Circulation is the flow of water throughout your swimming pool. Pool jets and the return line help to push the water around to enable the skimmer to catch more debris. During the filtration process, water will pass through the skimmer box to the filter with the skimmer basket catching any large debris. Circulation and filtration prevent algae growth.

Every pool has “dead spots” where water will not be circulated, it is important to brush the surface of the pool in these areas regularly.

To maintain water clarity, it is important to backwash your sand or glass filter regularly, we recommend at least fortnightly. Alternatively, if you have a cartridge filter, soak in BioGuard Filter Brite to clean the filter – it helps to have a second cartridge to swap out.

 

Using a sanitiser is essential, whether this is manually dosing with chlorine or installing a Salt Chlorinator which will produce the chlorine your pool needs. Sanitisers work alongside your pools filtration and circulation to prevent any algae and bacteria growth in the water or pool surface.

If your chlorine level is too high you may notice certain skin reactions i.e., red, itchy skin. Or vice versa; if the level is too low your water may become cloudy. If you have a salt pool and your chlorine level is low, this is not a sign to add more salt, the pool may need to be shocked with granular chlorine (BioGuard Power Chlor, or BioGuard Burn Out Extreme) and the output on your salt chlorinator will need to be increased to boost chlorine levels.

It is also noted to oxidise your water regularly. This removed chloramines or combined chlorines and to keep your water clear and sparkling. When you do not oxidise the water, you will notice the strong chlorine smell that is caused by chloramines – we recommend using BioGuard Lite.

 

The three fundamental elements of your water balance are Total Alkalinity, pH, and Calcium Hardness. When you keep these three elements balanced, you prevent the risk of damaging the pools surface and equipment. Maintaining water balance will allow your sanitiser to do its job.

Total Alkalinity and pH work hand in hand; if you raise or decrease one element, it will do the same to the other. Total Alkalinity could be described as a barrier as such to keep your pH level stable.

Keeping your Calcium Hardness level within the ideal range will prevent scale build-up from appearing on the pools surface and will manage the calcium build-up on your chlorinator cell.

Total Alkalinity – BioGuard Balance Pak 100

pH – BioGuard Balance Pak 200 or Lo ‘n’ Slo

Calcium Hardness – BioGuard Balance Pak 300

 

We recommend having a good maintenance routine for cleaning your pool. This includes removing debris and leaves, vacuuming, and brush the pool surface.

It is a good idea to regularly vacuum your pool to waste; especially if you are removing algae, dead or alive. But ensure that your pool water level does not drop below the skimmer level as this will cause the pump to begin sucking in air.

Contrary to popular belief, your pool still needs to be well looked after during the off-season, winter. We advise to still check your water balance at least monthly during Winter and keep up with chlorine and algaecide dosing – this will help to avoid hefty repair bills or a big clean-up job when swimming season starts up again.

In the peak season, Summer we advise to test your pool water weekly, especially if the pool is getting heavy use. The pool will quickly turn green in Summer if the sanitiser level and water balance are not maintained. Algae thrives in warmer temperatures, making summer the perfect and easiest time for the water to quickly turn green in a matter of hours.

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions blog for tips on remedying a green pool or contact us if you are struggling to clear tricky algae infestations.