Pool care: 3 top questions owners ask the professionals



Zodiac answers the three most common pool care questions owners ask the professionals

1. How often should I clean my pool?

A build up of debris such as leaves or hair can build quickly in pool skimmers and baskets, so if your pool is underneath trees or is used regularly these should be emptied daily to help circulation. For most other pool care tasks, a weekly regimen is most helpful to keep it well maintained. Vacuum the pool to remove organic material, and remove dirt and grime from pool tiles weekly.

Pool filter maintenance depends on the medium, but you will generally need to backwash or clean your filter during swim season, and this can be indicated by the pressure rise on the filter tank’s pressure gauge. Keeping a regular cleaning regimen and maintaining proper filtration will help keep your pool algae-free and ready for swimming.

2. How long should you run your pool pump each day?

A pool’s pump has a pivotal role in keeping your pool clean and ready to swim in. Circulation is often overlooked, but is an essential part of pool care, keeping it evenly heated and spreading the chemicals you add to the water around the pool. To figure out how many hours a day you need to run your pump, you need to know the litres per minute (l/m) of water that your pump circulates.

You can find this out by either looking in the pump manufacturer’s installation and operating manual or by calling the manufacturer. Multiply that number by 60 (minutes per hour), then divide that into the total number of litres in your pool. Hours are generally added for increased bather load, usage, animals, or extreme heat.

3. How do you balance your pool?

A ‘balanced’ pool is one which has perfect chemical levels, relative to its needs. Balancing your pool doesn’t require a chemistry degree, you just need to know what has to be checked and the proper levels required.

The four main tests to perform with a test kit are pH, Chlorine, Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness.

Cyanuric Acid levels should also be tested on outdoor pools that use chlorine.

Here’s a general guide for the results you’ll want to see when you test each of these:

Chlorine: 1.0 – 3.0ppm

pH: 7.4 – 7.6

Alkalinity: 80 – 100ppm

We hope this information points you in the right direction. As always, we recommend you ask your pool professional to clear up any confusion or to answer additional questions.

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