Get ready to swim

GET READY TO SWIM

Your DIY guide to pool care

Just like your car needs regular servicing, so too does your swimming pool. Regular maintenance of the pool and its equipment will ensure it is always working at optimum level. This also allows you to correct or repair any parts that are failing before the whole unit requires replacement.

Did you know that, on a sunny day, up to 95 per cent of the chlorine in the pool can be lost into the atmosphere in as little as three and a half hours? Pool water conditions constantly change due to the addition of chemicals, windblown debris, heat and storms, contaminates, and the number of swimmers.

Properly maintaining pool water not only keeps it fresh, clear and sparkling but also prevents swimmers from getting sick, as untreated water is the perfect environment for bacteria to grow in.

This can be easily avoided by adding a sanitiser (usually chlorine) regularly and then filtering the water to remove the dead bacteria. It's also important to regularly monitor water quality including chlorine, even if you have an automatic dosing system or a saltwater chlorinator. Other things to monitor include water clarity, pH, total alkalinity and balance.

Your local Swimart store can test your pool water for free, give you a comprehensive analysis and recommend which products you'll need to keep your pool water clean and clear.

TOP SPRING POOL CARE TIPS

• Thoroughly clean the pool and vacuum the walls and floor
• Check the pump is working properly and organise a full pool equipment service by a licensed pool and spa technician
• Check or replace damaged or worn fittings and check for leaks
• Check the chlorine and pH levels every two weeks
• Empty the skimmer basket when full
• Occasionally check that the water level is half way up the skimmer box opening
• Occasionally check that the pressure gauge on the filter is not indicating 'backwash'
• Turn the pool lights on for at least 30 minutes a week to prevent build-up of moisture within the light and wiring

TOP SUMMER POOL CARE TIPS

• Operate the filtration system six to eight hours a day
• Regularly check sanitiser levels, ideally on a daily basis
• Check the pH every two days
• Check the Total Alkalinity (TA) weekly
• Check and clean the skimmer basket and hair and lint pot basket weekly
• Have your pool water checked at your local pool shop every two weeks
• Thoroughly backwash your sand or DE filter or remove and clean the cartridge from your cartridge filter, depending on pool use
• Maintain the water level at least half way up to the skimmer box opening
• Clean the pool and vacuum the walls and floor of the pool regularly

Swimart offers a free computerised pool water testing service, and will prescribe the best solution for your pool's needs.