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Baquacil: Pool Care System
Establish a Successful Summer Maintenance Schedule

Establish a Successful Summer Maintenance Schedule

June 2008

by John Mulligan

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Summer can be a busy time. Between vacations, outdoor activities, yard work and having kids home from school, it’s easy to fall behind with household maintenance, even around the pool. After putting in a concerted effort to open your pool the right way at the start of the season, you might think the pool will be fine on its own for a while. Proper pool maintenance, however, is an ongoing process. Abiding by a maintenance schedule can keep your pool water clear and free from algae. The brief time it takes will seem more than worth it when you are swimming laps, playing with your children or relaxing by a clean and sparkling pool this summer.

Dividing maintenance tasks into daily, weekly and monthly segments can make the whole pool-care process easier. To help, we’ve provided an easy-to-follow maintenance chart for users of POOLIFE®, Pool Breeze®, and BAQUACIL® brand pool care systems.

Daily Pool Maintenance

  • Check chlorine levels (non-stabillized chlorine pools)

Proper water balance is necessary for a sparkling pool. For this reason, you should check the most important water balance factors at least once a week. pH is one of the most important tests — it affects other water balance factors, as well as the effectiveness of the products you use. If you have a non-stablized chlorine pool, it’s important to test your chlorine level daily, as chlorine can quickly be destroyed by sunlight. To check your pool’s pH and chlorine levels, follow the directions on your home testing strips and add product as needed if your levels are outside the recommended parameters. For an explanation of how pH and sanitizer levels affect your pool, read Water Testing 101.

Weekly Pool Maintenance

  • Test sanitizer and oxidizer levels (chlorine-free systems)
  • Test pH and total alkalinity (TA) levels
  • Brush
  • Vacuum
  • Clean deck

In addition to balancing the water, you need to keep your pool’s physical structure clean. “Brushing and vacuuming are the most overlooked parts of pool maintenance,” says Touraj Rowhani, research chemist at Arch Chemicals, Inc. Brushing the sides of your pool every week will help prevent algae blooms. Vacuuming your pool and cleaning your skimmer baskets on a weekly basis will remove debris and organic matter that can use up your chemicals and throw off your pool balance.

Monthly Pool Maintenance

  • Bring a water sample to your authorized dealer
  • Chemically clean your filter

There are two crucial facets of pool maintenance that happen less frequently, but should be highlighted on your schedule because of their importance. Every month you need to bring a water sample to your authorized dealer for testing and recommendations. This will allow you to get an accurate and helpful diagnosis of your current water balance for many of the factors you test for frequently, such as pH level and sanitizer level. Your authorized pool care dealer will also be able to provide you with information on the amount of metals in your water, calcium hardness and other factors you are unable to test for at home, and advise you on steps to take to correct any problems.

Another important part of monthly pool maintenance is chemically cleaning your filter. You should do this at least twice per season (three times a year if your pool is open year-round), using a product such as POOLIFE Filter Cleaner or BAQUACIL Filter Cleaner, depending on your pool and filter type. For more information about filter maintenance, read Clean Your Filter and Reap the Benefits.

Summer Pool Maintenance Checklist

Legend
All pools X
Chlorine-based pools (POOLIFE® or Pool Breeze®) X*
Chlorine-free pools (BAQUACIL®) X*
Maintenance Task Daily Twice Weekly Weekly Monthly
Run your filter (12 hours) X
Test and adjust pH X* X*
Test and adjust chlorine level* X*
Test sanitizer level and top off if necessary X*
Remove leaves and debris X
Empty skimmer and pump baskets X
Brush pool walls and floor X
Check water level and top off if necessary X
Check filter pressure and backwash if manufacturer’s instructions require X
Shock treat with preferred POOLIFE or Pool Breeze product X*
Add routine dosage of BAQUACIL Oxidizer X*
Add maintenance dosage of POOLIFE or Pool Breeze Algicide. (Pool Plus for Multipurpose system users) X*
Add maintenance dosage of BAQUACIL CDX X*
Take a sample of pool water to your authorized dealer for a full water analysis X
Chemically clean your filter X
* Most chlorine-based pools have a stabilizer level of 40 to 60 ppm — this requires testing your chlorine levels once a week. If you choose to have a non-stabilized pool, you should test and add chlorine on a daily basis.