10 Things You Need to Know if You Own a Pool

Things all Pool Owners Should Know

Similar to your car, your house, or even the computer you may use every day, maintaining your pool can help enjoy its beauty and extend its longevity. Maintaining your pool can be done typically through a pool service company that visits and cleans your pool weekly.

Cleaning can help maintain pool water balance and keep dirt, debris, and microorganisms like algae at bay. Plus, it can help make your pool irresistibly inviting.

2. Keep your pool water in check.

As essential as keeping your pool clean is, it’s also important that you pay close attention to the pool’s water chemistry. Optimal pool water chemistry allows you to avoid many of the common issues including cloudy or green water, dark or slippery spots, mineral stains and buildup, and so on. Like cleaning and maintenance, checking the pool water’s chemistry is generally carried out by pool service companies using professional quality water testing kits.

3. Have a professional drain your pool.

You may have heard horror stories of in-ground swimming pools that pop off the ground. That’s because you simply can’t drain your pool. There are factors that play around draining the water off your pool including hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is a buildup of pressure that happens when too much water is absorbed by the soil in the ground. This pushes the concrete pool upwards causing it to pop off the ground. That said, pool service companies will typically drain the pool under good weather as rainwater can also cause water to be absorbed by the rainwater. Also, because there’s no pressure to keep the pool pressed in the ground, the opposite pressure from below can push the entirety of the concrete structure. Therefore, ask a professional to drain your pool.

4. You can take up a pool loan.

If you’re a few hundred dollars or grand short, you can take up a pool loan. Pool loans are typically offered by banks, credit unions, and financial institutions, but are also offered by pool service companies. That said, if you’ve already managed to save cash for your pool project, you can just finance a part of your swimming pool remodeling, renovation, or construction project. This means that if you’re working with a limited budget, you can still add the features you want and the features you need simply by asking help from financial institutions and even from your pool contractor.

And speaking of features…

5. Not having some features can be illegal.

If you’re a first-time pool owner, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s illegal not to have some pool features. In Florida, a residential swimming pool is required pools must have a 4-foot fence or another barrier around the outer perimeter of the pool, with no gaps in coverage.

• The barrier must also be sufficiently away from the pool’s edge
• Entry through the barrier and to the pool must open outward
• Entry through the barrier must have a self-closing and self-locking device that is beyond a child’s reach
• Pools indoors or within a screened-in area are not required to have a fence or other barrier if all windows and doors that provide access to the pool have a wired safety alarm

Florida Legislature enacted the “Preston de Ibern/Mckenzie Merriam Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act” in 2000. See Chapter 515, Florida Statutes.

6. Pool features increase the value of your home.

The features you add to your backyard pool will coalesce to increase the value of your homes. And we’re not just talking about the safety features, we’re talking about features like Baja steps, water slides, spas, beach entries, and even a pool bar. So, feel free to contact your pool service contractor to find out what kind of features would work best with your pool. They can also help you personalize your pool whether you want it to look like a mini-resort or a classic Grecian and Roman bath.

7. Variable-speed pool pumps are lifesavers.

Variable-speed pool pumps help save energy compared to the traditional single-speed pool pumps.

8. Resurfacing is a must.

Resurfacing may be one of the most important projects new and experienced pool owners can give their pool. Pool resurfacing involved the removal of the old pool surface in preparation for applying the new one. This plays a vital role in maintaining your pool because the interior surface separates the concrete below and the water in the actual pool. The cost of swimming pool resurfacing depends heavily on the type of material you will use. Make sure to talk to your pool contractor to know what options you have in resurfacing your pool. Nevertheless, plaster will be the cheapest while tiles and pebbles could be some of the more expensive options.

9. Storing chemicals at home could be hazardous.

When you own a pool, you will find that you will have to store chemicals in your home one way or another. These chemicals can include anything from chlorine and mineral sequestering agents. These chemicals can be a safety hazard especially if you have kids at home. Using a pool service keeps the chemicals out of your house.

10. Pool service companies are a good idea.

Pool services are your friends, they help take care of your swimming pool for you and offer professional advice to help you maintain your pool on your own. It’s true that they won’t tell you everything, but little pointers from pool experts can go a long way.

These 10 things you need to know as a pool owner can help you maintain and make better decisions for everything pool-related.