August 2010
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The Importance of Proper Ventilation for Indoor Spas
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Steps to Ensure A Safe, Fun-filled Pool Season
in Maintenance
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Pool Cleaning Tips for the Summer
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Save Money & Energy with a Solar Pool Heater
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Choose the Right Pool Cover
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Keep Your Pool Free of Falling Leaves
October 2009
by Tegan Jones
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Landscaping is an integral part of any backyard’s beauty. Well-placed trees can increase your privacy and give your pool a secluded, natural feel. But overhanging branches and falling leaves can also create problems if they aren’t kept in check. Follow these simple tips from Paul Kurke, training manager for Arch chemicals, to keep your pool free of falling leaves and debris all year long.
For a Debris-Free Pool:
1. Make pool-friendly landscaping choices.
While giant elm or maple trees may look great in your backyard, other landscaping choices can add to its natural beauty while keeping pool maintenance simple.
Kurke recommends mixing low-growth shrubs with evergreens, such as pine or spruce trees, to limit the amount of debris your foliage creates. “You can go to your local nursery and find a variety of evergreens that look great in your yard without dropping leaves or branches in your pool,” he says.
2. Remove overhanging branches.
If you have seasonal trees in your yard, prune any branches that hang over the pool. It will expose your pool to more sunlight and reduce the amount of debris you have to contend with. Even in the summer, before leaves start to drop in large numbers, these branches can allow mold spores, insects and algae to infect your sparkling pool.
Reducing the excess material in your pool also helps with general maintenance. If too many leaves, sticks or bugs fall into your pool, it can clog the skimmer and impede sanitizer distribution and filtration. This means you will have to clean your pool more often—and could even lead to mechanical problems in the future.
In colder climates, freezing weather can also cause overhanging branches to break. “If a strong wind brings down a branch in the winter, it could easily break through your pool cover,” Kurke says.
3. Cover your pool when it’s not in use.
Mesh pool covers are easy to manage and catch most types of debris that fall into a pool when it’s not in use. Solid pool covers catch the smaller items, such as the mold spores, insects and algae that can build up along the waterline. To make clean-up easy, Kurke suggests using both types of covers together, with the mesh cover lying on top. Your authorized dealer can help you identify the best covers to use in tandem.
4. Clean your pool regularly.
If leaves do get into your pool, try to fish them out with the leaf skimmer before they sink to the bottom. Once they hit bottom, you can use a leaf rake to collect and pull them out. Be careful not to let the leaves sit too long, or they could stain the liner or the cement finish in your pool. If this happens, you will need to contact your pool professional to find the best solution to remove the stain.
