Those of us who have been negotiating the treacherous waters of swimming pool maintenance understand the delicate balance needed to keep our pool sparkling.

For those who are new at this dance, we’d like to offer a few tips to help to identify the most common problems with swimming pools.

Cloudy water

If you’ve been using your pool in the warm summer months, there is a good chance that you have a build-up of swimmer’s pollution. Skin oils, sun creams, and everything else that comes with pool fun tends to leave its mark. A quick backwash followed by a super chlorinate should do the trick in this case. While you’re there – check your filter. This is another common cause of milky water.

It is also possible that the chlorine in your pool isn’t as effective as it could be, as the stabiliser levels are too high. This means the chemicals are taking too long to kill the bugs in the water. In this instance, drain some of the pool water and top up with fresh mains water which will lower the stabiliser.

Green water

From a delicate tinge to a full-blown pea soup, green means algae. Your chlorine levels may be too low which has allowed the algae to take root. Depending on how green the swimming pool is, you may need a superchlorinate, or a shock dose of up to 25ppm.

Dead algae will need to be removed, so once you have killed the offending plants, you will need to brush off the hard to reach places and let the filter do its job. A backwash 24 hours later will get rid of the algae from the filter.

Ongoing pool maintenance such as brushing, cleaning filters, and testing your chemical levels are the best way to ward off major problems.

If you want the pool without the problems, then let us handle it for you. Pool Spa has a busy maintenance division to keep you sparkling all summer long. Call us on 011 793 1381 or visit poolspa.co.za.