too much DE powder can cause the filter cake to be too thick. The grids will compress against each other, casing an adhesive of the dirty DE powder to the grids. If this occurs, you would be wise to contract and pay your local pool professionals to scrape the dirty DE powder off the grids; care must be taken so that the grids are not torn.

·         Too little DE powder can cause dirt and debris to get imbedded on the grids, which will ruin the grids.

3. CLEANING A CARTRIDGE FILTER: If you have a cartridge filter, the individual pleated filter elements will need to be removed from the filter itself, cleaned with a garden hose and pressurized nozzle when the pressure is 8 - 10 psi above the standard operating pressure, and secured back in the filter. There is no backwashing with a cartridge filter. Here are the steps to clean a cartridge filter:

·         Turn "off" the equipment.

·         Remove the lid to the filter tank. Many Cartridge filters have a band that holds the lid of the filter to the base of the filter. If your cartridge filter uses a different application, or if you have difficulty removing the lid for any reason, consult your local pool professionals for advice.

·         Remove the pleated filter element(s) from the filter. Some cartridge filters use only one large pleated filter element, while other cartridge filters use a series of smaller pleated filter elements.

·         Spray each pleated filter element with a garden hose and pressurized nozzle. Take time to spray between each pleat, as this is where dirt and debris will collect.

·         Put the filter element(s) back in the filter.

·         Put the lid back on the filter tank and secure the lid. Make sure the large O-ring is in place and is in good working shape. About once per month, or whenever needed, put an O-ring lubricant on the O-ring. This will create a tight seal, eliminating any air from entering the filter. This will also extend the life of your O-ring. If the O-ring is torn or frayed, or in any way unusable, then purchase a new O-ring from your local pool professionals.

·         Turn "on" the equipment and operate as normal.

·         The individual pleated filter element(s) should be replaced yearly. A benefit of cartridge filters is their filtering capabilities and the ease in which they are cleaned. A drawback of cartridge filters is the expense of replacing pleated filter elements each year. But, if the pleated filter elements are still in relatively good shape, store them and keep them as a backup while your main pleated filter element(s) are being cleaned.