First Time Pool Owner Tips
If you're reading this because you've recently become the owner of your very own above ground swimming pool, I guess congratulations are in order. As you know, pools are a source of endless fun and relaxation for your entire family, as well as for your friends and neighbors. However, you should also know that owning a pool is a big responsibility. Indeed, pools requires regular cleaning and maintenance, from skimming and vacuuming to pump and filter checks. Of course, they also use a slew of chemicals that need to be kept in perfect balance with one another. In fact, should your pH, alkalinity, or stabilizer be thrown off, your pool can quickly turn into an expensive (and disgusting) environment. Luckily, we’ve put together a few tips to teach you all about taking care of your new pool. While some might seem like common sense, we guarantee that if you follow our suggestions to the letter, you’ll never have a reason to regret your new pool. Let’s get started.
Keep Yourself Organized
Your new above ground pool and all of its various components will come with a lot more paperwork than you would expect. From user manuals to serial numbers to manufacturer's warranties, all of this stuff is very important. For this reason, I suggest you file them away in one, easy-to-find place. This will make sure you can always find what you need when it comes time for repairs, replacements, and more. If you became a pool owner by default (by purchasing a home with a pool already installed), you should ask the previous owner for all of the things listed above. This will save you tons of time and money down the line and allow you to make sure your pool gets the proper maintenance and treatments from year to year. If your above ground pool is new, I suggest snapping a few photos of your parts, serial numbers, and other components. Why? Because once the sun and chlorine get to work on these parts, they might be a lot harder to ID. However, if you have some photos stored away, you'll be able to show your pool supply store team exactly what you're using or replacing. You can create a file on your computer and save these images along with the pdf's of the manual, parts lists and warranty info. For our customers we have all this info available online for every pool and item we offer.
Educate Yourself on Pool Ownership
Some people love learning everything there is to know about their toys and gadgets. But don't worry if this doesn't describe you. You don't need to worry about turning yourself into an expert just to maintain your pool. Still, you can benefit quite a bit from having a basic understanding of how your pool works and what sorts of upkeep you need to do. After all, you will need to repair or replace some part of your pool at some point. If you know some basics such as how your pump works, your gallons per minute rating, and the volume and surface area of your pool, you'll be in a better position to negotiate with your pool guy when determining the cost of repairs.
Learn About Basic Maintenance
Most of us wouldn't list chemistry as our favorite high school subject. However, maintaining a healthy pool is all about chemistry. For starters, you need to be testing and adjusting your water once a week. This not only means monitoring the proper amount of chlorine, but also ensuring you adjust for alkalinity, calcium hardness, and pH as necessary. Then you have Cyanuric Acid, or CYA. This is what most pool owners refer to as a "stabilizer." Its job is to protect your pool water from UV rays, which can evaporate your chlorine and allow algae, bacteria, and mold to set up shop. If this happens, you'll have to take drastic (and expensive) steps to rehab your pool environment. It would be best if you also made a habit of regularly clearing debris from your filter and skimmer baskets. Leaves and other organic matter can break down and cause staining in your pool surfaces, which make your pool look less than inviting.
Become a Water Flow Expert
If you own a pool, I suggest you take a cue from the Ancient Romans and become an expert on water flow. You see, your pool may have special diverter valves that allow you to adjust the flow of water. These valves will have several ports and handles that either limit the flow when needed, or alternate it from one line to the other. These valves can be very useful when you're attempting to suck up loose debris. For instance, if you divert the valves to your skimmer, it will pull floating material from the pool's surface. Alternatively, you can set the flow to the main drain to suck random particles off the pool's floor. It may be a bypass to a heater or an easy way to drain the pool water if needed. While these solutions are all universal, the setup of your pool filter system, valves and plumbing will be unique. Take some time to learn about yours so that you know how to operate and do basic maintenance and rerepairs of the system properly. Trust me - it will be a big time-saver down the line.
Keep an Eye on Things
In the end, you can avoid the vast majority of pool-related problems simply by taking a few minutes out of your week to look things over. This means trying to identify equipment that might be on its last legs or walking around the pump to search for leaks or unusual sounds. In many cases, a $25 dollar problem that you ignore will lead to a $500 problem down the line. Just being observant can prevent this escalation.
For more info about above ground pools and their maintenance call us at (866) 534-9725 or visit us online at https://www.poolsaboveground.com