Summer is finally here and it’s time to dive back into your favorite family pool activities — did someone say marco polo? We know that swimming pool maintenance can fall by the wayside over the cooler months so here’s our step-by-step guide to getting your pool ship-shape in time for summer. We’ve also thrown in some handy summer pool maintenance tips so you can get the most out of your pool over the warmer months.

Step 1. Check Your Pool Equipment

First and foremost, you need to check that your pump, filter, and chlorinator are all functioning properly. You don’t want to complete all the pool preparation steps only to discover that your fundamental equipment isn’t working, so this is a great place to start.

Step 2. Clean Your Pool, Skimmer Box, and Filter

Once you’ve given your pool equipment the go-ahead, the next step is to clear out debris and do a deep clean. You’ll need to thoroughly brush and vacuum the pool walls to remove algae buildup on the interior coating. 

This step is easy with a Plungie due to our ecoFinish interior coating, which prevents algae buildup and is more resistant to stains than fiberglass or vinyl liner. As you can imagine, a robotic pool cleaner also comes in very handy.

Next, we recommend emptying your skimmer box and cleaning your filter. Make sure you turn off your pool pump before you touch either, though.

How To Clean A Cartridge Pool Filter

Clean water starts with a clean filter. Each of our equipment packages includes a cartridge filter, which you can easily clean at home. Simply hose dirt and debris off the cartridge, then soak it in a mixture of water and filter cleaner to remove grease and other contaminants. 

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Step 3. Test And Balance Your Pool Water

It’s essential to keep your pool chemicals balanced so they can do their job and kill bacteria in your pool water. The most important chemical levels to test are chlorine, pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness. You can pick up pool water test kits at most reliable pool supply stores and hardware stores. 

Swimming Pool Maintenance

Summer pool preparation isn’t a one-off process — you’ll need to keep tabs on your pool water to ensure it’s healthy. These swimming pool maintenance tips will help your pool stay open all summer long. 

How To Clear Cloudy Pool Water Fast

It’s not summer without sunblock and sweat, but these contaminants can cause pool water to become cloudy. Not only does cloudy pool water look dirty, but it can put swimmers at risk of infection from pathogenic bacteria and other organisms. 

Cleaning your pool regularly and testing the water once a fortnight will help keep cloudy water at bay for the summer. If the problem persists, you can try shocking your pool. This process involves drastically increasing the level of free chlorine to kill contaminants. 

How To Clean A Green Pool

Algae thrive in warmer weather and can cause your pool water to turn green almost overnight. You can fix green pool water by shocking the pool and then adding algaecide once chlorine levels have returned to normal (roughly 24 hours).

Now’s the time to go forth and start your summer pool preparation. If you require any support in relation to your Plungie products, our friendly team is here to help — simply fill out our product support inquiry. 

If you don’t have a pool already and want to enjoy the sound of summer in your backyard, download a Plungie quote and information pack today.