Ajax Residential Pool Services

Residential Pool Care: Building a Schedule That Works 

The secret to effective pool care is that no two pools will have the same set of needs. The overall condition of your swim space is impacted by a variety of factors. Even if you are dealing with two pools of the same make and model, they will have different needs based on the surrounding area. Instead of trying to apply a pre-made cleaning program to your unique swim space, Puddle technicians start from scratch for a unique customized program. 

In order to be efficient proper pool care should be broken down into a series of steps, each of which address a different aspect of your swim space: 

Water Balancing: Whether your pool is indoors or outside, water chemistry should always be a top priority. Anyone can visit a pool supply store to stock up on pool chemicals and test strips but putting them to use is a complicated process. It is easy to get caught up on chlorine levels and forget about other necessary factors. In order to maintain a sanitary swim space it is important to balance sanitizers like chlorine or bromine, as well as pH levels, total alkalinity and calcium. On average, a weekly pool cleaning is enough to keep swim spaces in great shape throughout the summer months. During the off-season when pools are used less frequently Puddle technicians offer a bi-weekly (every second week) program. 

Removing Debris: It is easy to reach for a skimmer and scoop up unwanted items that are floating along water surfaces but this isn’t the only place that debris collects. If not removed quickly floating items will rot and break apart, becoming smaller and more difficult to remove. From here these items will make their way into skimmer baskets or start to clog up pool filters. For heavier items that have sunken to the bottom of the pool, these will sit against liners and rot, causing permanent staining. A basic pool vacuum can’t reach into hard angles, meaning bacteria and debris is left to build up in these areas. Cleaning out these areas means using a manual vacuum and specialty pool brush to scrub away residue without causing damage. 

Check Circulation and Filtration Systems: Stagnant water is dirty water. If there is no pool water circulating, it means chemicals aren’t being dispersed throughout the basin. If this is the case you can expect cloudy water in no time, and that is a best case scenario! It is easy to get stuck focusing on pool surfaces but if internal systems begin to fail, the whole thing will come crashing down. Keeping your pool cleaner means keeping filter cleaner. Cartridge filters should be removed, cleaned and reinstalled every 3-4 months and a sand filter should be emptied and refilled with clean sand every 3-5 years. 

Seasonal Care: Even if you feel like you’ve got a handle on regular pool cleanings, a changing of the seasons is in a league of its own. Winters in Ontario are frigid and summers are extremely warm. Protecting your pool from the cold weather means having to drop the water level, winterize drain plugs, remove, dry and store detachable components and install a solid winter cover. This is a lot of work and missing out on just one step of the process can mean dealing with serious damage. When opening back up, it is important to restore water condition to avoid serious health risks, reinstall any equipment that was removed and get rid of months-worth of buildup and debris that has formed inside pool water. 

When you want your pool looking its best, water crystal clear, surfaces sparkling and internal water systems running smoothly, ditch the basic testing kit and call a local Puddle Pro instead.