It is a requirement to have a weekly pool cleaning. The said activity must be part of the maintenance practices every pool owner must exercise to keep all the necessary factors of a good pool intact and monitored. No matter what type of pool you have, it requires you to have it cleaned and maintained as it deserves to be.
One must have a strong understanding of pool basics, including all the maintenance essentials such as cleaning materials, chemicals, cleaning frequency, and even a weekly pool cleaning checklist. There are a lot more things to know, all of which will be featured in this article, so you have to keep your eyes open.
Part 1. Is A Checklist Necessary to Keep Your Pool Clean?
Whether you monitor the cleanliness of your pools daily or weekly, keeping a checklist is always important. The checklist will keep you in harmony with the needs of your pool, thus preventing you from being clueless about the needs of your pool every week.
Also, by keeping a checklist, you can be sure to always be on the right path and direction, not missing all the necessary factors and procedures that need to be done and considered. So, if you perform a weekly pool cleaning, what must be present on your cleaning checklist?
What Must Be Included In Your Weekly Pool Cleaning Checklist
Before we discuss the needed step-by-step routine and guide you in your weekly pool cleaning, let us first secure your weekly pool cleaning checklist to make sure you are on the right path!
1. Make sure to check the skimmer basket
To do it, you have to pull the skimmer basket of your pool and make sure that you have removed all the present debris on it. You can use a hose to do it, and make sure that you have removed everything before returning it.
2. Start skimming the surface of your pool
Now for the second task on the checklist, get your pool skimmer and start removing all the floating debris such as bugs and leaves on your pool water. This will prevent these things from staying longer and sink to the bottom which will make them harder to remove. This one can also be done every other day especially if your pool is surrounded by trees and common falling debris.
3. Do not forget to scrub the walls
Of course, scrubbing the walls of your pool must not be skipped! Use your pool scrubber to remove all the sediments that already built up on the walls of your pool.
4. The pool must also be vacuumed
To make sure that all dirt and debris are removed, get your vacuum and start vacuuming your pool. Once you are done with scrubbing, lots of debris may be present in your pool!
5. Always do water level checking
All pools usually have a mark or a tile line to determine the optimal level of water it must contain. As part of your weekly pool cleaning, the water level must also be checked. The needed factors to check are:
- If you have an inground pool, you usually want the water level to be only halfway up the skimmer plate.
- In case there is heavy rainfall, and there is too much water, you have to pump the water out.
- In case you have a little water deficit to meet the optimal line, you should add water to your pool.
6. Start testing your pool water
To maintain healthy water, good chemistry of water is the key. It is needed to make sure that the chemical balance of the pool water is kept in check every week through the use of a test kit. For you to be guided on the pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness of your pool water, the parameters must be:
- pH: 7.4 to 7.6
- Alkalinity: 100 ppm to 150 ppm, with 125 ppm being ideal
- Calcium Hardness: 175 ppm to 225 ppm, or 200 ppm to 275 ppm for concrete and plaster pools
7. Add the Chlorine
To maintain the cleanliness of your pool water, another important part of the weekly pool cleaning checklist is the addition of chlorine. The level of chlorine must be between 1 and 3 ppm and must be tested using a home test kit. You can also add chlorine tablets to your chlorinator. If you don’t know how many chlorine tablets to add, you can check out this article.
8. Shock the pool
It is needed that you also add a high dose of chemicals to destroy any parasites or bacteria in your pool, this process is called shocking. Some pool owners are used to doing it once every week or once every two weeks. But, if you do frequent pool parties, this must be done regularly to remove urine, sweat, and body oils in your pool water. It is also a good idea to do shock after a heavy rainfall, this will make sure that there are no contaminants left on your pool water.
9. Add the algaecide
In adding an algaecide to your pool, the size, type, and even the amount of sunlight that your pool gets must be considered. Also, the algaecide must be added once you are done shocking your pool. For you to be guided properly, the steps that must be done are:- You have to wait until the level of chlorine in your pool is between 1 and 3 ppm, this is after shocking your pool.
- It is a must to remember that when your chlorine level is high, it can counteract the effects of adding algaecide.
- Make sure to run your pool pump for at least 24 hours after doing an algae treatment.
10. You can also add other chemicals
If you have additional chemicals for your weekly pool cleaning, this is when you start adding them. Make sure that you follow all the instructions on the labels of your chemicals before proceeding to put a dosage of them on your pool water.
11. The deck must be swabbed
And for the suggested last step of your weekly pool cleaning, you need to swab the deck of your pool. You need to make sure that you sweep, scrub, and even power wash around your pool to prevent users from tracking in any type of debris or mud.
Part 2. A Simple Routine That You Have to Remember in Keeping Your Pool Clean
Whilst it is good to have a detailed checklist of your weekly pool cleaning, some pool owners want to keep it short, simple, yet effective. We have also prepared some of the basic tasks that you have to consider to perform a safe and clean pool check every week.
Step 1. Text and Balance Pool Parameters Two Times a Week
It is needed that pool parameters are within range, pH, chlorine levels, alkalinity, and many more, as discussed in the previous parts of the article must be considered and monitored.
Step 2. Always do the Sanitation Weekly
To prevent algae from blooming and immediately remove all the dirt and bacteria on your pool, you have to make sure that you do the sanitation weekly!
Step 3. Make Shocking Your Habit One Time a Week
To maintain the cleanliness of your pool water, especially if you are a resort owner with lots of guests most of the time, pool shocking must be done weekly!
Step 4. Prevent and Start Killing the Algae in Your Pool Weekly
A clean pool is a pool free from any type of algae. You need to use an algaecide weekly to kill any type of algae that can cause damage to your pool and its users.
Part 3. Conclusion
Weekly pool cleaning is a must to make sure that your pool water is kept clean and free from any form of bacteria, parasites, and algae. It can also help prolong the life of the pool water, and the pool itself since it is a part of the maintenance procedures that is essential. Keeping a checklist will lead you in the right direction, as you can also keep monitoring records of the parameters being taken regularly.
This is important if you have your pools as part of your livelihood and you provide leisure to many people around you, even personal pools must also be protected from potential infestation of unwanted bacteria that can also really be harmful. We hope that we have provided you with the right things to keep in check, and always remember to enjoy your pool after all the tiring cleaning and maintenance procedures!
