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• How Stuff Works

• Pool Maintenance

• Leslie's: Pool Care

Understanding your pool's built-in systems

When Blooming Desert constructed your pool, we equipped it with a water filtration system. This system works by circulating water from your pool back through a filter and back into your pool. The water is circulated with the help of an electric pump. The water is drawn from the pool through drains at the bottom of the pool and through skimmers at the surface of the pool. The skimmers are equipped with baskets to collect debris which may be floating on the water's surface. This automatic cleaning system is not required to be in operation all of the time. Generally, you want to make sure all the water in your pool runs through the filter once per day. When your pool was set up by Blooming Desert the pool timer was timed to run long enough to keep the water in your pool clean.

Unless you have a salt water pool, your pool has been equipped with a chlorinator that releases chlorine into the water as it circulates through the filtration system. When set properly, the chlorinator will automatically maintain the chlorine-level at the proper level of 1 to 3ppm (parts per million).

Keeping your pool clean (weekly checklist)

• Skim depris from the surface of your pool.

• Empty and clean all skimmer baskets. You have skimmer baskets around your pool and you have a skimmer basket at the pump.

• Make sure the chlorinator has an adequate supply of chlorine. If you have a salt water pool you will need to ensure there is an adequate salt supply.

• Feel the walls of the pool. A slippery feeling is an indicator that algae is growing in your pool. To correct this, add algae control. Maintaining the proper pH-level (see next section) and an addequate level of chlorine is usually sufficiant to prevent algae from growing in your pool.

• Brush and sweep the walls of your pool using pool cleaning tools.

• Vacuum the entire surface of your pool.

• Finally, check and, if necessary, clean the pool's filtation system.

Maintaining the right water chemistry (pH-Level)

Maintaining the right water chemistry is critically important. Regardless of whether you have a fresh or salt water pool, not having the right level of pH will prevent the chrlorine in the water from doing its proper task. This can lead to the formation of bacteria and algae. To modify the pH you add chemicals to the water.

Steps to checking and correcting the water chemistry in your pool are as follows:

• Using pH test strips check the pH-level of the water in your pool. The pH-level should be between 7.2 and 7.6. The natural tendency is for the pH-level to drift higher than this.

• If the pH is too high, then add sodium bisulfate to your pool is small quantities. Allow the water in your pool to circulate for 6 hours before retesting the pH. Continue this process until the pH is at the correct level.

Pool Safety

Pools are great fun for the whole family. But tragically, each year, there are over over 250 drowning deaths in swimming pools - each one avoidable. Please don't allow your family to be a statistic. Follow these simple safety steps:

• Teach children a healthy respect for the water and provide swimming instruction at an early age.

• Appoint a "designated adult" to supervise children in the pool at all times. No amount of safety equipment is a substitute for good supervision.

• Ensure that all non-swimmers wear a personal flotation device.

• Never dive into the shallow end of a pool.

• Consider installing an in-pool alarm that will send out an alert if something falls into the pool unexpectedly. Door alarms are also effective if you have small children. If you have a pool fence, make sure the gate and lock remain in good working order.

• Cover your pool and/or spa with a safety cover if you plan to be away.

• Keep a lifesaving ring, pool rescue hook and well-maintained first aid kit near your pool and make sure there is a telephone in close proximity.