Top Tips on Maintaining Your New Concrete Pool
How do you maintain your new concrete pool? Are you considering the addition of a new concrete swimming pool in your yard? We think this is a great idea! Endless hours of fun and memories for everyone – but there are some important things to remember to make sure your swimming pool is ready to jump on in at any time and your pool equipment is in peak condition.
Maintaining Your New Pool is Easy
We’ve put together a few steps and ideas to help take the guess work out of maintaining your new concrete swimming pool.
Remove Debris & Regularly Brush
By regularly skimming the leaves and floating debris off the top of your pool, this will not only help your pool look welcoming, but it will also help to reduce the amount of foreign product entering your pool filter and help to assist with the next maintenance steps as well.
For the first 1-2 weeks, while things are settling with your pool – brush down the sides, steps and bottom of your new concrete swimming pool with your supplied pool brush daily to remove any loose pebbles so your pools filtration system can do its work and to help prevent staining of your new pebble crete as chemicals start to balance in your water (at the absolute least, this should be done every 2nd day to help prevent calcium build up).
Vacuum Your Pool
NO!! We don’t mean with your Dyson! While this step can seem to be a long process, you will get better and quicker at this. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a robot cleaner zooming around in your pool – the cleaner will make light work of this process and we believe having one is a great and effective way to assist with the ongoing maintenance of your swimming pool. We recommend getting a robotic cleaner that climbs walls, steps and ledges, as well as cleaning the waterline of your swimming pool.
Just be sure to regularly check and empty your bots filter to keep your cleaner in peak performance.
Empty & Clean Your Skimmer Box
Do you have grass near your pool? Maybe your backyard is full of beautiful mature palm trees? It’s important to check your swimming pool skimmer box every few days in the beginning – especially while you adjust to having a new swimming pool in your yard and adjust to how the garden surrounding your swimming pool affects your pool water.
Things like twigs, palm tree fruit, leaves, grass and bugs will get sucked from the waters’ surface through the skimmer box and collected in there. The skimmer box is your pools first filtration section so it’s important to keep it clean so that your main filtration can work efficiently.
Remove that skimmer lid and pull the basket out to empty. It’s as easy as that!
Balance Your Pool Water
Did you know that the chemical balance of your pools water is like science? If 1 product is not balanced properly it can throw off the whole water eco, causing harmful bacteria to accumulate in your pool water, or turn your pool water milky or even green? In fact even rain can impact the balance of your pool chemistry.
At the forefront of your pool maintenance is water quality. It is important to get your water tested professionally at least every 2 weeks in the beginning to balance chemicals as needed, including the pH and chlorine levels. Find your local pool shop and get to know the team there – they will be the best ones to provide you with education and ongoing assistance on your pools chemical balance – what you may or may not need and are just all-round good guys.
As part of your handover kit, we supply testing strips for your pool water maintenance, however we do recommend that until you gain better knowledge and understanding of pool chemicals and maintenance, that you ask your local pool shop for guidance – take a sample of your pool water into them. They will be your best contact if things are a little off with your chemicals and will provide hi-tech water testing to ensure your swimming pool is ready to use any time, or even check if they can come to you for pool side education.
It’s important to let them know the type of filtration system operating on your pool, as all filters use different levels of chemicals to maintain balance.
If you are short on time, or on vacation for an extended period, (or just don’t want to have to think about it) consider using the services of a local professional pool cleaner. You can request basic water chemical maintenance or ask them to maintain the whole pool for you.
Ongoing Maintenance
With your pools filtration system outside in the Aussie sun, things will naturally expand and constrict – don’t forget to regularly check and maintain your O rings in and around your filtration system, also check things are tightened to prevent little water leaks from occurring. You can purchase a small tub of Teflon/ silicone lube from your local pool shop. Wipe a little of this over the rings to keep them from drying out and going brittle.
It is important to check your filtration equipment every 6 months. Your pool shop can arrange someone to assist with this if you’re not confident to check it.
Ongoing, if you don’t have a robotic cleaner, you should aim to brush and vacuum your pool at least two times per month, or sooner if required. Try to avoid garden debris from settling for too long on your pool floor or walls. This will decay quickly and stains become difficult to remove the longer you leave them there – kind of like your favourite shirt and red wine.
Don’t forget to clean the cleaner – Cleaning your filters
Local laws will determine the type of pool filtration system you have installed, and your pool usage will then determine the steps needed to maintain this. Winter is the best time of the year for filter maintenance, unless it is required sooner.
Cartridge filter – depending on your pools’ usage and the amount of foreign debris entering your pool, remove the cartridge and clean with a hose at least every 6 to 12 months. We also recommend soaking your cartridge over-night in a cleaning solution to remove the build-up of bacteria on the filter.
Sand or glass filters – keep an eye on the pressure gauge and backwash when prompted – backwashing is the process of cleaning the filter media. Refer to your manufacturer’s instructions for further help on this – or ask your pool shop team for guidance.
Take the Plunge
Considering installing a new concrete swimming pool? Relax pool side today! Call the multi award winning Gold Cost pool builder, Bali Pools today for a free, no obligation quote. #07 5576 0900. We can’t wait to help bring your dreams to life.
