Properly maintaining a pool has a lot to do with staying on top of the chemical balance. People who work with pools professionally have the opportunity to see the long-term effects of either poor, fair, or excellent pool chemistry maintenance on a regular basis. They can testify to how much of an impact this aspect of pool maintenance can make. It will affect everything from the condition of your pool equipment to how long the pool lining or the pool itself will last.

Diligently Maintain Your Pool Water’s Chemical Balance

As a pool owner, you most likely know that there is an ideal range for each of your pool’s chemicals in order for them to be considered balanced. Rather than guessimate based on water clarity, it’s imperative to regularly test your pool’s chemical levels. Did you realize that your pool’s heater can be adversely affected if you allow the pH to get too high or low?

You also need to pay close attention to the order in which your pool chemicals are added. Always follow the manufacturer instructions. Getting lazy in this one area could end up costing you a lot more money in chemical replacement throughout the season. Read up on the exact numbers you should see for the different chemicals you add to your pool, such as phosphates, cyanuric acid, total dissolved solids (TDS), free chlorine, total chlorine, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, and pH.

The better you strive to keep your pool’s chemicals balanced, the less likely your equipment is going to require costly repairs or even replacement. So stock up on test strips and be sure to test your pool water frequently, even if it looks clear. If your test shows any sign of chemical imbalance, address it immediately.

Always Make Needed Repairs Promptly

Pool equipment and structural repairs can be expensive. That may be the biggest reason why pool owners sometimes try to delay addressing minor problems that arise in the course of their pool ownership. The danger of this common type of procrastination is that over time, small issues tend to turn into major disasters. As the problems get worse, the costs for correcting them rise dramatically.

Another reason people sometimes fail to fix their pools when something goes wrong is that the damage these seemingly minor problems are causing isn’t visible. They’re happening underground, behind the pool walls. For example, consider a leaky plumbing line or a crack in the pool liner. When pool owners find out how much a repair for these seemingly insignificant problems cost, they balk. Then they wait until the small crack becomes a large crack, or the plumbing leak leads to an emergency, such as chemical damage to the pool’s metal components, structural damage to the pool itself, or even the creation of a sinkhole.

So how do pool owners avoid these kinds of major problems? The answer is simple: take care of minor problems before they become major. Don’t fall into the temptation to try to get one more year out of a faulty, malfunctioning piece of pool equipment. This means setting aside savings specifically designated for pool repairs. This fund should be a regular part of your pool budget.

It may mean putting off or foregoing some other pool-related frills, such as those cool water features you’ve been hoping to add. Or you may have to do without that fancy robotic pool cleaning vacuum. Along with keeping up with regular maintenance, taking care of repairs promptly should be a top priority when it comes to your pool.

In our next article, we’ll look at an example of a small repair that you can and should be sure to take care of should the need arise. Then we’ll consider another mistake you should avoid as a pool owner.

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