How to Have Clean, Safe Pool Water
Oh no!! What happened to our pool! How can we swim in that! No need to panic or feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Having beautiful, crystal clear, clean, safe pool water is EASY, no rocket science involved, I promise! Just follow a few simple, basic, easy to comprehend steps and you and your family will have a lovely and safe pool to swim in all summer long. The transformation from yucky to amazing is quick, simple and totally satisfying! Follow me, I’ll show you how!
Shark Float
Ice Cream Sandwich Float
It all happens with these 3 simple steps:
1. Chemicals
2. Circulation
3. Filtration
1. Chemicals: You must use chemicals to keep algae and bacteria at bay. You don’t want to have itchy skin or burning eyes, right? Not to mention, bloating and diarrhea! Maintaining proper chlorine levels will kill bacteria and if you don’t have a high enough chlorine concentration in your pool water, those germs will all grow … really, really fast! People swimming and playing in the water will add sweat, dirt, oils and hopefully not, but bodily fluids also.
Adding shock once a week acts as a super chlorination to kill any lingering bacteria and prevent it from getting out of hand, controls algae growth and it also helps to clear cloudy water and make it sparkle. Chemicals will also rid your pool water of the brown and green minerals from rain water and well water. Algicide does exactly what it sounds like, prevents algae from growing. When algae starts to grow in your pool, it grows rapidly and can be frustrating and difficult to get rid of, never mind awful looking, slimey and turns your pool green! The best way to deal with algae is to prevent it from having a chance to grow in the first place.
Turtle Microfiber Beach Towel
All the chemicals I use are listed in my post, Easy Crystal Clear Pool Water Although I have used a variety of different brands over the years, I have found many have very easy to follow instructions on how to add them to, and maintain, a safe, clean and clear pool. Here is a video showing how I add chemicals to my pool and this is a great article on using the hth system: https://sandeelane.com/how-to-use-hth-pool-chemicals/ It’s easy to comprehend, fun and interesting and an easy guide line to help you have a great summer in your pool.
Inflatable Breakfast
2. Circulation: Water needs to move and flow, otherwise it becomes green and stagnant, and the perfect home for algae and bacteria to grow. Keep your Sand Filter Pump on for longer periods of time. Our pump runs pretty much all the time. The only time I turn it off is when we are in the pool, only because I like to hear the birds and nature and I figure with people in the pool, there is a lot of water movement anyways. It’s important to do a back wash once a week to clean the sand filter, which will keep it working efficiently. A lot of bugs, oils and floating objects will land on your pool surface and they will either go into the filter or sink to the bottom.
Octopus Giant Float
3. Filtration: The proper size pump and filter for your pool is very important. The larger the swimming pool, the bigger your filter and pump should be. We use a sand filter and a 1 HP motor and that works great. It is easy to back wash the sand and it only takes a few short minutes of time. A small amount of water is drained out of the pool for this cleaning and my Birch Tree gets a drink of water at the same time, and it is vibrant and healthy! Since the dirt, bugs, hair etc. are caught in the sand filter, cleaning it once a week with just a simple movement of a dial will make your life easier and help the system to do a great job in helping keep your pool clean. The filter system does all the work for you and there is no rinsing paper filters. I usually add a little bit of water to the pool to top it up after this cleaning, and I also add any needed chemicals as well. Check out this video, it’s exactly what we have and how we attached it. Although the sand filter and motor can be purchased separately, they can also be found as an attached unit like this Sand Filter Pump
Crocodile Float
If you have a swimming pool, no matter the size, and you are leaving water in it for more than 2 days, you MUST use the 1,2,3 steps to keep your water clear, clean and safe for the people you love. Don’t be afraid to use chemicals. It is your pool and your home, not a public pool, so you have more control of who is in the water and the number of bodies. You won’t have to use large quantities of chemicals, but you will have to use them to maintain a safe swimming environment.
Stingray Float
Checking your chemical balance is important and the easiest way is with Pool Test Strips 
Underwater Paradise Cotton Beach Towel
If it is very hot and sunny or if the pool is busy with lots of activity, the chlorine will dissipate quickly, so I test to see if I need to add another puck to the Floating Chlorine Tablet Dispenser
Pool Noodle
Don’t worry or be intimidated by the chemicals, they all help each other to work efficiently like a well oiled machine. As long as you do the basic steps, you should be fine and you will learn as you go along, just like I did. Just use the Pool Test Strips, they will guide you easily along.
In my post Easy Crystal Clear Pool Water I explain exactly what I do and what I use to keep my pool beautiful all summer long and you can too just by following these basic, easy steps. Have a fun summer!
