With the summer sun holiday season approaching, you may be looking forward to your break away in the sun for a week or two. But what happens to your pool while you are away and how can you stop it from transforming into a green mess for when you get back?
There are some things you can do to ensure that you can keep your pool clean and clear while you are away and return to enjoy a last dip before sadly having to return to work.
1/ Get a Someone to Check on the Pool.
Pools need human intervention a lot of the time and do require someone to do some general maintenance. Whether this is a friend or neighbour (preferably one who has a pool themselves) or indeed a swimming pool cleaning company to pop over once a week while you are away and do some basic maintenance. These tasks should include:
- Empty skimmer baskets
- Net the pool
- Backwash the sand filter
- Test the water
- Dose any necessary chemicals
To re-alliterate, it is best to get someone who knows pools. Over or even under dosing a pool could mean big problems and incorrect procedure of backwashing could leave you with damaged equipment or even an empty pool! If you do not have someone available, then we highly recommend calling in the professionals.
2/ Install a Timer for Your Pump.
If you don’t have one already, then this is a great time to get a timer installed. A timer will switch your pump on and off. The benefit is clear, it will save you money instead of running your pump 24 hours a day. We recommend that while you are away that your pump is running 12 hours, this can be overnight too if you benefit from economy 7 rates.
3/ Do a Thorough Water Check Before You Leave.
Making sure that your pool chemistry is 100% perfect before you leave will not only help those who will be checking your pool before you go but will also give your pool the best chance of staying in good condition. Leaving your pool with a serious imbalance will just be asking for trouble. Check the following parameters
- Total chlorine
- Free Chlorine
- pH
- Alkalinity
- Calcium Hardness
- Salinity (saltwater pools)
Checking and correcting any problems you find will see that your pool will be at its best while you are away.
4/ Do a Thorough Clean Before You Go
Balancing the chemistry of the pool is only the first part to keeping your pool clear while you are away. If any debris and dirt is in the pool this will instantly be affecting that perfect balance you just worked hard to achieve. Follow our guide on how to spring clean your pool and make sure your pool is sparkling before you go.
Follow these steps to ensure your pool is one last thing to worry about while you are away.
Happy Holidays!
