California and Florida have the most inground swimming pools in the United States, which might be a surprise to a lot of Texans. If you live in Texas, it’s not uncommon to find swimming pools wherever you go.
If you don’t currently have a custom pool and want one, you need to know about the maintenance that they require. If you do have a pool and have some questions about cleaning, this guide is for you as well!
To keep your pool in the best shape, keep reading to learn the steps to take.
Inspect Pool Equipment
Custom pools have many components you’ll need to pay attention to. To ensure your pool’s water quality is up to par, you’ll want to assess the performance of your pool equipment.
Checking your pump and filtration system is just as important as checking the water outside of the pool. This means looking at your pipes to understand their condition and how they might affect your pool.
One of the most important things you can do is empty the skimmer baskets. Full skimmer baskets can have a negative impact on the performance of your equipment.
Overflowing baskets limit the circulation of water flow through the filter system. Always check for dirt and debris in the skimmer basket, even if your pool looks clean.
If you forget to clean out the skimmer baskets, you’ll start to notice cloudy water and algae growth.
Make sure the skimmer basket is not damaged or cracked while inspecting it as well.
Clean the Pool
The most obvious step to maintaining a custom pool is to clean it. The best way to prevent debris from getting into the pool is to utilize custom pool covers when the pool is not in use.
First, you’ll want to clean the pool’s surrounding area, such as the tiles, deck, or garden. Dust, twigs, leaves, and dirt can collect around your pool and add to the mess in the pool over time.
After cleaning around the pool and emptying out the skimmer basket, remove large leaves, debris, and twigs from the pool. If you allow these elements to decay, they will change the water’s pH level.
Next, you can brush the walls and floor of the pool to remove any particles that have accumulated. Make sure to keep the pool pump running during this step so that the skimmer can catch dirt before it settles.
If you have an automatic pool cleaner, you can perform this step while vacuuming the pool. If your pool vacuum has a bag, empty it after cleaning the pool so that it is ready for the next time you need to clean.
Vacuum the pool as often as you need to and remove debris daily with a tool.
Clean and Remove the Filter
When you vacuum a pool, the filter pressure can increase because of the extra work generated.
Backwash or clean the filter out when the pressure gauge rises to 50 kPa over the ‘clean filter’ pressure. If there isn’t any increased pressure from vacuuming, you likely won’t need to backwash the filter.
However, if your pool is very dirty, you might have to complete this step during the cleaning process.
Conduct Pool Water Tests
Custom pool designs are much like other pools because they both require regular pool water testing. You’ll need to check the chlorine, pH, and alkalinity levels to ensure they are all at safe limits.
These are the levels you should be aiming for:
- Chlorine levels: 2 to 3 PPM
- pH levels: 7.2 to 7.8
- Alkalinity: 80 to 120 parts per million (PPM)
By regularly checking these levels, you can adjust if necessary. Supplements will do the work for you. During the summer, people are using the pool more frequently, so check the water chemistry balance more often.
Two to three times a season you should also shock your pool which involves increasing the amount of chlorine in the system by up to five times. This is best completed by professionals if you’ve never done it before.
After using your pool a lot, it will accumulate bacteria and chemicals that cannot be cleaned with small levels of chlorine. Once the upgraded amounts of chlorine go through your system, you can return back to normal levels.
Avoid swimming in your pool up to 24 hours after shocking it.
Schedule Annual Servicing
Pool companies that provide custom pool designs generally provide cleaning and maintenance as well. It’s always important to turn to an expert when it comes to pool systems.
If you don’t know much about your pool equipment, pH levels, and general cleaning, having a set of expert eyes on these elements will save you from problems in the future.
Sahara Construction and Custom Pools offer a variety of services for maintaining your pool, including:
- Vacuuming
- Brushing
- Tile treatments
- Pump logistics
- Pool chemical stabilizing
- Filter cleaning
If you don’t already have a custom pool, you can also benefit from the offered 3D pool design process.
Custom Pools: Maintenance Tips to Follow
Custom pools are well worth the price for their stylish backyard looks, and for homeowners to have some fun in the sun. Yet, taking care of pools is a lot of work.
To ensure your pool stays healthy and maintained, you need to follow these tips. Inspect your pool equipment, clean the pool, clean the filter, and conduct pool water testing.
Lastly, seek professional help from Sahara Construction and Custom Pools for annual expert maintenance. Contact us today or request a free quote for a custom pool build in Cypress, TX now.
