Caring for Your Pool

Keeping your pool in top shape will help ensure years of fun in the sun — and keep unnecessary repair and maintenance costs at bay. This means testing pool chemicals and brushing the floor and walls. And remember, all pools are different. Differences in size, water temperature and usage make each pool unique. So, don’t compare your pool with your neighbor's.

During the first week, be sure to test your water daily and brush your pool four or five times a day — especially if it’s a plaster pool. Here are a few pool care basics. (Refer to your owner’s manual for more details.)

  1. Brush your pool regularly — but especially after a dust storm. Dust or dirt can stain newer plaster and Pebble Tec surfaces.
  2. Remove debris and insects using a leaf skimmer.
  3. Test the water. And adjust your chemicals accordingly.
  4. Get a water analysis. About every other month, take a quart of water into your local pool supply store to have it analyzed. They can test for hardness, stabilizer and metals.
  5. Lubricate the pump basket “O” ring. The “O” ring on the underside of the clear lid should be lubricated monthly using a silicone lubricant available in any pool store. Never use a petroleum-based lubricant, such as Vaseline.

Managing Your Pool’s Chemicals

The constant control of chemicals is essential to the prevention of bacteria, scale and corrosion. The major chemical factors to monitor include:

Chlorine: Chlorine controls bacteria and algae. Chlorine is measured on a scale of .6 to 3.0. To prevent the growth of algae and bacteria, your pool water should be maintained with a reading of 1.0 in cooler months and a 1.5 reading for the hottest time of the year. Chlorine should always be added in the evening so that it has all night to kill the bacteria and algae. The daylight hours drain the pool of chlorine rapidly.

Stabilizer: Cyanuric acid reduces the loss of chlorine through evaporation and sunlight. The most commonly used terms for cyanuric acid are stabilizer or conditioner. Chlorine combined with cyanuric acid is referred to as stabilizer chlorine. We recommend a 25 to 40 PPM cyanuric acid reading. Do not confuse this with muratic or sulfuric acid, which is used for controlling the pH.

Acid: pH control is an absolutely necessity. The pool's pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with the neutral point at 7. Pool water is best when maintained in a slightly base condition to prevent staining and so as not to cause excessive corrosion to the plaster surface or metal parts in the pool. A proper pH reading should be between 7.4 and 7.6. If pH adjustment is required, muratic acid can be used to lower the pH. To raise the pH, you may add soda ash — do so directly to the pool water in the deepest part of the pool. Caution: Handle all acids with the greatest care. Always add acid in the morning and never at the same time you add chlorine.

Alkalinity: Your pool water may be too high or too low in alkalinity. A low alkalinity reading can result in a buildup on the plaster called "scale." Scale is seen as a hard, white formation on the plaster and at the water line on the tile. The ideal alkalinity range is 90 to 120 PPM. Alkalinity can be raised 10 PPM by adding three pounds of baking soda to every 20,000 gallons of pool water. When your swimming pool is completed, our start-up person will adjust the alkalinity the first time at no charge. Arizona water will change in alkalinity throughout the year. It must be adjusted after filling or even with the addition of water to keep the pool at the proper level.

Hardness: As water evaporates and tap water is added, calcium remains and builds. The tendency of pool water is to increase in hardness (calcium and magnesium in suspension) caused by the constant evaporation of pool water. Do not attempt to lower calcium hardness without strict supervision. Acceptable readings for hardness are between 200 and 300 PPM. Hardness can be raised quickly by adding calcium directly to the pool water. Once the hardness reaches 600 PPM, however, the pool water should be drained completely and refilled. California Pools will raise the hardness at startup if lower than 200 PPM.