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Pool Service

Nov 03
Love1

The Ultimate Guide to Swimming Pool Maintenance

By Pool Service

Your swimming pool is the centerpiece of family fun and home to hours of summertime fun. Unfortunately, without the proper maintenance, your sparkling pool will become smelly, dirty, and just plain gross. Swimming pool maintenance isn’t nearly as fun as splashing and swimming, but the right techniques can make it a breeze that allows you to quickly get back to enjoying the water. This article covers all the details of general pool maintenance which will help you not only enjoy your pool more this season, but make your pool and it’s equipment last longer year-to-year.

We’ll be covering the following topics:

  • Basic Pool Maintenance
  • Cleaning (Pumps, Filters and Skimmers)
  • Cleaning (Vacuums and Robots)
  • Water Chemistry

4 Steps to Basic Swimming Pool Maintenance

Basic cleaning of your swimming pool includes cleaning the water, scrubbing the vinyl walls, keeping filters maintained, and clearing the area around your pool. Use these five steps to make cleaning your swimming pool an easy task that will barely interrupt your summer fun.

1. Skim the Surface

Debris accumulates on your pool’s surface every day. Removing this matter will keep the water fresh and allow you to deep clean less frequently. Attach your skimmer net to a telescopic pole and sweep it across your pool’s surface to remove debris. As the net gets dirty, shake debris onto the ground before putting the net back into the water. Skimming the water daily will prevent debris from sinking to the bottom of the pool.

2. Brush the Walls

The walls of your pool need to be scrubbed to remove dirt, chemical residue, and potential algae growth. Grab that telescopic pole again and attach the pool brush. Brush the walls, ladder, and corners of your pool. Take the time necessary to ensure you don’t skip any tight spaces that could allow algae to grow. Brushing pushes stuck-on dirt and algae into the water making it easier for chemicals or your pool vacuum to remove.

3. Vacuum the Floor

Attach your vacuum head and hose to the telescopic pole to clear debris from the bottom of your pool. To eliminate air from the system, lower the vacuum to the bottom of the pool and push the other end of the hose against a jet. When bubbles stop forming, air is purged from the vacuum and you’re ready to get to work.

Remove the strainer basket from your skimmer inlet and plug your vacuum hose into the suction port at the bottom of the skimmer.
automatic-pool-cleaners

Slowly move your vacuum head over the entire floor of the pool to remove settled dirt and debris. Avoid rushing this job and stirring up debris that will eventually settle back to the bottom of your pool. When cleaning is complete, turn the filtration system back on to remove anything you missed.

Note: Automatic cleaners are also available. While they’re more expensive than a manual vacuum, they make the job considerably easier.

4. Clean the Filter

Cleaning your pool is useless if you neglect the filter. In fact, you’ll be cleaning a lot more often if your pool’s filter isn’t clean enough to circulate the water effectively. Your pool likely has one of three types of filters. Each type requires a different cleaning method. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions to clean your filter.

Backwashing Your Pool Filter

Backwashing is the act of running your pool pump backward to flush out the system. Sand and DE filters can be backwashed for a quick clean but must be cleaned thoroughly once or twice a year. To backwash your pool, turn off the filter and connect the backwash hose to the filter’s waste port. Turn the valve to backwash. Turn the filter on for about two minutes. Turn the filter off and set the valve to rinse. Turn the system on for another minute. Turn the system off and set the valve to filter. If you have a DE filter, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to add DE.

Cleaning Your Pool Filter

how to backwash your filter sand Sand Filter: Backwash the filter then turn off the pump and set it to filter. Open the pump lid and add sand filter cleaner per manufacturer’s instructions. Turn on the pump for 10-15 seconds to carry the cleaner into the sand filter. Turn off the pool pump and leave it off for 8 hours or overnight. Complete the process by backwashing again and turning the filter back to the normal setting.

Cartridge Filter: Turn off the pump and filter and release air from the system. Open the filter and remove the cartridge. A damaged cartridge will have to be replaced. If the cartridge isn’t damaged, begin by rinsing it thoroughly with a garden hose. If the filter still looks dirty, clean with a commercial filter cleaner or soak it overnight. When the filter is clean, replace or lubricate the O ring. Rinse the cartridge and replace it in the filter. Complete the process by turning the pool filtration system back on.

DE Filter: Wear gloves and a face mask to clean your DE filter. Backwash the system, turn off the pump, and remove air from the system. Open the drain plug to let water drain from the filter. Open the filter tank and rinse out the tank. Rinse off the manifold and filter grids then check for damage. If the manifold or grids are still dirty clean with a commercial cleaner or soak overnight. Replace or lubricate the O ring and return the manifold and grids to the tank. Following your manufacturer’s instructions, create a slurry of DE and water. Turn on the pump and release air from the system. Within 60 seconds pour the slurry into the pool skimmer.

You can certainly call us at 1st Call Jupiter Pools for services when you need a pool service or an occasional deep cleaning, but it may be more cost effective to work with a us on a regular basis. We provide pool services to Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Hobe Sound and Jupiter Island.

Give us a call 561-207-8600 and get an estimate for ongoing pool service and maintenance.

May 30
Love4

Avoid Expensive Swimming Pool Repairs with Regular Pool Maintenance

By Pool Service

Many expensive swimming pool repairs can be avoided with regular swimming pool equipment maintenance and also by maintaining a healthy swimming pool environment. Below, we share three pool equipment failures we see more often than others when working with homeowners in Jupiter, Palm Beach County and the surrounding areas of South Florida. Along with the common swimming pool equipment failures, we also share how to prevent expensive swimming pool repairs associated with a few simple steps.

Swimming Pool Pumps

One piece of expensive swimming pool equipment that often must be replaced at the owner’s expense due to avoidable mechanical breakdown is the swimming pool pump. Because the pool pump acts as the circulation system of your inground swimming pool, the first step to maintaining your pool pump is to ensure your concrete swimming pool environment is clean.

Also, to maintain a healthy swimming pool pump, make sure to regularly check and clean the pool filter and also make sure to keep the water in your pool at its recommended level. Following these tips will ensure your pool pump doesn’t have to work harder than necessary. Like all mechanical equipment, you will need to replace pool pump parts over its lifespan, but by following the above precautions, you shouldn’t have to deal with costly swimming pool pump replacement.

Saltwater Swimming Pool Salt Cells

If you have a saltwater pool, then you should make sure to pay attention to your salt cell. Failure to clean the salt cell for your swimming pool can lead to an expensive swimming pool repair or purchasing a new salt cell replacement.

How often you need to clean your salt cell will depend on how diligently you maintain your saltwater pool environment. If you have a well-maintained saltwater swimming pool, then you most likely will need to clean your salt cell every 6 – 12 months. As an added bonus, some newer saltwater pool systems have a self-cleaning feature.

Underwater Pool Lighting Fixtures

Just like in your home, light bulbs burn out and must be replaced. Therefore, replacing the bulbs in your inground concrete swimming pool’s underwater lights is nothing out of the ordinary or expensive. And when you do need to replace bulbs, like many other modern pool equipment options, you should consider spending a little more for energy-efficient LED lighting to save you money on swimming pool costs in the long run.

Other than the less-expensive cost of replacing the bulbs in your underwater lighting, what can get expensive is the cost of replacing swimming pool light fixtures. One step to avoid this expensive swimming pool repair is to maintain proper pH levels in your swimming pool. Doing this help prevent corrosion of your lighting fixtures. And remember, because you are dealing with electricity and water, corroded and failing light fixtures are also a pool safety issue. Because of the danger associated with swimming pool electrical systems, we recommend contacting a professional pool company to assist with these swimming pool repairs.

You can certainly call us at 1st Call Jupiter Pools for services when you need a pool repair or an occasional deep cleaning, but it may be more cost effective to work with a us on a regular basis. We provide pool services to Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island and the surrounding areas of South Florida.  Give us a call 561-207-8600 and get an estimate for ongoing pool service and maintenance.

Feb 14
Love3

Why Should I Hire a Pool Service Professional?

By Pool Service

Why should I hire a pool service professional is one of the questions we get asked quite regularly. 1st Call Jupiter Pools located in Jupiter, Florida provides a quality swimming pool service to our clients and we understand that owning a swimming pool is a big expense and when you add to that the cost of pool maintenance you are adding to the cost. However, many pool owners find that they spend more money if they take on the pool service and maintenance on their own. Also, if you do your own pool maintenance you need to find a place to store the chemicals and cleaning equipment and you also have to invest in all of the cleaning equipment and chemicals up front.

Why should I hire a pool service professional?

Having proper pool chemistry is important to the viability of the pool itself and to keeping the pool water safe for those who swim in it. When you’re a new pool owner, getting the pool chemistry levels “just right” can be frustrating and may lead to your adding chemicals, then needing to add water, then more chemicals –it is a delicate balancing act. Working with a swimming pool service  assures your pool water is clean and bacteria free and that your pool equipment and the pool itself will be safe and healthy and that you can protect your investment.

What will a pool service do for you?

They will perform weekly maintenance including:

  1. Check and balance the pool chemicals
  2. Skim debris
  3. Clean skimmer baskets
  4. Brush the pool walls and floor
  5. Backwash filter when needed
  6. Inspect pool equipment
  7. Make repairs when needed

Working with a pool service means you will have access to a professional who can perform repairs including:

  1. Equipment repair and replacement
  2. Filter and pump pool repairs
  3. Resurfacing the pool
  4. Upgrades and repairs to pool lighting
  5. Heater, motor and plumbing repairs and leak inspection

You can certainly call us at 1st Call Jupiter Pools for services when you need a pool service or an occasional deep cleaning, but it may be more cost effective to work with a us on a regular basis. We provide pool services to Jupiter, Tequesta, Juno Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island and the surrounding areas of South Florida.  Give us a call 561-207-8600 and get an estimate for ongoing pool service and maintenance.

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