Owning a home with a swimming pool means opportunities to enjoy the sunshine and have fun with your family. Running into pool problems can be a nasty break from all that rest and relaxation, however.
If you experience common pool problems, your best first tip is not to worry: they are usually easy and not costly to deal with. Identifying and resolving these problems yourself them will give you more time to enjoy your pool and a safer, cleaner swimming area.
Once you’ve pinned down your problems and solved them, it’s also easier to avoid them in the future through weekly maintenance and monitoring.
What Causes Your Common Pool Problems?
Some common pool problems you will face are mineral accumulation, cloudy water, algae, and burning eyes.
Mineral buildups are caused by the minerals found naturally in your water source. They are carried by the water and then adhere to your swimming pool surfaces and in your filter once the water evaporates.
Debris and Chemical Imbalances
Burning eyes, a strong chlorine odor, and a cloudy pool are the result of improper chemical levels. Debris is unsightly and can clog your filter, but otherwise is mostly just a nuisance and easily dealt with.
Maintaining the chemical levels in your swimming pool such as pH, total alkalinity and calcium will keep your pool sparkling and clear, solving most common pool problems.
If you have calcium rings in your pool and want to fix this, purchase muriatic acid solution and try to scrub it off. Use gloves and eye protection to ensure safety. If you are dealing with especially hard water, you should not use chlorine with calcium hypochlorite. Your pool chemical retailer should be able to provide an alternative chlorine product for you.
Correct chemical levels will solve not only mineral buildups but also cloudy water as well.
It is a common misconception that chlorine causes burning eyes. The real culprit is a chemical called Trichloramine (NCI3.) This also causes the odor we associate with pools.
One of the most important steps, if you are having pool problems, is to find a store that sells chemicals and pool related items. You can find testing kits that will measure and monitor your calcium, pH and alkalinity balance. After determining which levels may be off, you can target the right chemicals to bring your pool back to normal levels.
Enjoy a Clean Pool Year Round
The main pool problem people face is in not using theirs. Pools are meant to have fun with and gather around. The best way to keep a healthy pool is to use it. From short swim to pool parties, the more you use your pool, the more familiar you will be with it.
Now that you know how to take care of a pool, why not look into buying one? Visit Artesian Pools to see how we can help you choose the best pool for you!