How to Maintain Clear Water in an Aboveground Pool
One of the most important things you can do to keep your pool up and running through the summer is to maintain the water and extend the life of your aboveground pool liner and pool equipment. Keeping your pool crystal clear can be a challenge unless you follow the proper steps. It is easier to keep the water clean than it is to try and fix a problem that has developed due to neglect. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Pool pump
- Pool vacuum
- Pool water test kit
- Soda ash
- Muriatic acid
- Shock
- Chlorine tablets
- Floater
Instructions
-
-
1
Run your pool's pump at least eight hours every day to remove floating debris.
-
2
Vacuum your pool at least once a week to remove leaves and other objects that settle on the bottom. Vacuum in the morning before the pool has been used. Scrub the sides of the pool before vacuuming to remove any trash built up on the sides.
-
-
3
Test the pH of your pool at least once a month. Use the test tube enclosed in your pool water test kit to collect a sample of water from at least a foot deep in the pool. Add 2 or 3 drops of the test chemical into the test tube and shake well. Dip one of the enclosed test strips into the test tube and compare it to the chart in your kit. The pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6.
-
4
Add 3 oz. of soda ash for every 5,000 gallons of water to raise the pH from 7.2 to 7.4. Add no more than a few ounces of the soda each day to avoid clouding the water.
-
5
Apply 6 oz. of muriatic acid per every 5,000 gallons of pool water to lower the pH from 7.8 to 7.6.
-
6
Retest your water after adding any chemicals.
-
7
Add 2 to 3 lbs. of shock every week to maintain chlorine. Mix the shock with water in a large bucket and pour the shock along the outside perimeter of the pool. Add the shock at night to prevent evaporation in the heat.
-
8
Place two or three chlorine tablets into a floating container to allow the pool to self chlorinate. Drop the float into the water with the flat side up. Add new tablets weekly as the old ones dissolve.
-
1
