Your swimming pool can provide a great deal of fun for you and your family. If you look after your pebble tec pool, it will be a safe and enjoyable place to swim and lounge in. Swimming pools need to be properly maintained to keep the water from becoming an unhealthy mess though, so here's some basic tips on pebble tec pool maintenance.
Pebble Tec Pool Maintenance
Some pebble tec pool maintenance tips include cleaning your pool regularly -- especially if you have a specific type of pool surface, keep the pool water at the right level, make sure the water is circulated regularly and more.
Clean Your Pool Regularly
Leaves, algae, and other gunk that fall into or grow in the pool will break down and feed the bacteria that causes potential health problems. Keeping the pool clean of these macroscopic contaminants means fewer microscopic contaminants that you will need to filter out and add chemicals to counter. Cleaning the pool regularly means less time spent cleaning filters, salt stains and less money spent on chemicals, so it's worth taking the time to keep it clean. Use a skimmer to remove leaves from the top of the pool and a pool vacuum to suck up detritus from the pool floor. Use a broom on the walls and floor of the pool to loosen algae. If the water is full of particles too small for the filtration system to filter properly then add a clarifier to group those particles together and allow the filters to catch them.
Keep the Pool Water at the Right Level
Heat and sunlight will cause the pool water to evaporate over time, particularly during the summer. This results in a higher concentration of the chemicals left in the pool and can cause the pool water to fall below the level of the water intakes for the filtration system. Top off the water regularly to keep it at a healthy level.
Make Sure the Water is Circulated Regularly
For pool chemicals and filters to keep the pool water healthy and clean, the water needs to circulate regularly to distribute chemicals and pump water through the filters as a swimming pool tip. The pump should be running for at least eight hours per day and longer over the summer, depending on how large your pool is and what the depth is.
Ensure the Proper Balance of Chemicals is Maintained
The chemicals you use in your pool are designed to stop the pool water from becoming rancid from a buildup of bacteria and other contaminants. Use too few or too many and the pool will start to become unpleasant to swim in so maintaining the correct balance is important.
The pH should measure in the range of 7.2 to 7.6. Free chlorine in the water should be 2 to 4 parts per million (ppm), with total chlorine being no higher than the free chlorine. The total alkalinity should be in the range of 80 to 120 ppm. Calcium hardness should be a maximum of 200 to 400 ppm. The cyanuric acid should be under the range 30 to 50 ppm.
If your pH gets out of balance, then you can add small amounts of soda ash to increase the pH and similar amounts of muriatic acid to decrease it. The chlorine level can be increased by carefully adding more chlorine into the pool, and it will decrease naturally over time. Add sodium bicarbonate to raise the alkalinity and muriatic acid to lower it.
Check the calcium hardness and cyanuric acid level every month. These will increase as the water in the pool evaporates and the natural chemicals left in the pool become more concentrated. If they go outside the maximum range then you will need to drain some water out of the pool and replace it with fresh water to dilute these chemicals. Once you have them back under the maximum range check and adjust the balance for the other chemicals as they will have been diluted too.
Wait a while for the water to circulate and for any chemicals you have added to dissolve properly before measuring the chemical balance again.
Bottom Line
These tips should help you with your pebble tec pool maintenance and ensure that your pool water remains healthy -- regardless of the different types of swimming pools. If you keep your pool properly maintained then it will provide you with solid value for decades to come and will cost you less to repair over the long term. By giving your pool the attention it needs, it will continue to give you enjoyment in return, so make sure you spend a bit of time each week ensuring that your pool is kept in good shape.
