When it comes to owning a swimming pool if you want to keep it looking great, clean, and extend the lifespan of it, you will need to work on it. We can’t tell you how many times we hear, it’s winter time, we don’t need to do anything to our pool! If you want to compare it to summer when the water is warm that might be correct but you still need to monitor your pool and make sure everything is running efficiently. That’s why we hope this blog post helps to explain what you can do on a regular basis to make sure your pool is looking great.
First, let’s chat about water chemistry. Do you understand it? Do you know if you own a 20,000-gallon swimming pool how much chlorine or acid you need to keep the levels where they need to be? Do you know what those levels are? In the swimming pool industry the following is what is considered to be normal levels:
- Chlorine – 1 – 3ppm (winter) and 3 – 5ppm (summer)
- pH – 7.4 – 7.8
- Total Alkalinity – 80 – 120ppm
- Calcium Hardness – 200 – 400ppm
- Cyanuric Acid – 30 – 50ppm
When it comes to keeping your pool blue, clear and free of any contaminents balancing your water chemistry is where it begins. You will want to make sure all the levels are within normal ranges to prevent cloudiness, algae, scaling, and other issues from occurring. If you are unsure on how to balance your water chemistry we highly recommend hiring a professional.
The next step in pool maintenance is your weekly maintenance. This means that even in the winter time you should still be brushing the steps, benches, and interior finish of the pool to prevent staining. All debris should be removed as soon as possible and the pump and filter basket should be emptied to maintain adequate flow of water in and out of the filter.
Please note, that leaks can occur at any time. You must regularly check all plumbing and your filtration equipment to make sure water is flowing correctly to prevent the motor from burning out and other issues. You should also be checking your filters pressure as well to guide you on backwashing and filter cleaning. If you should have any questions about this topic or how Weber Pools can help, please contact us today!