From cleaning filters to adding chemicals, pool maintenance can seem pretty daunting to a new pool owner. With a few basic pool care hacks, however, you can reduce the amount of time spent on maintaining your pool, thereby increasing the amount of time you can spend doing what you really want to do — enjoying it! Perhaps you already know about some of these pool maintenance hacks, but we’re guessing you’ll pick up at least one or two new ones from reading this little post.
Balance Your Pool Water 2x a Week
First, we recommend balancing your pool water twice a week. Yes, we know that sounds like more work than balancing it just once a week, but hear us out: when you balance it more often, you’ll need fewer chemicals to restore balance. By contrast, when you wait until pool chemicals are considerably out of balance (for instance, when you intend to balance them once a week but forget to do it one week), you’ll end up spending more time and money on pool maintenance, overall. And we’re pretty sure you don’t want to do that.
Consider Using Vinegar to Remove Scaling
Second, we want to recommend using a general household product instead of using something specifically marketed for pool owners, when it comes to removing scaling. Good, old fashioned white vinegar will naturally remove calcium scaling from your pool walls. Simply dilute it in water, and scrub away. In only seconds, the scaling will begin to fade. Again, you’ve saved time (by not running out to the pool store) and money (because vinegar is pretty stinkin’ cheap).
Use a Solar Cover
We recommend using a solar cover regardless of the primary method of heating you use for your pool. By covering your pool with a solar cover whenever it is not in use, you can much more effectively retain the water’s heat — we’re talking a 70% difference here, people! Temperature won’t be the only way you’ll benefit, either; by covering your pool when it’s not in use, you’ll also reduce the need to skim off leaves and other debris that would otherwise find their way to the water’s surface. And there’s a third benefit, too: by covering your pool, you’ll reduce evaporation by 75%, making this a double-whammy of a hack!
Run Your Pool Filter Regularly
Fourth, we highly recommend running your pool filter a minimum of 8 hours per 24-hour period. You’ll benefit by reducing the need for manually cleaning your pool. The filter works by circulating the water, encouraging chemical distribution as well as powering your filtration system. While many pool owners only think of running their filtration system while they’re actually swimming, by doing so, they’re not doing themselves any favors in the long run. On that note, did you know that the best time to run your pool filter is overnight? Electric companies typically charge less during non-peak hours, so by carefully choosing the time you run the filter, you could also save on your utility bill.
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Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.
I didn’t realize that using a solar cover could make as much as a 70 percent difference in the water’s heat. I would imagine it’s probably more pleasant to enjoy the water after using something like that. My husband and I have trouble keeping our pool at the right temperature so we might look into a cover or a conventional heater that keeps it just right!