Do you have plans for going for summer vacation, and perhaps not sure what to do to your pool while away? Below are a few tips of how to keep your pool clean while away.
Leave somebody in charge when on summer vacation
It is essential to have a family member or neighbor stop by at least two times a week while you are away, to add several products to the swimming pool to ensure that it stays well maintained during summer. Before leaving, have them come over and show them these few essential things:
- How to switch on/off the filter system.
- How to check if the filter requires cleaning or backwashing; show them the way this is done.
- How to examine the water with your test kit or test strips; show them the proper ranges.
- Show them where the chemicals are kept.
- Clarify each chemical and the right dose for each.
- Show them where pump and skimmer baskets are and show them the way to clean them.
Have your water examined before leaving
Get a sample of your swimming pool water to your local pool store and have it expertly examined.
Ensure when you get it examined that you fix any issues before going. You want to ensure that your alkalinity and pH are balanced correctly and your levels of sanitizers are right.
- pH: 7.4-7.6 ppm
- Alkalinity: 100-150 ppm
- Calcium Hardness: 175-225 and 225-275 ppm for plaster swimming pools
- For Salt Water or Chlorine Swimming Pools: 1-3 ppm
- For Bromine swimming Pools: 3-5 ppm
- For Biguanide swimming Pools: 30-50 ppm
- For Mineral System Swimming Pools: 0-5 ppm of chlorine
Pool covers and solar blankets
Remove your solar blanket from your swimming pool before you leave. It will just heat your swimming pool and decrease the effectiveness of your system and skimmer. Purchase a mesh swimming pool cover for safety and put that cover on the pool before leaving. Getting a safety cover on the swimming pool not only keeps your pool clean but also increases sanitation and filtration.
Secure your swimming pool safety
You can never be too careful with regards to swimming pool safety. It is important to keep barriers around your swimming pool; in case a neighbor’s children attempt to swim in your unsupervised swimming pool you will be pleased you did. Locking the fence can assist in preventing a disaster while you are not around. Make sure you do not leave a solar blanket over the swimming pool; this will reduce skimmer effectiveness and can be a safety risk if somebody falls on top of it.
Set your pump timer
If your pump does not have a timer, purchase one. Buying a timer will help you to save time in maintenance year round and money in energy costs. Set your pump to run 8 to12 hours every day. If you do not have a pump timer, it is advisable to have a swimming pool sitter manually switch it on and off or leave the pump continuously running.
Filtration
Ensure not to switch off the filter system before going for summer vacation. The filtration system must run many hours every day. You can buy an automatic timer, which will run your filter at least 8 hours daily. If you do not have a filter, ensure somebody can keep an eye on the filter and swimming pool while you are away.
