How To: Above Ground Pool Maintenance

Finding a reliable person to clean your above ground pool can be hard and doing it yourself can feel almost impossible sometimes. Being an experienced Pool Maintenance Manager, I’m here to walk you through step by step and give you tips on how to maintain your pool. 

There are 6 steps that I would follow on a weekly basis to clean and maintain one of our above ground pools: testing the water, skimming the top, brushing the walls and floor, vacuuming the floor, checking/emptying baskets, and backwashing/rinsing the filter. Following these steps will ensure a clean pool that the whole family can enjoy.

1. Testing the Water– This is probably the most important step to follow. The #1 reason that pools go green is because of unbalanced water chemistry. There are a couple things to test for: free chlorine, combined chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness. If your pool has an ionizer or mineral system- test for copper levels in the water as well, mineral systems disperse tiny amounts of copper into the water. Most pool stores offer water testing where they will be able to tell you what your levels are and help get you to the recommended level. 
2. Skimming the Water– Collect as much debris off the surface as possible by attaching your skimming net to the cam-pole. Your skimmer basket and pump basket will thank you later. 🙂 
3. Brushing the Walls– Algae likes to attach itself to the liner, brushing the pool will prevent algae spores from attaching and growing. To brush the pool, connect the brush attachment to the cam-pole and brush from top to bottom. 
4. Vacuuming the Pool– Debris and bacteria in the water will continue to use up your free chlorine until it is gone. To remove this debris, you’ll want to vacuum your pool on a regular basis. This video will show you how to use your cleaning equipment to set up the vacuum for your pool. Automatic pool vacuums are always an option. 
5. Emptying Skimmer & Pump Baskets– Depending on your surrounding landscape, your baskets can get full pretty quick. Make sure you stay on top of checking those baskets throughout the week. 
6. Backwashing & Rinsing– If you purchased your pool with Hydra, you’ll receive a sand filter with the pool. You’ll want to check the pressure gauge on your filter every week to see if a backwash is needed. Backwashing is needed once the pressure gets 8-10 psi over the initial starting point. Always set your filter to rinse for 30 seconds after the backwash is complete. 

As long as you follow these 6 steps, your pool will remain maintained throughout the season. Keep in mind that mother nature, landscape, and usage play a huge role and will always affect your maintenance routine. Hydra offers free water testing and our Chemical Specialists are always here to help.