How to Maintain a Pool

Check the sanitizer levels. Sanitizers either contain chlorine (most common), salt or bromine. Chlorine levels should be between 1 and 4 parts per million. If your levels are a little bit high, don’t worry. The sun burns off chlorine.

Shock the water. Pool shock helps destroy contaminants in your water. It also keeps your water clear and eliminates excessive chlorine odor. It’s best to add shock weekly, as well as before and after pool parties, after storms, and during periods of high temperatures. For more on how to shock the pool, see below.

Add algaecide weekly. This is a good preventative measure to slow down algae growth, especially in pools exposed to a lot of sun and heat.

For more on managing algae, read How to Get Rid of Pool Algae.

Remove leaves and other debris with a pool skimmer.

As in the Pool Water Testing section above, test the water’s pH level to ensure that it’s in the proper range, between 7.2 and 7.6.

Make sure that your pump and filter system are running to circulate the water.

There are three types of pool shock:

• Sodium dichlor, or dichlor, which is available in granular or tablet form, is a fast-dissolving solution that adds cyanuric acid to the water. Dichlor granules can be added directly to the water or dissolved in a 5-gallon bucket prior to adding it to the pool water. To add tablets to the water, use the pool skimmer (be sure that the pump and filter are running so that the water flow in the skimmer basket dissolves the tablet), a floating chlorine dispenser or an automatic chlorinator, which is installed in your filter system.
• Calcium hypochlorite, or cal hypo, is an economical form of chlorine shock that comes in granular form and won’t cloud the water. It’s a good choice for pools that have a low to normal pH level. Dissolve it in a bucket prior to adding it to the pool water.
• Potassium monopersulfate, also known as nonchlorine shock, is a fast-acting, chlorine-free formula that adds oxygen to the water without leaving any residue. It can be added directly to the water without pre-dissolving.

When you’re ready to add the pool shock, add it around the inside perimeter of the swimming pool and allow it to circulate.

To help distribute and circulate the shock, brush the pool walls and floor after shocking.

Let the filter system and pump run for at least eight hours, preferably overnight.

Insert an adapter into the skimmer intake. Hook the hose up to the adapter. Always turn off the pump when changing the filter settings.

Set the filter to WASTE and turn it on. This bypasses the system and sends the dirty water directly to your drain or waste site. Since you’re removing water as you vacuum, it’s a good idea to fill the pool with a hose at the same time.

Whichever surface you’re vacuuming — the floor, walls or steps — make sure the vacuum stays in contact with the surface. Slowly guide the vacuum along the pool surfaces. Pay special attention to the areas that get little circulation as they’re prime areas for algae growth. When you’re finished, turn the filter off, disconnect the hose and turn the system back to FILTER.

Attach the swivel end of the hose to the vacuum head. Completely submerge the vacuum in the pool to flush all of the air out of it by filling the hose with water. A quick way to get the air out of the hose is by holding it in front of a jet. You should see air bubbles rising from the vacuum head.

Next, once all of the air is flushed from the hose, remove the skimmer lid and basket, take the water-filled hose, and block the end of the hose with your hand to keep the water in. Place that end of the hose into the suction hole in the skimmer. Some in-ground pools have a dedicated side port, also known as the vacuum port, which will be located on the pool wall below the skimmer. In this case, you’ll thread the hose through the port and into the skimmer.

If you don’t want to risk clogging the skimmer line with leaves and other debris, attach a vacuum plate, also known as a skimmer plate, on top of the skimmer basket prior to vacuuming.

You can now vacuum the pool, starting at one end and working your way to the other. The power of the suction helps propel the vacuum across the pool.

Once the vacuum has finished cleaning, remove it from the pool. Empty the skimmer basket of the collected debris.

Shut off the system and turn the valve to RINSE. Run the system for about 30 seconds. This is an important step, as the RINSE setting allows the water to run through the filter and reset the filter element. After 30 seconds, turn off the system.

Clean any debris from the pool and test the water to ensure it’s balanced. If needed, add pool winterizing chemicals. Remove equipment in and around the pool, like handrails, diving boards, ladders, etc.

For more on closing your pool, read Close and Winterize Your Pool.

Measure the pool and the cover to ensure you have the correct size and that there’s enough material for overlap. Place the cover over the pool. It should rest on the water’s surface with excess material hanging evenly on the deck. There should be an equal amount of overlap — of 11 to 14 inches — all around the edge of the pool. Use buckets of water or sand bags around the perimeter to hold the cover in place.

Attach the springs to the straps on the pool cover. Make sure the strap length is uniform all the way around the pool.

Beginning with the strap at the center point of the pool's length, measure out 18 to 20 inches from the edge of the pool and mark the location to drill a hole for anchor installation. Install the anchor. Once the anchor is installed, use the notch rod that should be in your pool cover kit to pull back the spring and attach it to the anchor.

Repeat Step 5 above for the two straps located on either side of the installed strap to secure the cover along its length.

Once the lengthwise center anchors are affixed and the straps are attached, repeat Steps 5 and 6 above for the straps across the width of the pool. The cover is now anchored across the middle axis, which should remove some of the sagging of the cover in the water.

From there, work your way outward from the center points to install the remainder of the anchors to avoid wrinkles at the cover’s center.