Swimming pool tips

Keeping your pool sparkling

Keeping your pool clean and clear is all a matter of balance. Just enough sanitiser (Chlorine or salt), enough water movement, the right pH and regular brushing and vacuuming, it seems so complicated! Well, relax, it isn’t!

The three most important things to remember are pH, sanitiser and filtering. Stagnant water breeds bacteria and other micro-organisms, which is fine if you are a pond, but not so desirable if you happen to be a swimming pool. Bacteria is also introduced into the pool, through sun creams and, in my household, the odd ice lolly. While you can fish out the lolly, bacteria is harder to capture.

To combat such assaults, a sanitiser is used, which kills the bacteria and helps control algae growth. The most common sanitisers are chlorine and salt.

Salt tends to be easier on the skin and mucous membranes but, there is nothing wrong with the old fashioned chlorine as long as you keep the level under control. These compounds must be added routinely to the pool during the course of the summer to maintain high enough levels to prevent bacterial growth. The levels are measured in parts per million (ppm). If your sanitiser level drops below recommended levels for more than a few days, the pool may turn cloudy. Routine super chlorinating or "shocking" your pool will quickly get rid of any residual algae or bacteria.

But one of the most important things to remember is that the pH balance has to be correct, between 7.2 and 7.6. If it is outside these parameters, the sanitiser will not work. Check the pH level weekly and adjust up or down with pH+ or pH-, adding a little at a time and checking daily until the correct balance has been achieved.

Now, all the sanitiser in the world won't keep your pool clear without some method of circulating the sanitiser and filtering out the debris that accumulates. That is where your pump and filter come in.

Most pumps are run by an automatic timer, at this time of year I would recommend that the pump runs for about 4 to 6 hours a day, this should be increased as the water temperature rises and the pump – run time can really only be judged by you – depending on your pool size and the amount of use.

If you have problems keeping your chemical level high enough, run it more. Be aware that problems keeping the sanitiser level up may be caused by high usage or poor circulation due to a dirty filter. The more the pool is used the more often the need to backwash and rinse.

Sometimes though, even if your sanitiser level is high enough, the water is still cloudy. This can be caused by a few factors and is usually easy to remedy. The filter is what removes particulate matter from the pool water but, if the filter is dirty or clogged, it can't do its job. Watch the pressure gauge on the filter, if it jumps 10psi or higher than normal it is time to backwash. Don’t forget to rinse after backwashing or the dirty water will return to the pool.

Finally, if the water is still cloudy and your filter is clean, then it is possible that the particulates are too small to be trapped by the filter. A coagulating agent, usually ‘floculante’, can be used. This will aggregate the particles and allow them to be trapped in the filter. This will usually work very quickly, but you need to watch the pressure gauge on the filter, and backwash as the pressure rises.