Pool Maintenance

Every visit begins not with the water but with the numbers: pH and free chlorine are measured with a digital test, while alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid are tracked on a monthly panel. The colour scale is only a cross-check — the verdict belongs to the instrument.

Every value measured is entered on the visit card. A single measurement is a photograph; the values accumulating on the card are a film — the trend reveals problems before they show any symptom.

• pH measurement (target 7.2–7.6)
• Free chlorine measurement (target 1–3 ppm)
• Monthly panel: total alkalinity (80–120 ppm)
• Monthly panel: calcium hardness (200–400 ppm)
• Monthly panel: cyanuric acid (30–50 ppm)
• Water temperature and general observation
• Taking the sample at the correct depth and point
• Entering the values on the visit card

Dosing rests not on guesswork but on the water volume of the pool: every chemical is calculated on m³ and the water is drawn back into its ideal range. Too little chemical invites algae, too much invites irritation and equipment wear.

The order matters as much as the dose: pH and alkalinity are balanced first, then the chlorine is adjusted, and the algaecide is added last. Chemicals are always added to the water and never mixed with one another; the dosing curve is updated for the season and the intensity of use.

• Calculation on pool volume (m³)
• pH and alkalinity correction first
• Chlorine level adjustment next
• Weekly preventive algaecide
• Always adding the chemical to the water
• Never mixing chemicals with one another
• Applying during circulation
• Updating the dosing curve for the season

Chemistry protects the water from invisible enemies; visible dirt is dealt with by mechanical cleaning. Leaves and coarse debris on the surface are collected with a net before they sink, the scum line and the walls are brushed, and the floor is cleared with a vacuum or a robot.

This step is more than aesthetics: the organic load building up on the floor quietly consumes your chlorine. In a pool where physical cleaning is neglected, the chemical cost rises too — a clean pool stays in balance with fewer chemicals.

• Removing leaves and coarse debris from the surface
• Cleaning the waterline (scum line)
• Brushing the walls and the steps
• Cleaning the floor with a vacuum or a robot
• Emptying the robot's filter basket
• Checking the overflow channel and gratings
• Wiping the ladder and stainless fittings
• Checking the condition of the cover, where fitted

Skimmer throats and baskets are emptied and washed at every visit; the pump's pre-filter basket is cleaned with the same discipline. A blocked basket lowers the flow rate, tires the pump for nothing and erodes the filtration efficiency of the whole season.

On the same round the water level is held at the skimmer line, and the flow from the return nozzles and the seating of the basket and lid gaskets are checked. A line drawing in air usually gives its fault away here.

• Emptying and washing the skimmer baskets
• Checking the skimmer lids and throats
• Cleaning the pump pre-filter basket
• Checking baskets and lids for cracks
• Holding the water level at the skimmer line
• Checking the flow at the return nozzles
• Checking the vacuum line and valves
• Gaskets seated fully in place

If maintenance ended with the water it would be half done: the plant room is listened to at every visit as well. The filter pressure is read and compared against its clean starting value; if the needle has risen noticeably, the filter is backwashed and always finished off with a rinse.

The pump is listened to, the mechanical seal and gaskets are scanned for leaks, and the heating and automation are checked for fault codes. Faults arrive not all at once but through quiet symptoms; a symptom caught early saves the season.

• Reading and comparing the filter pressure
• Backwashing where required
• Rinsing after backwashing
• Listening for pump noise and vibration
• Scanning the mechanical seal and gaskets for leaks
• Checking valve positions and for leaks
• Heating and automation fault codes
• Checking the dosing unit and probes

The visit closes with the measured values and the work carried out being sent to you in writing. You do not need to be at home; you can follow the state of your pool from the report even when you are away, and at the end of the season the whole history is gathered in a single file.

The discipline of record-keeping is a comfort in a villa and a necessity in a commercial facility: in residential-complex and hotel pools, measurement records give management an auditable order and a file ready for health inspections.

• Recording the measured values
• Listing the work carried out
• Noting early findings
• Recommendations and planned repair items
• Photographic record where necessary
• Sending the report after the visit
• Seasonal trend assessment
• Inspection file order for facilities