| 1. |
Run your pump like crazy - nine to 12 hours a day. Don't be pennywise
and pound-foolish. Your pool water can't be cleaned unless all the
water runs through the filter. |
| 2. |
Clean your filter regularly. It's a filter and its job is to trap
the dirty stuff. If it's a sand filter, simply backwash whenever the
filter gauge pressure increases five psi. For DE filters, remove the
grids once or twice a season and clean them. If using a cartridge
filter, clean it with a good garden hose getting between all of the
pleats. |
| 3. |
Try mineral pure water. One of the biggest breakthroughs in pool
purification has come in the last five years. It's called FROG mineral
technology and it uses natural minerals along with low levels of chlorine
to purify the pool. With less chlorine, there are no more red eyes,
bleached swimming suits, and little to no odor in the air. (On the
Internet, FROG can be found at www.kingtechnology.com). |
| 4. |
Stop the manual labor. Get an automatic pool floor cleaner. It's
like a robot that doesn't require any pay! One name to remember is
Kreepy Krauly. They are one of the experts in suction side pool cleaners
and they even have a mineral purifying attachment to the cleaner called
Pollywog for easy installation on existing pools. |
| 5. |
Shock. That means add a concentration of chlorine or a non-chlorine
shock treatment to go after the newly added heavy dose of bacteria
and contaminants from body oils introduced by people and airborne
particles. |
| 6. |
Use an algaestat. That's an algae preventative. Clarifiers help
too. A clarifier clumps the molecules together so that the dirty molecules
get sucked into the filter and trapped there. |
| 7. |
Don't let algae get out of hand. At the first signs of algae, go
after it. When you use an algaecide, it will automatically drop your
chlorine level so always add a chlorine shock after using an algaecide.
|
| 8. |
Get equipment that automatically adds chlorine to your pool. A regulated
chlorinator is one of the most popular. Again, you can use a FROG
mineral product and reduce your chlorine use. Or if you have big bucks,
get an electric chlorine generator. |
| 9. |
Stay ahead of problems. As with the stock market, pool care timing
is everything. Get on a weekly schedule of maintenance that includes
testing the water and re-balancing if needed, maintaining a regular
chlorine level and shocking. |
| 10. |
Always add your necessary maintenance doses during the
day. That's when the most demands are on the pool (sun, rain, people,
etc.). Also make sure to circulate the water whenever you are adding
chemicals to the pool. |
