- [Narrator] There are three simple rules
for cleaning a pool.
One, balance your water chemistry,
two, maintain good pool circulation
and three, keep a simple cleaning schedule.
Once you understand these basics, you'll never have
to deal with problems like cloudy water and algae again,
so let's dive in to three rules for how to clean a pool.
(lively music)
Real quick before we continue,
if you want more help taking care of your pool,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
It's totally free and will help
keep your pool clean and clear all season long.
Here are a few supplies you'll need to keep your pool clean.
One, a telescopic pole,
this attaches to things like skimmer nets, brushes,
vacuum heads and helps you reach further
into your pool to get debris and leaves.
Two, a skimmer net and a leaf net,
when choosing a skimmer net, a flat skimmer is easier
to use and shake off the debris you collect from your pool
but you'll also want a heavy duty pool leaf net.
This is useful for scooping up large debris
and you won't have to empty it as often
while you're cleaning.
Three, a pool brush,
you'll need a pool brush to remove dirt
and algae clinging to your pool walls and floor.
If you have a gunite or unpainted concrete pool
use a heavy duty pool brush with stainless steel.
But if you have a vinyl, fiberglass or painted concrete pool
use a brush with nylon bristles only.
Four, a manual pool vacuum,
you'll need a manual pool vacuum not only
for regular cleaning, but for things like removing algae
infested water or for clearing out pool flocculant.
A manual vacuum should include a vacuum head, a vacuum hose
that's long enough to reach into the center of your pool
and a skimmer vacuum plate to attach
to your skimmer if needed.
Five, test strips or a liquid test kit,
regularly testing your pool water will help you know
when it's time to add more chemicals and help you stop
problems like algae before they get outta control.
Speaking of chemicals,
that brings us to pool cleaning rule number one,
balance your water chemistry.
The most important step to keeping your pool clean
is keeping your water sanitized
and that means knowing what chemicals to have on hand
and when to add them.
You'll need alkalinity increaser, pH increaser,
pH decreaser, chlorine tablets or granules,
calcium hardness increaser and Pool Shock.
With those supplies on hand,
here's how to balance your water chemistry.
One, test your water once a week,
every week you'll want to test your alkalinity,
pH and chlorine levels.
These levels tend to fluctuate the most
and can cause problems like algae
if they're not kept in line.
Two, balance your alkalinity first,
alkalinity helps protect your pH from wildly fluctuating.
So when your alkalinity level is in range
it will help keep your pH in range.
Total alkalinity levels should be between
100 and 150 parts per million or PPM.
Three, balance your pH levels,
balanced pH helps your chlorine to work more effectively
and protects your pool equipment.
Your pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6.
Because alkalinity and pH go hand in hand,
it can be tricky to balance
so if you need more help balancing your pH in alkalinity,
be sure to check out our other video.
Four, adjust your chlorine,
if your water isn't sanitized,
things like bacteria and algae can start to build up,
and what keeps the water sanitized?
Chlorine, your chlorine levels should be between one
and three parts per million,
this range might be on the higher side
if you have a salt water pool or on the lower side
if you have a mineral system.
Regardless, keeping your chlorine levels
in the right range helps your water kill contaminants.
Just make sure your pH is balanced
since it can impact your chlorine levels.
Five, check your CYA levels,
your cyanuric acid levels help keep your chlorine stabilized
without it, your chlorine will get eaten up
by the UV rays from the sun.
Your CYA should be between 30 and 50 parts per million.
If you're adding chlorine tablets or granules to your pool
they probably already contain cyanuric acid.
This is known as stabilized chlorine,
so just make sure these levels don't rise too high
or your chlorine will become less effective.
Six, check your calcium hardness,
this level can build up over time
if you live somewhere with hard water
so check these levels periodically
especially after adding fresh water to your pool.
Seven, shock your pool once a week,
adding shock each week will help keep your chlorine active
and stop any issues like algae growth in its tracks.
A non-chlorine shock is great for regular maintenance
and keeping your chlorine working properly,
but you'll need a chlorine shock to kill contaminants
and if you're not sure how to shock your pool
be sure to check out our other video.
Next, let's move on to pool cleaning rule number two,
maintain good pool circulation.
Keeping your water properly circulating
let's your pool equipment do the heavy cleaning for you
and a pool with good circulation rarely has issues
like cloudy water or pool algae
so here's how to maintain good pool circulation.
One, keep your pump and filter system running
for at least eight hours a day.
You'll want all your pool water to pass
through your filter at least once a day
and that usually means running your pump and filter
for at least eight hours a day and even longer
depending on your pump and pool size.
Two, clean your skimmer basket,
be sure to regularly check for debris
and remove them as they accumulate in your skimmer basket.
A clogged up skimmer basket can stop water
from circulating properly.
Three, clean your filter,
if you have a cartridge filter
you'll need to regularly spray
and soak the cartridge throughout the pool season
and replace it when it's worn out.
And if you have a sand or DE filter
you'll want to regularly backwash your filter.
Not sure when it's time to backwash?
Check out our other guide on when to backwash your filter.
Four, angle your return jets towards
the bottom of your pool.
By tilting the jets downwards at a 45 degree angle
you'll stir up more water and improve your circulation.
Five, get into the crevices when you brush your pool
this will help remove algae from dead zones
or areas where there's not a lot of water flowing.
Finally, here's pool cleaning rule number three,
keep a simple cleaning schedule.
Once a week you'll want to skim, brush and vacuum your pool.
This will not only help keep debris out of your water
but it'll help prevent cloudy water
and algae from building up.
While weekly cleaning may seem like a lot of work,
it's better than trying to clean up green water.
So try to stick to a once a week clean
during the pool season.
Start by skimming the water to remove larger debris
like leaves, then brush the sides and floor of your pool
to help loosen up anything clinging to your pool walls.
Don't forget to get into the crevices behind ladders.
Then it's time to vacuum,
manually vacuuming helps remove tiny particles, dead algae
and smaller contaminants out of your water.
This is also where a robotic pool cleaner can come in handy,
while an automatic pool cleaner can significantly
cut your pool cleaning time,
it won't completely eliminate the need
for regular skimming and brushing.
And you still want to own a manual vacuum
to vacuum out water from your pool as needed.
Remember, if you balance your water chemistry
maintain good pool circulation
and keep a simple cleaning schedule,
your pool will stay clean and clear throughout the year.
If you need more help with pool maintenance,
grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
And if you found this video helpful, leave a comment,
hit that like button and subscribe
for more pool maintenance tutorials throughout the season.
That's it, thanks again and happy swimming.
(bright music)