When it comes to maintaining your pool, you’ll have plenty of resources and experts who will guide you with different tips and tricks–including us! We’re here to provide you with what we believe are the four best ways to a happy and clean pool: circulation, filtration, sanitation, and vacuum.

Circulation

First rule of thumb: pool owners need to run their pool’s circulation system daily in order to keep water clean and clear. Specifically, it’s always best to do this during the daytime because algae and other unwanted water contaminants need sunlight to grow.

“How long should I run my pool pump?” is probably a question you’ve either asked or have heard other people ask.

Unfortunately, pool owners are often misguided or ill-informed about how long they should be running their circulation system. To put it simply, during the swim season when temperatures are high and pool usage is reoccurring, you should run your pool pump an average of 8-12 hours a day. During the off-season when pool usage isn’t as reoccurring and temperatures are low, run your pool pump at least 4-6 hours a day. Circulation is just as important as water chemistry.

Filtration

Circulation is important when it comes to a clean pool, but let’s not forget about the filtration. Filters are designed to remove suspended particles from the water. There are three types of pool filters that a pool owner can have for their pool. We’ll go into detail on each one.

Diatomaceous Earth (or D.E.) Filters

Considered the most efficient type of filter, D.E. filters use a fine white powder made of tiny, fossilized skeletal remains (this isn’t as gross as this sounds!) of unicellular plankton called “diatom” as a filtering medium. Maintaining a D.E. filter requires a pool owner to replace lost D.E. powder over time. We recommend manual cleaning of the filter should be done yearly.

Cartridge Filters

While not as efficient as D.E. filters, cartridge filters employ a fan-fold polyester cartridge as a filtering medium. A cartridge filter also requires manual maintenance that usually entails removing the element from the filter and to simply hose it off and clean the filter with a cartridge cleaner for best results. Typically, a cartridge filter can last about 2-3 years.

Sand Filters

Sand filters are considered low maintenance but not as efficient as the other types of filters. Nonetheless, sand filters tend to be popular for certain areas of the country and in commercial pools. A sand filter usually has a five year lifespan before the sand will need to be replaced.

Sanitation

Sanitation can be considered a rather obvious key detail in keeping  pool water healthy. After all, nobody likes a dirty, cloudy, or unhealthy looking pool. Controlling the amount of contaminants inside your pool water is the best way to practice sanitation. When we mention “contaminants,” we’re talking about bacteria, viruses, cysts, and spores. The best way to destroy these organic contaminants is by doing something called “oxidation.” Chlorine sanitizes, oxidizes, and controls algae growth inside pool water. Even a minimum level of chlorine can kill most harmful pathogens in less than 30 minutes. Chlorine is a powerful disinfectant and oxidizing agent that has been used successfully in water treatment for over 150 years.

Brushing & Vacuum

Brushing a swimming pool at least once a week is key to keeping your pool healthy. Why every week? you might be wondering. You’d be surprised to know that thousands of algae spores fall into a pool on the daily. And while you think because your pool is consistently circulating, well filtered, and well sanitized, there is still a possibility that cloudy water and algae can appear in your pool. Now, you can manually do this or you can have the help of a trusty automatic pool cleaner.

Personally, an automatic pool cleaner is a great investment because it allows you to keep the brushing and vacuuming of your pool on a schedule. That way, you don’t really have to think about brushing and vacuuming and let your automatic cleaner do all the work!

So there you have it–the four ways to keeping your pool sparkling clean. This article should help all pool owners across the country with proper maintenance. Happy pool, happy life, right?

from: https://blog.poolsupplyworld.com/four-ways-to-happy-pool-water/