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Unsurprisingly, the part of a swimming pool that causes homeowners the most frustration and headaches is the pump/filter arrangement.

There’s no such thing as a pool that doesn’t need or have a pump and a filter. People swim in pools; stuff falls into them from trees and blows into them on the wind. So pools need filters to keep them clean, and they need pumps to circulate the water through those filters.

Filters come in three varieties: Sand filters, cartridge filters, and diatomaceous earth, or DE, filters. Each variety has its own set of benefits and drawbacks; and the choice you make will depend on your individual needs. It’s also important to note that filters come in different sizes and sub-varieties, so if you’re buying one for the first time, be sure you’re getting the right one.

On the other hand, there’s really only one type of pump: The kind that runs water through your pool’s filter. But pumps have a broad spectrum of varying elements, like energy efficiency rating, horsepower, and head pressure. But when your pump is installed properly, it keeps your filter running smoothly and your pool clean. You’ll also need a timer for the pump, so it can turn on and off by itself. This is very important, since forgetting to turn the pump on can result in chemical imbalances in your pool.

To figure out what kind of pump and filter are right for you, you must consider a variety of factors, like the pool size, the size and number of plumbing lines going to the pool, the number of people using it, and the frequency with which they’ll use it. If you’re having a pool installed for the first time, you’ll need to talk to your construction contractor about these things. If you’ve bought a new home with a pool in it, you may want to take a hard look at whether the pool’s systems are operating as well as they could be.

But your filter won’t be the only thing keeping your pool clean. Responsible pool ownership also means maintaining the chemical levels of your pool. That means keeping chlorine, pH, and water hardness at acceptable levels at all times. Your pump will help in this endeavor by circulating the chemicals throughout the pool.

If all of this seems like a lot to keep track of, don’t worry. Many pool owners hire a pool service provider to keep their pools running smoothly and full of clean, healthy water. Check your local listings for a good contractor; many offer reasonable prices for repeat customers.

But take your pump and filter very seriously: They’re what keeps your pool water healthy and swimmable.

D. Michael Kirby is a freelance writer who writes about home improvement, travel and technology. One of his clients is APCO Pools, the premier pool maintenance contracting firm serving the greater Philadelphia area. Visit APCO here: http://www.apcopools.com

Owning a swimming pool is a lot of fun, and a lot of work – especially if you don’t follow the proper pool maintenance guidelines. While swimming and lounging in a clean, crystal clear pool is fun, maintaining the pool is anything but joyous. Nevertheless, if you want to enjoy the pool and have a sanitary and safe spot for your family to play, maintenance is the key.

It is a fact of life that most people do not enjoy cleaning, but just a bit of work on your behalf can have your swimming pool looking good. Arm yourself with the appropriate pool cleaning equipment and necessary chemicals, however, and your pool maintenance will be easier than you ever imagined.

Before You Start

You have to really know your pool in order to maintain it properly, and this includes knowing how much water it holds. The number of gallons of water in your pool is a necessary figure that will allow you to determine the amount of chemicals that should be added to the pool, like chlorine and other necessary chemicals. You can find the volume of the pool inside the owner’s manual that was packaged with the pool. If you do not have this information, you can figure the volume yourself. Simply figure the area of the pool and multiply it by the average depth – and then multiply the result by 7.48 to get the total volume or number of gallons of water in the pool.

What You Will Need

Balanced water is clear and clean water, and making sure that the pool water is balanced is accomplished using a test kit. These inexpensive kits will tell you if your chlorine level is optimal, and also reads the calcium hardness, pH, and alkalinity of your pool water. The various chemicals that you will need to add to your pool water under your pool maintenance schedule include:

- Chlorine – used to sanitize the pool water and make it safe for swimming. Chlorine is sold in granule, liquid and tablet form. You can also purchase an inexpensive chlorine tablet floater that will dispense chlorine gradually for you.

- Stabilizer or water conditioner – is used to protect the chlorine in your pool from being depleted by the rays of the sun.

- Shock treatment – boosts the effectiveness of chlorine and should be part of a weekly pool maintenance schedule.

- PH increaser/pH decreaser – used to raise or lower the pH level of the pool water as needed.

You may also need other chemicals like algaecide to eradicate algae and cause a decline in algae growth, and water clarifier for cloudy water. You should also have a high quality pool vacuum on hand for removing debris and other particles that accumulate on the floor of the pool, and a brush for brushing off material that clings to the side walls.

For proper pool maintenance, you will need to test your water quality with a test kit daily and add chemicals as needed to get the water to an optimal level. You also must skim out any debris, bugs, and other material from the top of the water each day, clean the skimmer basket, and check the pump to ascertain if the filter needs to be backwashed. Once weekly, brush the sides of the pool with a stiff brush, vacuum the pool, backwash the filter, and top off the pool water if needed. Be sure to clean any pool floats and toys as well as the pool ladder once weekly, too, so as to steer clear of algae growth on these items.

Following this maintenance schedule will allow you to fully enjoy the summer swimming season without a huge problem developing that could end up costing you more time and money!

For more information on swimming pools in Toronto or patio furniture in Toronto, contact a swimming pool specialist at Bonavista Pools.