The guiding principles of pool maintenance

‍Pool water quality management & maintenance procedures can be quite complex and will vary from one pool to another, however, there are some universal principles and tasks that apply to all pool systems. The following is a brief guide to the general principles of swimming pool maintenance.

‍Monitor for changes & treat issues

‍The level of monitoring required will vary depending on the pool and usage but every pool needs to be monitored for water quality.

When not in use, this can be as simple as a daily visual and audio inspection to look for signs of trouble such as cloudy water, algal growth, low water levels, noisy equipment or equipment faults.

When in regular use, the water should be tested regularly. The frequency of water testing will vary based on the systems used and the type and frequency of use.

Chlorine & pH testing frequency

Household pools: Test weekly

Communal pools: Test daily

Public pools: Test daily

Comprehensive water testing

Household pools: Test monthly or more frequently if recurring issues with chlorine or pH

Communal pools: Test daily or more frequently if recurring issues with chlorine or pH

Public pools: Test daily or more frequently if recurring issues with chlorine or pH

‍Filter and circulate water

‍Every pool requires water circulation in order to filter out dirt, organic matter and micro-organisms. In order to do this it requires adequate water flow through a filter. Blockages throughout this system, such as full skimmer and pump baskets, blocked suction cleaners or a dirty filter, can massively reduce water flow and prevent adequate filtration.

‍Sanitise

‍Maintaining safe water requires that there is enough sanitiser in the water to breakdown organic matter and inactivate (kill) any bacteria, or pathogens. The method of sanitisation is usually free chlorine, added manually or by automatic dosing system (such as a salt water chlorinator) but may incorporate other sanitisers or may be administered manually.

The effectiveness of chlorine relies on a balanced pH. Excess sanitiser can be dangerous and water should checked to ensure levels are appropriate.

‍Balance

‍Water balance is important for the effectiveness of sanitisation, bather comfort, and the protection of pool surfaces and equipment. A comprehensive pool chemistry analysis should be taken on a regular basis.

‍Equipment Maintenance

‍Your pool equipment does the heavy lifting when it comes to maintenance of your pool. An easy-to-maintain pool will have quality equipment which is in good working order. Difficult pools have equipment which is unsuited to the purpose or poorly maintained.

For this reason it is important to always maintain your equipment so that it can carry out it's purpose effectively. Understanding the roles of your equipment will help you to determine whether maintenance is required. More sophisticated systems may have additional equipment but all pools will have, at minimum, a pool pump, and filter, and most will have some type of chlorine dispenser or salt/mineral water chlorinator.

Pump

The pump is responsible for water flow. It sucks in water from the pool and pushes it through the filter and other equipment.

Filter

The filter is responsible for removing debris and contaminants. As water flows through the filter, the contaminants get caught in the filtration medium. The filter needs to be cleaned regularly to remove this build-up.

Chlorinator

A salt/mineral water chlorinator produces chlorine from salt or minerals in the water. As the water passes through a cell/electrode, electricity breaks up the salt/mineral compound, freeing the chlorine. This can be seen in the cell housing as a mist coming off the cell/electrode. Low salt or minerals will prevent this from occurring and a high salt or mineral level can overload the machine. Most chlorinators also double as a controller for the pool equipment, with timers and other control features built into the the wall mounted power-pack.

The Golden Rules

The best way to apply these principles is by following the 4 golden rules of pool maintenance. Check them out here.