How to Clean a Pool
All pools require some swimming pool cleaning maintenance to prolong their lifespan, prevent bacteria growth, and maintain sanitary and safe swimming conditions. Cleaning a pool typically entails skimming, brushing, vacuuming, and cleaning pool components.
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Skim and Brush Your Pool
Vacuum Your Pool
How Does a Robotic Pool Cleaner Work?
How Does a Pressure-Side Cleaner Work?
How Does a Suction Side Cleaner Work?
How Does a Manual Pool Vacuum Work?
How to Vacuum Pools with Sand Filters
How to Vacuum an Inground Pool
How to Clean Above Ground Pools
How to Clean the Bottom of a Pool Without a Vacuum
Clean Your Skimmer
How to Clean Specific Areas of Your Pool
How to Clean Pool Tile
How to Clean Pool Liners
Skim And Brush Your Pool
To get dirt out of a pool, regularly skim and brush the top of your pool water and surfaces. This can prevent debris from sinking to the pool bottom and avoid potentially creating stains and clotting the filtration system.
If your pool is fibreglass or vinyl, use a soft bristle brush when brushing. A hard surface pool such as plaster and concrete can withstand a brush with steel bristles.
Every day, skim the surface of your pool using a leaf skimmer – the best way to remove leaves from pool water. Attach the skimmer to the telescopic pool, then move the skimmer net across the water to remove debris such as leaves and insects.
Weekly, attach the pool brush to the telescopic pole to clean the sides and surfaces of the pool, including the stairs and ladders. Use slight force to remove sediments such as algae and dirt.
Pay extra attention to areas where there is poor pool water circulation, like around pool stairs. Move the sediment toward the main drain.
Vacuum Your Pool
Once you’ve skimmed and brushed the sediment from the pool’s surfaces, it’s time to vacuum up the debris that’s sunk to the bottom of the pool. You can use an automatic or a manual vacuum to complete this step, which should be performed weekly.
How Does a Robotic Pool Cleaner Work?
Robotic pool cleaners are the most popular type of pool vacuum but also the costliest.
These self-contained powered units move around your pool’s bottom while sucking up debris. Connected to a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) with a waterproof cable, they collect dirt in their integrated filter basket.
The vacuum is set up according to the manufacturer’s directions. Plug it in, place it in the water, and allow it to move around automatically.
How Does a Pressure-Side Cleaner Work?
Pressure-side cleaners connect to a pressure cleaner line or a return outlet. They are powered by the pressure from the pool pump and move around the pool to collect debris.
The pool pump needs to be on for a pressure-side cleaner to operate. Pressure-side cleaners have their own filter nets and do not utilize the pool’s filter.
How Does a Suction Side Cleaner Work?
Suction side cleaners utilize water flow from your filtration system and connect to a specific suction port or skimmer. Aside from manual vacuums, suction side cleaners are the most affordable pool vacuum option.
After sucking in water and debris using pressure from the pool’s intake system, the debris ends up in the pool’s filtration system. However, this type of pool cleaner can accidentally suck up harmful debris like rocks and damage your filtration system.
How Does a Manual Pool Vacuum Work?
A manual pool vacuum attaches to the pool skimmer. Water and debris are vacuumed through the pool filtration system.
Before connecting a manual vacuum to the skimmer, submerge it underwater. This allows all of the air to exit the vacuum hose. Once all the air is out, connect the hose to the skimmer. Select the Filter setting and turn the pump on.
Begin vacuuming by slowly moving the vacuum across the bottom of your pool. Overlap your lines to remove as much debris as possible and stay longer in dirtier areas.
How to Vacuum Pools with Sand Filters
1. Brush the pool sides to allow dirt to move to the bottom of the pool.
2. Connect the vacuum head securely to the telescopic pool pole, then connect the hose to the vacuum.
3. Remove air from the pool hose by filling it with water. The easiest way to do that is by lowering the vacuum head into the pool while twisting it side to side. Once it reaches the bottom, feed the hose down into the water hand over hand until all but the top six inches of the hose is in the water.
4. Pass the end of the vacuum hose through the skimmer throat and connect it to the skimmer’s suction port. Before making the connection, you must remove the skimmer basket and skimmer float valve.
5. Select the Filter setting.
6. Turn the pump on.
7. Begin slowly vacuuming.
8. When finished vacuuming, turn the pump off.
9. Remove the hose from the skimmer or suction port, then take the vacuum out of the pool.
10. If there was a lot of dirt in the pool, select the backwash setting, then turn the pump on again.
11. Once the sight glass is clear, turn the pump off and select the Filter setting.
12. Remove any debris from the pump strainer basket.
13. Turn the pump back on.
How to Vacuum an Inground Pool
1. Attach your vacuum head to the pool pole and then connect the vacuum hose to the vacuum head.
2. Remove all the air from the vacuum hose by filling it with water. The easiest way to do that is by lowering the vacuum head into the pool while twisting it side to side. Once it reaches the bottom, feed the hose down into the water hand over hand until all but the top six inches of the hose is in the water.
3. Connect the free end of the hose to the suction line.
4. Partially restrict any other intakes to generate enough suction to the skimmer that you’re vacuuming from.
5. Vacuum while moving slowly to reduce the amount of debris that stirs up.
6. When you’re finished vacuuming, turn the pump off.
7. Detach the hose from the skimmer or suction port and remove the vacuum from the pool.
8. Backwash the filter and make sure the sight glass is clear.
9. Turn the pump off and select the Filter setting.
10. Turn the pump back on.
How to Clean Above Ground Pools
Cleaning an above ground pool is similar to cleaning an inground pool.
However, pool water circulation problems are more common in above-ground pools. To help prevent them from happening, manually circulate the pool water using a pool brush or install multi-directional return jets. Otherwise, an algae bloom can quickly occur.
How to Clean the Bottom of a Pool Without a Vacuum
Regularly stir the water while the filter operates to get dirt out of pool water without vacuuming. To do so, use a large leaf net. Any debris that has sunk to the bottom will be suspended in the water and can be removed by the filtration system.
Clean Your Skimmer
Remove debris from your skimmer(s) at least weekly. This helps the skimmer operate efficiently and remove debris that has entered your pool water.
You should inspect the skimmer every time after skimming to ensure it remains clean. Watch your pool’s water level, as once it reaches over halfway up the skimmer, the system will not be able to collect debris effectively.
How To Clean Specific Areas Of Your Pool
How to Clean Pool Tile
To remove calcium from pool tile or concrete, use a pumice stone to scrub the deposits without causing damage to the pool surface. Keep the stone and the surface wet to avoid scratching the pool surface.
Calcium scaling treatments can dissolve the calcium deposits over several weeks in fibreglass, vinyl liner, and concrete pools. A commercial pool stain remover can also eliminate calcium carbonate from a specific area.
How to Clean Pool Liners
To clean rings around the pool liner – otherwise known as scum lines – gently scrub the liner with a soft-bristle brush.
Cleaning pool liner stains caused by minerals are usually best treated with acids. Organic pool stains are generally best treated with oxidizers.