Pool Maintenance Musts as You Head into Peak Season
Just as you get regular oil changes on your car to keep it running smoothly, it’s crucial to keep up with routine maintenance of your commercial pool. If you don’t, small problems can quickly turn into major issues — leading to down time, unhappy pool patrons, and pricey repairs.
Fortunately, keeping up with pool maintenance is easy if you turn for assistance to a professional pool management service. A reputable service has the expertise you need to avoid the following common problems:
Algae blooms
The cloudy green of an algae bloom is one of the clearest indications that a pool is not being properly managed, and even a small bloom will discourage swimmers from jumping in. Those who do brave the waters could emerge with a skin rash — or worse.
Signs of a bloom include: greenish growth on the floor and walls of the pool, a green tint to the water, or greenish material suspended in the pool water. Once a bloom takes hold, you may be forced to shut down the pool for several days in order to “shock” the water with chlorine.
To avoid the whole problem in the first place, work with a professional pool maintenance provider that offers consistent evaluations and management of the water’s chemical composition and other factors that stimulate algae blooms.
Structural damage
Cracks and even smaller structural problems can lead quickly to massive problems in the integrity of your pool. Failure to identify and fix structural issues can be a costly mistake.
A good pool maintenance provider will catch structural problems in the earliest stages, and also detect and identify other related problems. For instance, the concrete slabs used to construct your pool deck can shift and deteriorate over time, posing a hazard to swimmers and to your pool’s foundation. Even the tiles you use along the pool’s waterline need to be monitored, as they can crack or pop off the wall.
Poor water quality
Without proper maintenance and monitoring, the water in your pool can become contaminated, leading to skin rashes and disease outbreaks. According to the World Health Organization, the risk of illness or infection associated with swimming pools is primarily associated with fecal contamination of the water. This can be caused by swimmers or even by animals (birds or rodents). Fortunately, it’s not difficult to avoid an e. Coli outbreak at your pool. For starters, encourage pre-swim showers and toilet use. When possible, restrict little ones to a baby pool (easy to drain and clean) until they are toilet-trained. And encourage those with gastrointestinal illnesses to avoid using the pool until a week after their illness has passed.
Once you’ve taken those steps, it’s critical to test and maintain water quality every day. According to Recreation Management, daily testing should include monitoring chlorine, bromine, pH, acid, and alkaline levels. Every two weeks, you should test total alkalinity, cyanuric acid (CYA), calcium hardness, iron, and copper. Keeping up with the chemical maintenance of your pool is critical and can easily be taken care of by hiring a professional service provider.
Faulty equipment
If you don’t monitor and maintain your pumps, motors, and filters, they’ll likely have to be repaired or completely replaced. Regular maintenance can simultaneously improve the functionality of the equipment in the short-term and ensure that each component lasts longer.
There are also important safety reasons for properly maintaining your pool equipment. If your filtration system falters, for instance, the resulting murky water could increase the risk of an accidental drowning.
At American Pool, we take the headache out of maintaining your commercial pool by offering a full range of pool maintenance services. Get in touch to find out more about our multi-day service contracts and 24/7 service.
