Swimming pool: maintenance 101 [PHOTOS]

Emile D. Parent, president of the Group H2prO

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July 2, 2020

Updated July 4, 2020 at 4: 21

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Swimming pool: maintenance 101 [PHOTOS]

Myriam Boulianne

The Sun

The containment has boosted sales of swimming pools in Quebec, but the new owners are sometimes caught off guard when it comes time to maintain their new purchase. Emile D. Parent, president of the Group H2prO, informs us of the main checks to perform to ensure to spend a summer without hassle in the water.

The circulation and filtration

“More traffic is good, the better the water will be filtered and the pool will be beautiful,” begins Mr. Parent. The latter advises to direct the return water so as to produce a vortex and thereby allow dirt thereon to enter into the skimmer and to improve the flow of filtration. It also advises to ensure that the pressure is optimal. You would normally find a pressure gauge on the filter, but if it doesn’t work, you can put your hand on the back of the water to check if the pressure is adequate.

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The pump must be filled with water to prevent air from getting into the system. Don’t forget to clear regularly the packed filters of the pump and the skimmer.

As to the filtration, if you have a sand filter, please backwash (backwash) once per week during the season for cleaning. For a cartridge filter, it is advisable to clean it every two weeks by soaking them in a cleaning solution.

Disinfection

“The recipe for the water of the swimming pool is beautiful is based on a combination of good filtration and a proper disinfection,” continued Mr. Parent. Whether you have a swimming pool with chlorine, salt or bromine, you need to ensure that the level of sanitizer in the water is optimal to kill the bacteria. Also, the contractor suggests that you check the pH of the water approximately 2 to 3 times per week. The pH should be between 7.2 and 7.8.

The pH of the pool water should be between 7.2 and 7.8.

Photos provided by Group H2prO

In the beginning of the season, Mr. Parent noted that it is important to calibrate the other parameters of the water, as the level of alkalinity and calcium. The first avoids the extreme variations of pH, while the second one protects the equipment against corrosion and scaling. Then, a monthly audit is required. You can bring a water sample in a specialized store, and then people on-the-spot check the levels of each of these parameters.

Then, to complete the regular maintenance, Dr. Parent advises to pass the sweeper and the draw, and to paint the walls.

SOS green water… what to do?

Your pool water becomes cloudy, green in color and algae forms on the wall… this means without doubt that there is a lack of chlorine. To make it clear again, it is necessary to adjust the chlorine level and the pH, brush the algae on the walls, and then suck them up with the sweeper. Finally, do a backwash.

If the pool water is translucent, but colored green or brown, and yellow spots appear in the background and don’t be removed even after passing through the brush… this is without doubt a problem of metals in water. In this case, you must get specialty products to achieve an anti metals in the water and in the filter outside of the pool.

If you apply these tips and that your pool water remains green, do not hesitate to call on the services of companies specialized in their maintenance. Experts will want to identify the problem and provide appropriate solutions.

According to Emile D. Parent, president of the Group H2prO, the recipe for the water of the swimming pool is beautiful is based on a combination of good filtration and a good disinfection.

Le Soleil