How to Maintain your Super Pool
If you just got a vinyl lined pool or are about to get one and aren’t sure how to properly care for it then you’re in the right place! Not taking proper care of your vinyl pool is what causes a replacement to be needed much quicker than necessary. With the proper maintenance and pH level your liner can easily last 10+ years. We are here to inform you on how to get the longest use out of your liner and keep it looking super for years to come!
Maintaining Water Chemistry
This is crucial in order to keep your pool healthy, disinfected and intact. It’s not just about your liner, there are many components that can be affected if the pools pH and calcium hardness is not correct.
What does the pH level of your pool indicate?
It’s what measures the acidity of the pool water, which helps it keep everything clean- meaning your liner, pump, heater, etc.
What’s the correct pH level?
The ideal pH level for your pool is between 7.4 and 7.8. Anything below 7.0 is going to be acidic and a level of 8.0 means it’s alkaline. Right between is the super sweet spot!
How do I figure out if the pH is balanced?
All you have to do is get some pH testing strips and follow the instructions that come with them. Make sure you get new ones yearly!
What is Calcium Hardness?
This is the measure of how hard or soft the water is. This is similar to pH because whether the water is too hard or too soft, it could cause corrosion or scaling like when the water is too acidic or too alkaline. What’s great about calcium hardness however is that it’s much easier to control than the pH level. While it’s fairly easy to throw the pH levels off with rain or multiple swimmers, you don’t normally need to mess with the calcium hardness level after getting it ready at the beginning of the Summer.
Why is it important to maintain the correct level of calcium hardness?
The level needs to stay between 175 and 225 parts per million. This is because low calcium levels lead to corrosion and high calcium levels lead to scaling of pipes and other items.
2. Why is it so important to keep the levels balanced?
When your pH & calcium levels are off it can cause a variety of issues such as throwing off how effective the chlorine is, corrosion on everything in the pool, cause dry/irritated skin, can make the water look dirty, and more.
We want to kill any kind of bacteria that could cause illness or infection. We do that with chlorine and keeping the water balanced.
How are chlorine and pH levels related?
If the water isn’t balanced then the effectiveness of the chlorine decreases.
How does the pH level get thrown off?
The most common cause is natural factors such as a large amount of rain or just a lot of people in the pool.
How do I lower & raise the pH level?
Lowering the level is a super simple fix. You can simply add alkaline products such as Soda ash or sodium bicarbonate. Raising the level requires a few more steps than lowering. First is to double check your test strips because they could be out of date and reading incorrectly. Next is to add soda ash, then check alkalinity and add baking soda, and lastly is to Aerate the water. Aerating can take a few days but can be very effective. This requires circulating water by turning on water jets and pointing them up.
If you found that information overwhelming, you’re not alone. Understanding how to care for a pool takes time but once you learn how to, it’s simple! A big takeaway is to stay up on the maintenance so you aren’t faced with multiple issues. Once you get your epic Super Pool, you’ll want to keep it looking incredible!