10 Easy Steps to Pool Care in Florida

10 Easy Steps to Pool Care in Florida

Most of my life, I lived in the country and never had a pool. When I moved to Florida, I looked for a home that had a swimming pool. It was fun to have my own pool but I learned that it isn’t all fun and games. It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain pool care in Florida. You need to check the drainage for unwanted guests, find the right tools, and use pool chemicals. I knew I could hire a Bradenton Florida pool maintenance service but I’m a bit stubborn and I like doing things on my own. So I decided to learn how to maintain a Bradenton Florida swimming pool on my own!

Even if you hire a professional service, you still need to understand some pool care in Florida basics. The pool winterization process is something most of us who live in the Bradenton Florida – rarely have to deal with. As with most things, however, there’s a trade-off: no winterization = year-round swimming pool maintenance. Even if you decide to outsource its upkeep to the pros, you’ll still need to expend a bit of elbow grease in order to ensure your pool’s long-term health and that you’re maintaining your in-ground pool in accordance with your Florida home insurance policy guidelines.

Although it’s important to check your manufacturer’s manual for specific guidance about your pool, here are a few pool care in Florida basics to consider:

Check the circulation system:

Your pool’s circulation system, which includes the skimmer, pump, pump strainer, drains, and filter, helps chemicals work effectively and ensures proper water filtration. Make sure to run your pump an hour for every 10 degrees of temperature each day to make sure the water is properly filtered and keep each item clean and in good condition.

The pump is essentially the heart of the swimming pool’s circulation system. It pulls water from the pool through the skimmer and main drain, pushes it through the filter and returns it to the pool through the main returns. The entire operation of the swimming pool is dictated by the operation of the pump. The cleaning system cannot, in general, operate without the main pump, and the pool water cannot be filtered without the main pump operating. It is crucial, therefore, to be aware with the proper schedule for the operation of the main pump. This step is key to pool care in Florida.

It is recommended that the pump run 12 hours per day during the hottest summer months, and 4-5 hours per day during the winter months, and to varying degrees during the spring and fall. The daily cycle can be divided into multiple cycles, but each cycle should be no shorter than 4 hours since this is the minimum time it takes for all of the water in the pool to pass through the filter at least once, it is also the recommended time between the addition of chemicals and the next water test/or pool use.

Check and maintain water level:

Maintaining the proper water level in your pool is very important. During the summer when the heat is at its peak, evaporation is something to watch, but the same goes for Bradenton Florida pools in the winter months. There is less rain and colder, drier temperatures in the winter which will also cause the water in your pool to evaporate. It is not uncommon for the water level to drop as much as one to two inches (possibly more) every week during this time of year.

If your pool loses too much water, it can shift the balance of the pool chemistry as well as cause component damage if the water drops below the skimmer level and air is sucked into the system. Check your pool’s water level regularly in order to prevent it from going down too low and refill with water to the proper levels as necessary. Remember the mid-tile line rule of thumb to determine if there’s too little water in your pool: at mid-tile line is perfect, under mid-tile is too low. Without the proper level of water can cause major impacts to proper pool care in Florida.

Note: It can be difficult to determine if low water levels are due to evaporation or a leak. You can discover leaks in your pool by conducting a simple test. Fill a plastic bucket ¾ full of water and mark the waterline on the bucket. Place the bucket in the pool and mark the waterline on the outside of the container (remove any handles to allow for better stability while floating). Let it float for two or three days. If the water levels inside and outside the bucket reduce by the same amount, the cause is evaporation. If the pool water level is reduced more than the level of the water inside the bucket, your pool has a leak.

Maintain appropriate chemical levels:

Pool water should be tested regularly to make sure it’s clean and healthy. Chemical levels can be quite intimidating, but will have a major impact on pool care in Florida. Aim for ideal chemical levels of:

pH:

• On a standard test kit, the pH scale is graduated from 6.8 to 8.2. The numbers refer to the concentration of hydrogen (acid) in the water, but the scale is somewhat reverse. The ideal level for pH is generally the same for all swimming pools regardless of climate, amount of use, temperature, or pool surface. This ideal level falls between 7.4 and 7.6 for all pool surfaces.

Alkalinity:

• Total alkalinity is a measure of the total amount of dissolved particles in the water whose pH is higher than 7.0. Examples of particles include dirt, sand, and baking soda. Alkaline particles in the pool water, at certain levels, act as a buffer to prevent rapid changes in the pool’s pH. Thus, when the total alkalinity of the pool water is within the ideal levels, the pH of the water will tend to stay balanced for longer periods of time. For all pool surfaces, the recommended level falls between 120 and 140 ppm.

Calcium hardness:

• 180 to 220 parts per million

Chlorination:

• In order to keep the pool water free of contaminants and maintain proper pool care in Florida, it is necessary to add a chemical, which is capable of killing algae before it becomes visible, or a health hazard. As a rule, the presence of algae in water does not pose a significant risk to health, but it can enter open cuts or sores and cause infection. Once the concentration of algae in the water becomes great, it is visible to the naked eye as discolored water or blemishes on the pool surface.

Chlorine Levels:

• The concentration of chlorine in water is measured in parts per million (ppm), that is, parts of chlorine per one million parts of water. A standard test kit is graduated on one side from zero ppm to 3.0 ppm. Most test kits are labeled with an “ideal” level for chlorine, usually between 1.0 and 1.5 ppm. While this level is adequate for most pools, it is recommended to maintain a higher chlorine concentration than this during the hot summer months often experienced in Florida. It has been found that a concentration of 1.5 ppm dissipates too quickly during days with temperatures above 95-100 degrees.

Conditioner:

• Conditioner is a name given to a chemical that inhibits the degradation of chlorine by UV light. Other commonly used names for conditioner include stabilizer, sunshield or the chemical name cyanuric acid. The recommended ideal level for conditioner in a swimming pool is between 40 and 100 ppm.

Shock treatment (super chlorinate the water):

• Organic contaminants like ammonia or nitrogen accumulate in your pool, interacting with chlorine to form chloramines – which emit that harsh chlorine odor. Adding a large amount of chlorine to a pool (super chlorinating/shocking) the pool allows you to eliminate the odor and supercharge pool care in Florida. Consult your manufacturer’s manual for specific instructions for your pool. It’s best to add chemicals in the evening, when it’s cooler, instead of during the heat of the day.

Clean the Pool:

Vacuum your pool weekly to keep water clear and reduce the amount of chemicals you need to add. Brush the walls using stiff bristles for plaster-lined concrete pools and softer bristles for vinyl and fiberglass walls and tile to help minimize algae buildup and calcium deposits which is key to proper pool care in Florida.

Vacuum the Pool:

• If the amount of debris in the pool is too great to be removed by either the automatic cleaning system or by brushing, the pool should be vacuumed to remove the debris before it becomes attached to the pool surface and requires special methods to remove.

Pool Surface:

• The type of surface on a swimming pool can also affect the pH of the pool water. Plaster or plaster based pool surfaces such as quartz, are porous, alkaline materials. They can absorb and neutralize acid in pool water, thereby raising its pH. In this case, small amounts of acid are generally needed to maintain a proper pH balance. Fiberglass, vinyl, and painted plaster pools, on the other hand, do not have porous surfaces, and thus do not absorb or neutralize acid in the water. Here, small amounts of soda ash or baking soda may be needed to keep the pH at a proper level after acid is added in the form of rain, citrus leaves, etc.

Brush the Pool:

• There is no substitute for a thorough brushing of the walls and bottom of the pool. Most automatic cleaners can’t scrub the floor to remove small debris and algae spores from the pores in the pool surface, and this must be done to ensure a stain and algae free pool surface. Be sure to brush the pool while the pump is operating, and to cover the entire pool from the tile line to the main drain. Sweep slowly and push the brush toward the main drain so that the debris will be pulled into the drain and then into the filter, where it will be removed from the water.
• If large amounts of debris were removed during the process, it is advisable to clean the filter afterward to help maintain proper pool care in Florida.

Remove debris and clean the strainer baskets:

• While vacuuming and brushing remove dirt and debris from the bottom of the pool, they do not remove the debris such as grass, leaves, and bugs which float on the water surface. The skimmer built into the pool deck usually removes this debris, but it can accumulate in large amounts, and it may take the built-in skimmer an appreciable time to remove it. By using a hand skimmer, the debris can be quickly removed before it has the opportunity to become saturated with water and sink to the bottom. Don’t forget to clean strainer baskets at least once a week to help circulation and lower your pool’s chlorine demands.

• Clean and maintain the filter based on manufacturer’s recommendations: A small amount of dirt in your filter actually helps to trap other particles, which removes debris from the water. It’s best to clean your filter when the difference in flow between the pressure gauge and flow meter reaches 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kilograms) per square inch. If you wash your filter too frequently, it won’t be able to reach its cleaning potential. If you have questions on proper pump pool care in Florida, reach out to the company who installed the pool. 

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