Cleaning, maintenance, and inspections—the responsibilities that come with owning a pool.
Each type of pool requires its own routine of upkeep, and the routine for gunite pools is one every owner of a concrete pool should be aware of.
Watering Gunite
An essential step in caring for your concrete pool is to saturate the bond beam.
What does this mean?
To avoid your shell from drying out too quickly, you must wet the concrete frequently. It is important you focus not only on the bond beam but also on the steps and cabos. These are the thickest parts so they will need some TLC.
Pro Tip: Remove the nozzle or sprayer of your hose to soak and saturate the beam as much as possible. It will not only make your job easier, but more effective too!
When spraying, be mindful of your surroundings and watch where you step. It is recommended you spray from inside the pool. Failure to do so could result in serious injury.
For the remainder of the pool, we suggest first spraying from the shallow end of your pool and working your way to the deep end. The water will naturally cover more ground as it flows. Watering the raised walls will also prove to be beneficial.
The color of the concrete will be an indicator of what is left to cover so be on the lookout. This is helpful for saturating all areas of your pool’s shell.
Maintaining Your Gunite Shell
While watering is an important component, it is how much and for how long that counts the most. Not enough watering throughout the day will leave a negative impact on your pool’s shell.
It is recommended you water 3-5 times daily for about a week. Your concrete pool will thank you!
A Gunite Pool Will Look the Best When Cared for
A normal part of the process is the development of holes and other imperfections. They are shrinkage cracks on the top layer of the gunite so don’t worry if you start to notice them.
Please note that the slower your concrete cures, the stronger it will be.
If you see a formation of a puddle in your pool or spa, don’t fret as it is perfectly normal. It indicates you have been watering and that the pool is holding water.
By properly caring for and being mindful of your pool’s maintenance needs, your pool is set to be in tip-top shape!
