6 Common Pool Maintenance Mistakes

What are the common pool maintenance mistakes?

1. Backwashing your pool filter frequently
2. Brushing your pool after 2-3 weeks
3. Using automatic pool cleaner to remove algae
4. Not testing your pool water weekly
5. Believing a strong chlorine smell means your pool has too much chlorine
6. Shocking your pool during the daytime

Swimming is fun until you have to make sure you clean and test your pool regularly. It’s hard for some that’s why they ended up skipping their pool maintenance since nobody will know whether they haven’t cleaned their pool in weeks, or if there are leaves or insects floating in their pool when they forgot to cover their pool with a pool cover.

It’s alright. We make mistakes, but these mistakes when repeated cause your pool to be dirty and prone to pests such as mosquitoes. Let’s help you avoid these common pool maintenance mistakes by reading this blog!

Backwashing your pool filter frequently

Backwashing is one of the vital parts of pool maintenance, but overdoing it to your pool is a mistake. To avoid this, you can check your filter tank’s pressure gauge. After backwashing properly, the pressure gauge should be between ten to 15 PSI (pounds per square inch). If it is 20 psi or higher, there’s a problem with how you backwash your pool filter.

Here’s how to backwash your pool filter:

• Always make sure to see if the filter tops ten PSI over the recommended psi because it’s time to empty it of debris.
• Start clearing the excess goop, do another backwash and check the pressure to return to its optimal levels.

Once you explored the right way of backwashing your pool filter, it will be easier for you to do it the next time you clean your pool filter.

Brushing your pool after 2-3 weeks

Every pool owner and pool cleaner knows how essential it is to vacuum a pool. It helps to remove algae and other types of dirt floating and invading the pool water.But, there are some who think that they only need to brush their pool after 2-3 weeks. It’s wrong. Just like how we clean our teeth, your pool needs regular brushing to stay in good condition.

Here’s a quick and deep cleaning way to brush your pool:

• Use an extra-wide, and heavy-duty aluminum pool brush with curved edges that can brush and clean even the difficult-to-reach areas.
• Brush your pool at least once a week or multiple times if your pool is heavily used during the night or day to avoid grime or dirt.

Using automatic pool cleaner to remove algae

Using automatic pool cleaner that pushes the algae and other debris via a mesh net, and not removing it from the pool makes your pool cleaning difficult. Even though using an automatic pool cleaner saves you time, you’re only scattering the algae around your pool.

To change this mistake, here’s what you need to do:

• Manually clean your pool.
• Using a manual pool vacuum (and switching the filter to waste mode) instead of an automatic pool cleaner.
• Brushing the sides of the pool to clear out the algae.

​Not testing your pool water weekly

Having a pool at your home is a comfort during summer. Therefore, testing your pool water weekly should be deemed as a habit rather than a schedule, so enjoy it instead of skipping it! Maintain your pool in good condition with the following tips!

• It’s highly recommended to test your pool at least once a week
• Buy pool test strips to test your pool water
•  Monitor your pH, alkalinity, and free chlorine levels

Oktakem’s bestselling pool test kit    includes a measuring apparatus, Phenol Red (15ml), and OTO1 (15ml) Phenol Red – pH indicator OTO1, that tests chlorine and bromine. For P450.00, you can regularly clean your pool using our HCT 3 Way Test Kit!

Believing a strong chlorine smell means your pool has too much chlorine

One of the common pool maintenance mistakes is when people believe that smelling strong chlorine in their pool means it has already the right amount of chlorine, but it’s not. This happens when your pool water is oxidized creating chloramines, and giving off a strong chlorine smell.

And to address this mistake here’s what you need to do instead:

• Test your pool’s chlorine level
• Add more chlorine until the water gives a reading between 3-5 ppm

Shocking your pool during the daytime

When the chlorine mixes with the particles of the water, it leaves chemical compounds known as chloramines. These compounds irritate the eyes and skin. Therefore, shocking your pool during the daytime will burn away one ppm per hour, and that gives unpleasant conditions to your pool water. As a result, your cleaning becomes less effective, affects the mixture of pool chemicals, and drains your wallet.

To give your pool time to clean, here are the right steps:

• Shock your pool at night at least once a week
• Use one pound (.5 kg) of shock chemicals per 10,000 gallons (37,854 L) of water
• Try testing and add a bit more shock until your pool reaches near the target three pm

Key Takeaway

You’ve just read the common pool maintenance mistakes and how it should be resolved in easy, effective, and affordable ways! Our swimming pools need to be taken care of, as it relieves our stress in times of heat during summer!
Interested to know more about our other pool test kits? Get the best pool test kits from Oktakem today! Purchase now from our official Shopee page, or contact us   here!