November 2011
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Changing Your Hot Tub Water in 4 Simple Steps
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How to Choose the Right In-ground Pool for You
in Maintenance
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Keeping the tile and surfaces in your pool clean is key to having a gorgeous, sparkling pool. Any pool that is used regularly, however, will accumulate oils around the water line, creating unsightly stains.
Luckily, preventing and removing this build-up is a breeze with the following quick-and-easy tips from Paul Kurke, Training Manager for Arch Chemicals.
Prevent Oily Build-Up
Sunscreen is a necessity, but using too much too often can cause the excess to wash off in your pool—creating a build-up of oil around the water line.
To keep oils in your pool water to a minimum, put on less sunscreen, but apply more frequently, Kurke recommends. It’s also a good idea to wait until the oil has dried on your skin before jumping in the pool.
Also, be sure to keep food on the deck. “Don’t sit on the edge of the pool and eat your hamburger or hot dog,” says Kurke. Food grease and condiments can drop in the water, adding to your oily build-up.
Use Proper Pool Cleaning Products
Products formulated specifically for removing grease and scale on tile and vinyl will remove stains more effectively than household cleaners—and preserve the lifespan of your pool surfaces, as well. Because some household surface cleaners are too harsh, they can erase the print from your vinyl liner. Abrasive household cleaners will leave your pool’s ceramic tile surfaces dull, porous and susceptible to stains, so Kurke recommends professional products such as POOLIFE® Tile and Vinyl Cleaner and BAQUACIL® Surface Cleaner.
These professional-grade products will lift grease and stains easily, without damaging your surfaces or creating cloudy water.
“They’re dual action products that will save you money and time because you don’t have to clean it twice,” says Kurke.
It’s also important to use only a fine-grade abrasive pad when cleaning the sides of your pool. Regular cloths won’t get your surfaces as clean as they could be, and steel wool scouring pads can damage your tile or vinyl and add minute steel filaments (iron) which will stain pool surfaces. Kurke recommends POOLIFE® Handheld Scrubbing Pads to safely get your pool sparking and clean.
Clean Your Pool Surfaces Regularly
General pool cleaning should be done every 10 to 14 days, because the longer the dirt and grease build up, the more difficult your pool will be to clean.
To make the process even easier, Kurke recommends brushing your pool’s surfaces once a week. “Manually brushing is more effective than an automatic pool cleaner and greatly reduces maintenance and consumption of cleaning compounds and sanitizers,” he says. For this task, he suggests using a POOLIFE® Curved Wall Brush, which helps you clean hard-to-reach places.
Balance Your Pool Water
How often you need to clean your pool will vary depending on your location. In Georgia, where the water is low in calcium and “softer,” you don’t have to clean as often. But in Indiana, where the calcium content is higher and the water is harder, you’ll have to clean more often.
To test your pool’s calcium content, use a POOLIFE® 6-Way Test Kit or POOLIFE® Test Strips and refer to page 5 of the POOLIFE® Care Guide to see where your pool falls on the scale. Once you know your calcium content, contact your authorized dealer to learn how you can balance your pool water to control scale buildup.
