That swimming pool in your backyard is fun… but let’s face it, it’s a lot of work. If you work with a swimming pool contractor, you can spend more time in the pool enjoying yourself than working on the pool. Pool maintenance is part and parcel of being a pool owner because if you don’t keep the pool water clean, the chemicals balanced and the debris picked up your water will become home to bacteria and algae.
Your pool contractor will bring his own equipment when he cleans and maintains your swimming pool, but you may want to have pool equipment on hand in order to keep up with pool maintenance between service contractor visits. Don’t worry, when you work with a pool contractor he will do the heavy lifting when it comes to pool maintenance and you will only have to do minimal upkeep and maintenance between service visits. So you will still have a lot of family fun time!
Essential Items You Need For Proper Pool Care
Here are some of the essential pieces of pool equipment every pool owner should have on hand.
- Pool chemicals. You won’t have to worry about buying and storing chlorine, but you may want to have a water test kit, alkaline and calcium balancing agents. Your pool contractor will add chlorine during his service visits, but you may want to ask if you need to have chlorine tablets on hand and whether they should be added between service visits. Chlorine keeps water borne pathogens from the water, but your pool pump and filter will do a majority of the work to help keep the water fresh and clear.
- The pool filter is an essential piece of equipment as this is what will circulate your water. Your pool water should be “turned over” at least once a day. This means that the entire pool water will be pushed through the filter, cleaned and pushed back out into the pool. Your pool contractor will do the calculations on how many hours it will take to run the pool pump and filter to thoroughly turn over the water and whether it should be turned over more than once a day. If possible, run the pool pump during the overnight when the cost of electricity is less expensive; this will save money on your utility bills. The pool filter type you have for your pool will be either a sand filter, a cartridge style or one that uses diatomaceous earth (DE) to filter impurities and bacteria out of the pool water.
- Pool vacuum. This is a piece of equipment that is ideal to have on hand so you can vacuum between service visits. If you have a pool vacuum, your pool contractor will use that when he pays a service visit. A pool vacuum will cost anywhere from $100 up to a couple thousand dollars. You can choose from a manual vacuum cleaner or a robotic model. Even if you have a robotic pool cleaner, you will still want to have a manual model to reach those hard to reach areas of the swimming pool.
- A tube of caulk. If you notice cracks in the caulk around the swimming pool tiles, much like the grout in your bathtub, you can do a quick fix between service visits to keep the pool protected and the cracks from letting water leak in.
- A pumice stone will help you remove calcium or mineral build up stains. A pumice stone is an easy tool to remove deposits and stains below the water level. Use the stone gently so you don’t cause any damage to the pool.
- Fiberglass cleaning solution and polish will help protect the surfaces of the pool from the damaging rays of the sun. Use the polish to keep the swimming pool slide slippery and more comfortable to use.
- A pool skimmer. These long, telescoping items have a basket at the end and is used to skim leaves, bugs or other debris from the water.
- Life vests and other safety equipment. This should be poolside at all times and everyone who uses the pool should know where the pool safety equipment is and what it does and how to use it in an emergency.
- A pool cover. If you have children or pets in the pool you will want to consider investing in a pool safety cover – these covers can support the weight of a pet or small child if they somehow get into the pool area. A pool cover, even if you don’t get a safety cover, is a necessary piece of equipment as it keeps the water cleaner, helps cut back on the rate of evaporation of the pool water and that means you won’t have to add chemical as frequently.
Ask your pool contractor for tips and advice on what pool equipment he recommends you have on hand or as part of your swimming pool construction or a remodeling project.