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This is a collaborative post.
Before you run out into the nearest hardware store and spend a lot of money on equipment, you should first know the kind of supplies that you’ll need. You need to ensure that you’re buying the essentials and there are no extras involved. This way, you can take care of the swimming pool like a professional and save more money in the process.
Maintenance and cleanliness should be done regularly. You can check out the best swimming pool equipment in the link provided to give you an idea about what you need to purchase. Stock them up and buy the ones that you’ll need in the future. Another thing is that there’s no point in owning a pool if you can’t maintain it and it’s full of algae. For one, no one will swim in it, and it can cause sickness in the family.
Buying the right tools and equipment will make your life easier and the family healthier. You can start by getting test kits and see the alkalinity or acidity levels in the water—more about this below.
About Water Testing
It would be best if you did water testing from time to time. It would be best if you did this at least once a week. The regular tests will let you add the chemicals that the swimming pool needs. This will prevent the nasty algae, mold, and bacteria from going in and making the water their home.
The test strips will provide you with information like the current levels of cyanuric acid in the water, bromine, chlorine, pH, total hardness, and alkalinity. They cover all the basics so you could keep track of the ones that you need to pour-over. Read more about hardness of water in this link.
Balancing the pH levels
The proper pH level should be maintained at all times. This is true as well with calcium hardness and alkalinity. You can use different chemicals to balance the components. For an alkalinity increase, baking soda can be what you need, and this can be helpful on the tiles and more. You’ll find them in your kitchen cupboard or any other convenience store near you.
The muriatic acid can lower the alkalinity if you want, and special solutions like the increasers will control the pH balance. Another thing is the calcium hardness level that you need to check if the pool is located inground. The increaser for calcium hardness should only be used sparingly or at least once a year.
Quick set-up pools won’t need to have a calcium hardness treatment, and again, you can check with the professionals if you’re in doubt about a product. The calcium hardness would help prolong the linings regardless if they were made from vinyl, fiberglass, or concrete.
Sanitizers
The sanitizer favorites of many experts are always chlorine. This is one of the most popular and practical solutions that many homeowners use today. In a saltwater pool, you will have chlorine in the mix because the generators will convert salt into chlorine.
If the saltwater pool is something that you don’t have, simply add about 3-inch tablets of chlorine in a skimmer basket. It’s recommended to use chlorinators that you can find in many online shops today for more effective disinfection. Learn more about chlorine in this link: https://www.insider.com/does-chlorine-kill-germs-and-viruses.
You may want to reduce your usage of chlorine by about 50%, and if this is the case, many pool care solutions can do this. Devices that you can add to your skimmer basket will sanitize the present minerals in the swimming pool to reduce the chlorine levels in general. Select products that will keep chlorine levels at 0.5 to 1 part per million instead of the regular 1 to 3 ppm.
Shocking
When you notice that the smell is similar to that of a public pool, it may be time to shock the water. Generally, you should not smell some nasty odors coming out from the pool. The chemicals may smell bad because the sanitizer levels are not enough, too low, or they can’t do the job properly.
Giving the pool a quick shock will let your sanitizers go to their proper levels, killing the present bacteria. This will ensure that the mild case of algae that you may be experiencing can be addressed thoroughly.
To accomplish the shocking most effectively, you may need to use calcium hypochlorite to avoid the dreaded hotel swimming pool smell. You can use this at least once a week, and when you’re often swimming, you may also need this solution before going into the water.
Major level changes like severe rainstorms, algae invasion, and others should allow you to add the calcium hypochlorite granules. The proper doses can be added during the evenings, especially if the pumps are working as well.