How Often Should an In-Ground Pool Be Serviced?

You’ve just installed a STUNNING in-ground swimming pool…now, you’re probably wondering what sort of maintenance schedule you need in order to ensure your pool is safe, attractive, and lasts a long time.

When it comes to pool maintenance, regular monitoring and cleaning is key. While some tasks should be done every week, others can be accomplished on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1) Keep an eye on your pool water level.

Where is the water surfacing on the opening of your skimmer? If the water level is too low, the skimmer can bottom out and suck air into your filter system. If the level is too high, the skimmer can stop filtering out debris like it’s supposed to. Try to keep your water above the middle point and under an inch below the top of the skimmer opening.

2) Run your pool pump/filter system (EVERY DAY).

When you run your pool filter, you’re giving your pool a chance to cycle through all of your pool water, heat and treat it, and return it to your pool fresh and ready for a swim. The general rule is that you should run your pool pump for at least 8 hours every day. But that’s not always the case. To calculate how long you need to run YOUR specific system, divide your pool’s water (gallons) by your pump’s flow rate (gallons per hour).

3) Vacuum your pool.

At least once every week (ideally, twice), you should vacuum your pool floor. It’s a key way to keep your pool safe, clean, and free of unwanted debris. If you don’t have a big debris problem, once a week is probably sufficient.

4) Balance your water chemistry.

To keep your pool water safe and healthy, it’s crucial for you to monitor and adjust your water chemicals (as needed) EVERY week. You need to keep track of 5 main factors (making sure levels fall into the ranges below):

• • Total Alkalinity: 80 to 120 ppm
• • pH: 7.2 to 7.8
• • Calcium Hardness: 100 to 300 ppm for fiberglass / 200 to 400 ppm for vinyl and concrete
• • Stabilizer (cyanuric acid): 20 to 50 ppm
• • Chlorine: 2.0 to 3.0 ppm

Download the Rising Sun Pools water testing app* to receive recommended dosages and treatments for your pool.

*Only for use with Rising Sun Pools Insta-test 4 plus test strips.

5) Skim your pool.

To rid your pool of debris – leaves, bugs, etc. – you may have installed a built-in skimmer. When you run your pool pump, your skimmer will do its magic and clean out the debris. But, if you don’t have a skimmer built into your pool, odds are you’ll be spending some quality time with your manual skimmer net.

6) Clean your pool wall.

Cleaning your pool isn’t simply about making sure your pool looks appealing. Grimy pools can also be a safety concern. You’ll need a wide pool brush with a long handle. Be sure to really scrub the area where the pool water surfaces along the wall. Debris and algae often collect there.

Routine, thorough brushings are especially important for concrete pools, where aglae tend to develop more easily. For a concrete pool, you will need a stainless steel brush. Meanwhile, fiberglass and vinyl pools require softer nylon brushes. You can find the cleaning supplies you need here.

7) Do a weekly shock treatment.

What is a pool “shock” treatment? “Shocking” is what we call the process of adding chlorine or other chemicals to pool water to increase the “free chlorine” level and destroy harmful contaminants, such as algae, chloramines, and bacteria. You will generally need one bag of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water. Check out our shock treatments here.

NOTE: For more serious shock treatment needs, it’s safest to call a Rising Sun Pools water chemistry professional.

8) Close your pool from time to time.

For a deeper clean, we suggest that you close your pool for 2 to 3 days every other month. It’s your chance to really clean your filters and apply metal remover or flock. Stay out of the pool for a few days while these treatments are working, vacuuming your pool before you jump back in.

Rising Sun Pools – Pool Maintenance Services in Raleigh, NC

Although it’s possible to complete these pool maintenance tasks on your own, caring for an in-ground pool is a BIG time commitment. To save time and to ensure your pool environment is healthy and safe for family and guests, we suggest hiring a pool professional that has the chemistry and pool system experience and knowledge to keep your pool up to snuff.

Need some in-ground pool maintenance? Check out our Pool Services now.

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