The Lazy Person’s Swimming Pool Care Guide

By Jeffrey Schulte

From the author: I grew up spending most of my summers in a public outdoor swimming pool. I accepted the fact that swimming pools were always cloudy and over-chlorinated to the point of causing stinging eyes and sometimes shortness of breath from spending the day in the water. I used to watch the lifeguard test the water and add liquid chlorine to the water. I would sometimes volunteer to help brush the bottom or skim the surface of the water, so my view of pool maintenance was pretty superficial. After retiring from teaching, I moved into a home with an in-ground screened pool, and soon realized that there is much more to pool maintenance than I thought. The pool in my new home was green and cloudy when I moved in. I spent most of the next three months obsessing over getting my pool clean, clear, and sanitized. I also found that the pools that I grew up using were poorly maintained and the stinging eyes was caused by either the incorrect PH or chloramines (spent chlorine and ammonia)in the water. My obsession turned into a business for me. The advice and instructions I give in this guide is the result of my experience servicing hundreds of pools.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeffrey Schulte
• Release date: Aug 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476104492

Book preview

Introduction

I grew up spending most of my summers in a public outdoor swimming pool. I accepted the fact that swimming pools were always cloudy and over-chlorinated to the point of causing stinging eyes and sometimes shortness of breath from spending the day in the water. I used to watch the lifeguard test the water and add liquid chlorine to the water. I would sometimes volunteer to help brush the bottom or skim the surface of the water, so my view of pool maintenance was pretty superficial. After retiring from teaching, I moved into a home with an in-ground screened pool, and soon realized that there is much more to pool maintenance than I thought. The pool in my new home was green and cloudy when I moved in. I spent most of the next three months obsessing over getting my pool clean, clear, and sanitized. I also found that the pools that I grew up using were poorly maintained and the stinging eyes was caused by either the incorrect PH or chloramines (spent chlorine and ammonia)in the water. My obsession turned into a business for me. The advice I give in this guide is the result of my experience servicing hundreds of pools.

CONTENTS

1 Who Maintains Their Own Pool?

2 How Pool Systems Work

3 Chemicals and Sanitizing the Pool

4 Algae Control

5 Cleaning and Maintenance Tools

6 Filter Cleaning

7 How It All Fits Together

1 Who Maintains Their Own Pool?

Someone has to! You can either hire someone to do it for you or you do it yourself. In some parts of the country if you let your pool turn into a swamp, the local authorities fly over neighborhoods and will fine you if it is not up to code. Who needs to cultivate West Nile Virus in their backyard? Even decorative ponds need flowing water and aeration to maintain a healthy biological balance. Another reason to not let your pool turn into a swamp is that if you ever intend to use it again, it will cost you a fortune to make it useable again. If not maintained, your pool will probably need to be drained and most of the equipment will need to be replaced or repaired. Pool equipment is like an automobile, if you don’t use it, it will go bad. If you think you are saving money