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Swimming pools, like any other man-made object, will fall apart without regular maintenance. Simple maintenance of your pool will help to prolong its life and delay any need for repair. There are many little things you can do to keep your swimming area well maintained, and in the process keep both yourself and others safe.

There are many things you can do every day to ensure your pool is well maintained. Listed below are just a few of the daily things you can do:

Add Chlorine – Be sure to add chlorine to the pool daily to make sure all those pesky bacteria that can cause sickness are sanitized. While many pools use chlorine as a sanitizer, bromine is an acceptable substitute.

Adjust pH levels – If you have an automatic balancer in your pool this step is already done for you. If not, be sure to adjust both your pH and Alkaline levels. This helps make sure your water does not turn an undesirable cloudy, or irritate your skin when you go for a swim.

Clean your skimmer – Your skimmer should be cleaned daily to make sure your pool water stays fresh, and can circulate around the pool.

In addition to these things that you can do on a daily basis, there is more you can do. You don’t have to do these every day, but rather only every one to two weeks, and this can go a long way to adding years of functionality to your pool’s life.

Shocking Your Pool

Shocking your swimming pool is where you add a concentrated amount of chlorine into the pool water for a short time. The chlorine levels become so high that any organic organisms (mold, algae, and bacteria) are completely destroyed. You should shock your pool at least once a week, but may have to do so more than one time per week depending on how often the swimming area is used. You may also need to add algaecide to kill any remaining algae that the chlorine did not already destroy.

Adding Metal Out and Clarifier

You will have to add other chemicals into your pool on a weekly basis, with clarifying and anti-metal agents being chief amongst them. Metal Out agents are used to eliminate the tiny particles of metal that escape your pool filtration system. Clarifier, on the other hand, is used to prevent your water from turning cloudy. It also helps to remove those particles of matter that are too small for the pool’s filter to catch. The Clarifier makes it so that these particles cling to each other, making them large enough for a vacuum or your filter to catch.

There is still more you can do to keep your pool well maintained. Vacuuming your pool from time to time will help keep your water clean, as will skimming the surface of your pool water for leaves. Every winter (or every six months if you live in a warmer part of the country) you will want to drain your pool and scrub your pool walls and floor. This may also be a good time to check your railings and bolts on accessories, like diving boards or step rails to see if they need to be tightened or replaced.