Owning a pool comes with plenty of fun times, fitness and togetherness.  But along with all that comes pool maintenance. Every day of summer, for example, your pool filter must clean the water and your pump must circulate the water. If you have a pool heaters or automatic cleaners, you also need to monitor and clean or adjust them. If you’re a new pool owner, you’ve probably thought to yourself, how to treat my pool for the first time.

How do I Treat My Pool for the First Time

Although there are different types of pool water, it is important that you treat it properly. In this article, we’ll explore pool maintenance to a first-time pool owner. Ultimately, you should be able to understand circulation, sanitation and filtration.

Circulation

Whether you are building a natural swimming pool or a chlorinated one, all pools are designed to circulate the pool’s water every day, thanks to a looped plumbing system. A swimming pool pump will pull water from the pool and then return it to the pool after filtration, treating and heating.

Filtration

Pools have filters which play the critical role of removing small particles suspended in the water. DE, cartridge or sand pool filters help to keep the pool clean and clear by passing all the water through the filter at least once a day. When there’s high pressure and flow stops, the pool filters need to be cleaned or backwashed. You may also want to consider some swimming pool automation to help with this.

Sanitation

Every pool needs to have a sanitizer that will destroy bacteria, algae and other particles which can make the pool water green or cloudy or pose a health risk. The most popular pool sanitizer is chlorine

Maintaining Pool Circulation

• The pool pump draws water from the pool, pushes it through the filter then back to the pool. This is a critical task that must be done every day.
• Make sure you have a properly installed and clean pump basket to prevent the impeller from clogging. The lid of the pump needs to be tightened firmly to prevent leaks and well lubricated.
• Run the pump for not less than 8-12 hours a day depending on the need to maintain the pool’s cleanliness.
• Check the pool pump daily to ensure its working properly
• Learn to look for signs of good circulation in your pool and listen for sounds of distress from your pump.

Maintaining Pool Filtration

Industry professionals say your pool filter ensures the pool water is clean and clear by trapping small particles. Without cleaning the filter regularly or filtering the pool daily, particles of debris will build up quickly and make the pool water cloudy. Be sure to clean or replace your pool filter according to manufacturer recommendations. You also want to regularly check the pool filter pressure and understand it’s normal operating range.

Maintaining Pool Sanitation

Depending on the size of your pool, keeping your pool clean and clear requires you to administer a daily dose of sanitizer. Most pool owners use 3” chlorine tablets as they are cost effective and convenient. The trick is to use enough tablets to maintain a chlorine level of 1.0-2.0pm. Be sure to verify that with a test strip or kit. From time to time, it’s also important to shock your pool (super chlorinate) to destroy molecules of combined chlorine, kill visible algae and invisible germs. Chlorine will work most effectively when the pH level is below 7.6 and use a chlorine stabilizer to protect it from degrading in bright sunlight.

Bottom Line

With those few tips, you can even advise a new pool owner who’s asking themselves how to treat my pool for the first time. It’s also important to note that you will also have to skim the pool, empty skimmer baskets, test the water and make sure all systems are running as they should. You can’t afford to ignore pool maintenance either. Skipping or delaying tasks can cause problems like a green pool or cloudy water.

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