How to clean your pool

Backyard pools are a great addition to the home for the family. They provide hours of entertainment, keeping the kids moving, having fun and away from their screens.

But owning a backyard pool isn’t as simple as filling the pool with water and leaving it all summer. Pools require regular cleaning and maintenance to remain safe for use. Failing to maintain the pool can lead to an unstable water/chemical balance, as well as to problems with leaves and dirt in the pool.

Throughout the summer, you’ll need to maintain the pool through processes such as circulating the water, physically cleaning the water and pool surface and adjusting the chemistry of the water.

Important pool-cleaning tasks 

Circulating the water

To aid with cleaning the water in the pool, you need to circulate the water through a filter. For an aboveground pool, having a pump available helps to move the water effectively. The pump will sit outside the pool, connected to the water through tubes.

Most pools ship with a water circulation pump, but you may need to replace the pump at some point. Just be sure it matches the size of the pool you own. You also may need to occasionally replace the pump hoses that connect the pump to the pool.

You should operate the pump at least several hours per day. You can operate the pump while people are swimming, or you can run it overnight.

Some pumps have a cleaning filter inside them that you'll need to replace regularly. When selecting a replacement filter, make sure that it's compatible with your circulation system.

Another option is a skimmer basket and a skimmer sock attached to the pump system. This will catch much of the debris before it reaches the filter and pump. Just clean out the skimmer sock and basket occasionally. They need to fit your pump system properly.

Adding chemicals to balance the water

With a backyard pool, you will need to regularly add chemicals to keep the water’s balance at a clean and safe level. With a small kiddie pool, you could simply empty the pool and add new water once or twice a week. But with an above ground pool, the amount of water is too large to change so often, so adding chemicals is the better solution.

Without the chemicals, the pool water may end up with a number of problems, including:

• Cloudy water
• Unwanted odors
• Green algae formation
• Mildew formation

Finding these items in the water can indicate a buildup of dangerous bacteria and other items, making the pool unsafe for use. The addition of chemicals can counteract the formation of these dangerous materials, leaving the water safe.

Before adding chemicals, you should test the water. Pool test strips or pool test kits will indicate which chemicals you should add for the proper water balance. By testing the water, you can add the precise amount of chemicals you need, rather than wasting chemicals by adding unnecessary items or too much of any one chemical.

Pool-cleaning chemicals

HTH Chlorinating Tablets: available at Amazon
Chlorine is an important additive for a swimming pool because it keeps the water clean by destroying harmful bacteria and by eliminating the formation of algae. With the HTH product, just add one tablet per week to treat up to 10,000 gallons of water.

HTH Super Shock Treatment: available at Amazon and Home Depot
When the water is cloudy and measures low on chlorine, you can bring the water up to the proper levels quickly with this shock product. Just apply a tablet for a quick adjustment within 24 hours.

Pool Mate pH Up: available at Amazon and Home Depot
Adjusting the pool's chemical balance sometimes requires adding pH to bring it to an ideal number of around 7.5 ppm. Low pH settings cause other chemicals, such as chlorine, to work less effectively. High pH settings can cause the formation of cloudy water.

Pool Mate Metal Out Mineral Remover: available at Amazon and Home Depot
If your measurements show you have too much hardness in the water, such as metals and calcium, this product will return the balance in the water, while also reducing staining on the pool's surfaces. Test kits measure calcium in the water, which should be around 250 ppm.

Clorox Alkalinity Increaser: available at Amazon
When the pool water has a low level of alkalinity, it affects the pH levels in the water, throwing off the balance. Alkalinity should measure around 100 ppm.

Cleaning the pool and water

There are numerous tasks you should perform regularly when it comes to physically cleaning the pool. Brushes, nets and vacuums will help you keep your pool cleaner, removing items that chemicals cannot correct or remove.

Scrubbing the bottom of the pool every few days will prevent sediment and algae from building up in this area. A swimming pool scrub brush on the end of a pole can help you reach the bottom of the pool without having to climb inside the pool. A hand sized pool brush can help you effectively clean the sides of the pool or the ladder.

Another option for cleaning the bottom of the pool is a pool vacuum. It runs along the bottom surface of the pool, pulling in sand and dirt, which are difficult to remove with a net. It runs like a vacuum you'd use in the house on carpet, pulling debris from the bottom of the pool through a connected hose and into a container.

To remove debris floating on the surface of the water, such as fallen leaves, a skimmer on a pole simplifies the job. For items near the bottom of the pool or floating underwater, a skimmer net on a pole may be the better choice. You may have to purchase the pole separately for these skimmers.

Kyle Schurman is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

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