Maintaining a clean pool is not just about aesthetics – a clean pool provides safe water for your family and friends to swim in. Pool chemicals such as chlorine and bromine are designed to prevent bacteria and algae growth in your pool, making it ideal for swimming. Here are the top five reasons why you should make a clean pool your No. 1 priority:
Safety
Dirty pool water is not only unappealing to look at and impossible to enjoy, it’s also unsafe. While no swimming pool can be 100-percent free of debris and other contaminants, today’s highly efficient pool cleaners can come mighty close to reaching this goal.
Equipment life and maintenance
Allowing a pool to get excessively filthy means your filter, pump, vacuum and other equipment have to work overtime to be effective. This may not be a big deal once in a while, but if it becomes a habit, your equipment probably will not run as well and/or last as long as you had expected at the time of purchase. Even something like hard water can weaken your pool liner over time, so it’s important to check water softness and balance as part of your maintenance routine. Otherwise, you will have to invest more money and effort than anticipated in the upkeep of your equipment, not just the swimming pool.
Protect your investment
A swimming pool, whether it is above or in the ground, is a significant investment for most homeowners, both in the initial cost and upkeep. Properly maintained, it can add incredible financial and emotional value to your house. Left neglected, however, it can easily become an eyesore, lower the value of your property and become a nuisance.
Convenience
Today’s pool supplies are designed to make maintenance quick and simple. Instead of chlorine granules, you can buy large, child-resistant tubs of individually packaged chlorine tablets that work just as well, if not better. The same applies to other pool chemicals such as bromine. Also, you can buy filter cartridges to swap when the filtration system gets too dirty. Then there are the incredible advances in automatic pool cleaners – there’s simply no excuse not to have a sparkling pool when there are user-friendly machines out there that can do most of the heavy lifting for you. Choose from models that attach to your filter system or return line, or robotic versions that run without any attachments.
Access
A swimming pool, especially in warm weather, should be ready to use at a moment’s notice, whether for private, leisurely laps in the morning or a rambunctious neighborhood party in the afternoon. But this can only happen if you clean it regularly. And when it comes time to close the pool for the winter, make sure it’s as clean as possible and prepared for hibernation.