3 Pillars To A Sparkling, Crystal Clear Pool

When it comes right down to it, what do you really have to do to get that beautiful, crystal clear, sparkling pool that we all want? We can talk about a lot of the “tricks,” “secret tips,” and “professional shortcuts” that are out there (and there certainly ARE some of these I can share with you), but when it comes down to it there are really just three pillars to achieving this.

Not only that, but if you aren’t on top of each of these three pillars in your pool, then all the “secrets” and “professional tricks” will do you no good! These three key basics are flat-out essential to getting that beautiful pool water that you want.

Before I elaborate on the three pillars, let me go REALLY basic on you and remind you to always think of your pool as just a bucket of water — and that bucket of water needs attention! So to maintain clear, clean water, three of the most important areas you need to constantly focus on are these:

(1) circulation;

(2) filtration; and

(3) chemistry balance

Let’s go through these a bit…

The first pillar to a crystal, clear pool is circulation. Circulation, i.e, water flow and movement, is critical. Without adequate water movement or circulation, the chemicals you put in your pool cannot do their job.

Water flow is essential for a clean, healthy pool. Stagnant water is a breeding ground for algae, so you must ensure the water is continuously circulating at an appropriate level. Thus, make sure you run your pool pump for at least six to eight hours a day.

The second pillar is filtration. The bottom line when it comes to filtration is this: a clean filter equals clean water. Your pool pump ensures that the swimming pool water moves through the filter every day, thus removing unwanted pollutants and disinfected organic materials as quickly as possible.

What is most important for you to do with regard to filtration, however, is to be sure that you are maintaining the quality of the filters themselves. This means that you need to be cleaning and/or replacing your filters regularly.

If you have a sand filter, then be sure you are regularly cleaning and changing the sand in the filter. The sand filter should be backwashed every time the PSI goes up by five or six from where it normally is. The sand should be changed entirely about every two to three years. If you have a cartridge filter, then be sure you are changing and/or cleaning the cartridge as needed. If your cartridge filter is less than ten years old, then clean your catridge filter at a minimum two to three times per year. If your cartridge filter is ten or more years older, then it should be cleaned at least about every six weeks. Replace the diatomaceous earth in a diatomaceous earth filter after EVERY backwash.

The third basic, but critical, pillar to crystal clear pool water is chemistry balance. In order to ensure the effectiveness of pool chemicals, pool water must be pH, free chlorine and alkalinity balanced (other variables are important here as well, such as age of water, phosphates, metals, TDS, etc).

Balanced water occurs when all of your chemical parameters are within the tolerance limits. The most important parameters of water balance are pH, Total Alkalinity, Calcium Hardness and Temperature, as measured using the Langelier Saturation Index.

If any of these three pillars are out of whack, it creates a domino effect that will have a negative impact on the overall quality of your pool. and has an overall impact on the overall quality of the pool itself. If, for example, you don’t have enough circulation, then you can get algae growth and water clarity issues in your pool.

Get these three basic areas under control, and you will be amazed how well everything else you do with your pool will work…especially how much better the chemicals you add to your pool will work! Even better, you will be amazed at how much easier it is for you to achieve and maintain that crystal clear, sparkling pool you’ve been desiring.

Tagged as: advice, chemistry balance, circulation, filtration, Swimming Pool Chemicals, swimming pool filters, swimming pool maintenance, swimming pool tips, terry duff, tips