Swimming Pool Maintenance Tips
A swimming pool can be an enjoyable and relaxing way to add value to your home. But the maintenance can also make for more headache than some homeowners bargain for, especially when it comes to reselling. Home inspectors cite swimming pool repair as one of the most expensive costs found necessary during a home inspection. Maintain your pool and pass your home inspection with flying colors by following these helpful tips.
The first step to maintaining a healthy pool is to sanitize it with a stabilized chlorine product. Chlorine is available in stick or tablet form and is dropped into a distribution container located near the pump and filter system. Chlorine protects against bacteria and makes your pool healthy to swim in.
Second, use an algae inhibitor. Liquid inhibitor is poured into the water near the skimmer intake, which helps the pump system distribute it to all areas of the pool. Without this preventative measure, more than 15,000 kinds of algae are just waiting to get started growing in your pool.
A third item on your swimming pool maintenance checklist is to replace any pump that is more than seven to eight years old. Newer models are more efficient at moving larger volumes of water with less energy, which saves you money in many areas: You will need a smaller, less expensive pump, you will have lower monthly utility bills, and better circulation equals better filtration and fewer chemicals.
A final word of advice is directed toward older pools and pools located in earthquake zones. Always be on the lookout for cracks in below ground pools. More damage is caused over time that eventually accumulates to create a nasty problem. Pools with cracks will not pass home inspection, so nip a crack in the bud early and fix it as soon as it appears.
Sacramento Home Inspector http://www.sacramento-home-inspector.com specializes in reliable and accurate Sacramento home inspections Rachel Spohn is a freelance writer.
Having a properly balanced pool is not difficult, but it does take work.
I’m the pool operator at our local YMCA and keeping an 80,000 gallon pool balanced is pretty easy, once you all the elements in place
and know what you’re doing.
Chlorine 3.5-4.5, alkalinity 80-100, ph 7.6-7.8, not 7.2, hardness 150-250, not up to 400.
You have to stay on top of it because the chlorine can go down in a matter of hours if no one properly checks it.