Just recently I wrote an article that thoroughly explained how to properly maintain your pool with the appropriate PH and chlorine levels. Your pool's health and lifetime depend on much more than just testing the PH and chlorine though. Those are the rudiments. There are other critical steps that must be taken to ensure that you have an exceptionally healthy pool. You must check the pool water hardness annually. This is an easy process that only requires that you take a small sample of the water from your pool to a local store to be tested. If the results show that the water is harder than it should be, the typical recommendation is to use baking soda. Baking soda is very easy to find, but you will have to get several pounds of it at once. The right amount of baking soda for your pool depends on how hard the water is, so make sure you ask someone at the store to help you figure out the balance of baking soda per gallon of water. Stir the water around with your pool skimmer, and let it sit for 24 hours. The PH of your pool will be different after you add baking soda. The baking soda is actually a base, which automatically eradicated the acid. Because of this, you must check your pool's PH level before you use it. Most likely, you will need to add some increaser to balance out the PH because of the baking soda's effect on the water. There's no need to worry about sending in any more water to be tested, however, as the extra increaser does not change water hardness. Also, you should check for algae. Algae could grow in any pool, although if you keep the chlorine balance it is much less likely to grow. Bad algae come in three types, each of which is killed by a different chemical. Algae are fairly common, particularly red and yellow algae. However, be careful; black algae can be deadly. The green dust you find in your pool is most likely Mustard Algae, which is very difficult to kill. To really get rid of it, you will most likely have to shock the water many times, because chlorine alone will not kill it. While it is only necessary to test for algae twice a year, it is also something that you can monitor by the color of the sides of the pool itself. Pool servicemen can advise you on the chemicals to rid yourself of algae, and you can get the solution at your local pool store. Another frequent problem with pools is murky or cloudy water. Water that is murky will appear to contain white dust or look like it is made of fine clouds. You will know it’s time to buy water clarifier when you notice this occurring in your pool. Once put into the water, the substance will clump the clouds together and fall to the bottom of the pool in little white spheres. A Polaris or a similar type of pool vacuum can be used to suck up these balls. These pool vacuums are available at most pool stores, and there are some that even live at the bottom of the pool to allow for constant upkeep. Once the clarifier is added, the pool vacuum will extract mud and debris as well. It is really important to check your filter, especially if you have a diatomaceous earth filter. Diatomaceous earth filters do require constant upkeep and need to be refilled with dirt every week or so. These filters, however, are the best you will find for sale. Paper filters are much more low-maintenance, but you need to buy more as they run out quickly. Because it requires less checking and changing, the sand filter is probably the most economical. Your pool will very likely contain dead animals and/or insects at some point. Don't be shocked. All species of animals and bugs will find your pool to be a great new drinking hole, so you will inevitably get creepy crawlers in the pool, especially if you have a pool cover. It is really important that you have a long pool skimmer and check the filter baskets at least once a week to avoid problems caused by flies, spiders, frogs, mice, and maybe even a gopher or two (depending on where you live). Although all of this may seem overwhelming, there is hope. A number of pool companies actually do charge very little to upkeep your pool, especially during the winter months. Once you factor in the cost of filters, test kits, chlorine tablets, and other chemicals, it is often more cost effective to have a professional do the work for you. As a pool owner, I can testify to the fact that, if there's a pool company near you, you should use them.
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