When trimming your budget, you look to the money you're forking over each month to have someone else do something that you could potentially do yourself. While many don't like the idea of venturing into unfamiliar waters, it certainly is possible to clean and maintain your swimming pool, spa or hot tub on your own. There's a big world out there with
pool test kits, vacuums, plumbing, circulation and surge-tank float valves. Don't be overwhelmed -- there's plenty of DIY information out there, and we'll make sure you understand everything. The results? A clean, sparkling pool or spa.
Photo © Lisa Hallett TaylorIt’s time to use that pool test kit to check levels and water quality. Don’t panic if you didn’t take chemistry in school – the kit is fairly easy to use if you just follow the directions. Follow the photos and instructions In this step-by-step article to learn the right way to use a basic test kit, checking basics like your pool water’s pH, total chlorine, total bromine, acid demand, and total alkalinity.
You may have noticed your swimming pool handrails or ladder is corroding or rusting. All steels can rust or stain depending on what chemicals they come in contact with. The stainless steel grades used in pool rails and ladders are fairly impervious to swimming pool water that is in balance. However, unbalanced water chemistry and some other causes (poor electrical grounding, pouring chemicals near the rails, etc.) can stain or rust them. Find out how to keep them clean and safe.
Learn the proper way to clean your cartridge
pool filter. In just three steps, you will: rinse the loose dirt, soak the filter in a cartridge cleaner, and rinse again. This cleaning method is also excellent for diatemacous earth (DE) filters at the end of the swimming pool season.
Don't want to continue using harsh chemicals in your pools, but leery of the cost of installing or replacing filters? In this article from
The New York Times, learn about two new options that won't be a shock to your budget.
"It's hard out there for a pool boy," writes Conor L. Sanchez in the
Los Angeles Times. "The glamorous lifestyle of a Southern California
pool cleaner has always been more myth than reality, and this summer it's been anything but a lazy backstroke. Rising transportation and raw-material costs have forced the industry, from manufacturer to pool cleaner, to increase prices. At the same time, sales are diving because pool owners are looking to save a few dollars by holding off on repairs or maintaining the pool themselves." Find out how pool owners are managing to do it themselves, while a trade group warns that for the unskilled, it could be unsanitary.
