Kitchener Residential Pool Services

Residential Pool Care: What to Know

It is easy to take a clean swimming pool for granted but when you start to notice discoloured or cloudy water, or a ton of debris it is hard to ignore! Many pool owners get caught up on water condition and forget to check up on the other aspects of water systems. Clean water is extremely important but it is only one aspect of pool maintenance. Proper pool care requires checking up on the surface levels of your swim space, as well as the internal systems that keep them running — and that is complicated!

Water Care: Anyone can visit a pool supply store and pick up testing kits to manage their chlorine levels. Chemical treatments and sanitizers are key to creating a safe swimming environment. Contaminated water will start to look cloudy or discoloured but more than that, it is a health and safety risk. Contaminated water will result in recreational water illnesses, or RWIs. These usually happen in the form of skin irritations, eye infections, ear infections, stomach issues, or in serious cases, e-coli poisoning. Keeping water clean is extremely important but balancing water chemistry relies on more than just chlorine levels. Balanced water relies on sanitizers but also pH levels, total alkalinity, calcium and other key factors.

Water Systems & Pool Equipment: Keeping your pool cleaner means treating internal plumbing and return lines, as well as inspecting and cleaning pool filters, pool pumps and equipment. Sitting water is easily contaminated. Functional pool pumps keep pool water circulating and that means chemical treatments are being dispersed evenly throughout basins. It is a good idea to run the pump regularly to ensure that everything is working as it should be. Pool filters are designed to trap and hold debris but they still need to be cleaned regularly in order to function properly. Regular cleanings come along with inspections of sand or cartridge filters, as well as emptying skimmer baskets to ensure that there are no blockages causing wear and tear on water systems.

Ditch Debris: Having debris floating along water surfaces or sunken down to the bottom of the pool looks awful but it has more consequences than a drop in curb appeal. If sunken items are left to sit against vinyl liners it will break down and lead to permanent staining. Floating items will also fill skimmer baskets and create clogs that put additional strain on systems and wear and tear on components like pumps, motors and filtration systems. When you want to fully remove debris, standard pool vacuums aren’t enough to get the job done. These might be able to remove smaller bits and pieces from the centre of a pool floor but they can’t navigate corners or steps and they can’t get rid of residue so it is always a good idea to let an expert handle these areas for you.

Seasonal Treatments: It is tough enough to keep pools in good condition at the best of times but as the seasons change it becomes more difficult. Proper pool closings protect pools during the off-season while openings create safe and sanitary swim spaces, restoring pools after long periods of sitting idle. For expert application of specialized pool chemicals, in-depth cleanings and proper seasonal prep, call a local Puddle technician.