Summer is right around the corner – is your pool ready?
Hopefully you’ve been taking good care of your pool year-round to avoid the burden of last-minute fixes. Here are seven ways to refresh your pool before your first summer poolside adventure:
1. Remodel if necessary
Part of getting your pool ready for summer requires an upgrade that makes it more appealing. Who wants to swim in an old pool built in the 1980s?
If you want to enjoy your pool this summer and feel like you’re swimming in luxury, contact a professional pool remodeling service to discuss your options. While you’re at it, connect with a landscaper to see how they can spruce up your poolside view. A little bit of foliage goes a long way by the pool.
2. Keep up on maintenance and repairs
Pool parts break down, and it’s important to stay on top of maintenance and repairs. For example, a pool pump has a lifespan of about 7-10 years. Depending on how often you use your pool, it could be far less. However, you can rebuild portions of most pool pumps many times before it needs to be completely replaced. The most common part that fails is the pump seal, and you can buy pump seals and other pool parts inexpensively online. Just remember to have a professional perform the installation to maintain any warranties and of course, for your safety.
3. Perform safety checks
No matter how many times you tell kids not to run around the pool, they’re going to run around the pool. If their big toe gets caught on a piece of loose tile, they’re going trip and fall on their face.
Perform safety checks around your pool to make sure you don’t have any loose or broken tile. Make sure the surfaces around the pool are non-slip surfaces. If the gritty texture has worn down over the years, call a professional to redo the surface.
4. Check the condition of all slides and diving boards
Diving boards don’t last forever, and it’s only a matter of time before they break while in use. If you’ve had the same diving board for almost a decade, you may want to consider replacing it before someone gets hurt.
Be cautious about the potential for lawsuits from other people who sustain an injury on your property. A friendly backyard gathering can turn into an ugly legal battle, especially if a child is injured when your diving board breaks.
5. Don’t drain your dirty pool
Swimming pools get dirty fast when left uncovered. If your pool is exceptionally dirty, you might think it would be easier to drain it and start cleaning from the bottom up. However, swimming pool experts say it’s a bad idea to drain your pool, even when you live in a cold climate. The only exception is if there are too many leaves at the bottom to remove, but it’s not a risk-free move.
When your pool sits in a high water table, the weight of the water holds your pool in the ground. Draining your pool can cause it to lift out of the ground, and if that happens, you’ll probably need to replace your entire pool.
Instead of draining an extremely dirty pool, it’s recommended to start cleaning your pool like normal. Keep it covered while you clean it, and clean all of your filters every day until the water is clear.
Next, vacuum all the debris from the bottom of the pool. Hire a professional if you have too many leaves at the bottom and don’t want to tackle the job yourself.
6. Test the water’s chemistry
Balancing the chemicals in your pool is essential for making it a clean, safe environment for summer. Pool chemistry isn’t simple, so if you’re not familiar with pH levels, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and chlorine concentration, hire a professional.
7. Add some lights
Now that the safety stuff is out of the way, it’s time to add some fun to your pool with lights.
Your options are plenty. Illuminate your pool from above, add underwater LED lights, or surround your pool with tiki torches. If you’ve got a landscaped yard, light up your trees and plants. If you’ve got a pergola, light that up, too.
Have fun and be safe this summer
Follow these tips to prepare your pool for a fun and safe summer your friends and family will never forget.
