The first thing to do in the Arizona spring when water temperature begin to climb is to have you water checked by a reputable pool company or pool store. This will give you a good baseline of the Chlorine / Bromine, PH, Total Alkalinity & Calcium Harness levels of your pools water, which will allow you to plan your chemical balancing. Both of these companies will provide you with a “Shopping List” of chemicals in proper proportions to add to your pool based on your waters individual readings. Should you be a “do-it-yourselfer” a chemical self-tester, or strips can provide you with a great insight on your pools chemical standings at any time.
The next item on the list should be a system check of your equipment; from the Skimmer, to the Filters to ascertain that everything is working properly as it should, pressure and suction sides. The best time to clean, or change your filters is at the beginning of the season in AZ, ensuring that your water is at its cleanest by the time you are ready to swim. I recommend cleaning your filter, should it be Sand, D.E. (DiatomaceousEarth) or Cartridge at least every three months to maintain the manufacturers cleaning / filtration claims. As an FYI – the D.E. Filter type has the finest filtration rate, as small as 1.5 microns of filtration capability, which is very fine, especially in comparison to a sand filter, which can allow microns as high as (9) to pass through unimpeded.
In order to swim at the earliest possible time where the water temperature will allow, I would recommend changing your pool timer to run from the hottest part of the day until the summer power rates come into effect. Make sure that your aerator valve is in the on position so that the warm air during the day can help warm the water as it cascades into the pool – this will allow an earlier swimming season as the water will warm much quicker.
Pool “Hot Tip”#1: During the spring / early summer season, try to keep plant or yard debris out of the pool as much as possible – removing or skimming daily if possible. Leaves, flowers etc. can accelerate raising phosphate levels in the pool water the longer that they sit; which is a quick way to unbalanced water chemistry & potential algae blooms in early season.
Pool “Hot Tip”#2: If you pool has unsightly white calcium marks at the water line, or “scale” as the common reference, a great way to remove a large percent (or all depending on your pool) without the high cost of hiring a Bead Blasting company is to raise your water level to the maximum height possible using your garden hose or auto leveler and adding a product called Scale-Tec. This product will dissolve a large percentage of the scale by the time your swimming season begins again – leaving a much cleaner tile throughout your pool.
For more tips on maximizing your pool experience, I can be reached at the contact info below – happy swimming!
Josh Johnson
Owner – Clarity Pool Service
602-882-0796
jjohnson@claritypoolservice.net
www.claritypoolservice.net