A swimming pool can be anything from a cheap inflatable water toy for kids to a major landscape feature that takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to build. Whether your pool will be used for a few months or year-round, there is a lot to consider when it comes to budgets, lot size, local codes and family lifestyle.
Keeping your pool healthy and safe is hard work. Every time you go swimming, the water is full of microbes (tiny living organisms). Some of those microbes are germs that can make you sick. Pool chemicals kill most of the germs within minutes, but some live for days. As swimmers splash and dive, their head hair carries some of those germs into the water. Pool chemicals also break down pee, poop, sweat and dirt from swimmers’ bodies. That creates chemical by-products that make your eyes and skin sting, and smell like chlorine.
To keep your pool clean, follow these three simple rules. Skim the surface of your pool daily to remove leaves, bugs and other debris. Test the water’s chlorine and pH levels regularly – weekly or daily when pools are in high use. Keeping on top of the ‘Three C’s’ will make your swimming experience healthier, safer and more fun.