5 Proven Tips To Save You Time Cleaning Your Fibreglass Pool!
Here at Newcastle Pools, we understand that standing over your pool with a skimmer and wearing your back out trying to get that last darned leaf wasn’t exactly what you had in mind when you bought your pool. In fact, many pool owners simply can’t be bothered cleaning their pool regularly – who can blame them? But neglecting to clean your pool on a regular basis leads to all sorts of bigger problems down the road! (For both you and your wallet.) What if, and hear us out here, we told you there were a few secrets that meant you wouldn’t have to spend hours cleaning your fibreglass pool? Well if that piqued your interest, then read on!
Secret Number 1: Deal With Stains The Best Way!
Stains can be a headache to remove. Pool owners can sometimes spend a lengthy amount of time removing them, simply because they don’t know what kind of stain they’re dealing with. Identify your pool’s stain, and cleaning it will become infinitely easier.
Stains on your fibreglass pool can be caused by a variety of different reasons. But, you wouldn’t clean a plate with the same rag you cleaned your car, would you? (We certainly hope not!) What we’re trying to say is, most stains can be removed quite easily, but different stains require different solutions:
Organic Pool Stains:
These kinds of stains are the most common to fibreglass pools. They can include:
- Dirt
- Berries
- Insects
- Leaves
- Debris left behind by your pets
Thankfully, being the most common stain for fibreglass pools means that organic stains are also the easiest to handle. Gently scrub the stain with a standard brush and the stain should dislodge itself. You shouldn’t need any advanced chemicals or tools for this job. However, a great way to prevent organic stains is to fish organic matter out of the pool when you see it, before it can become a stain.
Metal Stains:
Metal stains are much more common in older pools than anything modern, particularly fibreglass pools. However, they can still happen even under the best of care. Such metal stains can be:
- Copper
- Magnesium
- Iron
To remove a metal stain simply rub a vitamin C tablet on the stain. If it doesn’t lighten, then you may have algae instead of a stain.
Calcium Stains:
You may notice that calcium build-up isn’t technically a stain. Instead, calcium tends to spread across your pool similar to dirt, fading the fibreglass surface and making it look older. This happens when the calcium in your pool water bonds with the pool surface – because of unbalanced Ph levels. To ensure this doesn’t happen, regularly check your pool’s chemicals are balanced correctly, or give your pool a shock treatment if it’s already building up.
Even if your poolside area is relatively clean and free of trees, its still important to clean your pool regularly. Checking your chemical balance is especially important – calcium stains won’t show up until its too late!
Secret Number 2: Keep Debris Out Of Your Pool!
This is by far the most tedious cleaning process (in our opinion!) But it is also the area in which you can save the most time. Choosing to ignore skim cleaning your pool daily can be a big mistake: those leaves you left in your pool can build up over time, until when you finally do clean it, the process could take up to an hour. Additionally, the more leaves floating around in your pool, the more strain you’re putting on your filter. We recommend spending a mere 5-10 minutes daily to clean your pool with a skimmer, and this way you can avoid having to do a big clean on the weekend!
Secret Number 3: Always Keep An Eye On Your Filter!
Some pool owners can make the mistake of believing their pool filter is simply too technical or intimidating to check themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. By checking your pool filter yourself, you’ll be able to tell clearly whether or not your current cleaning schedule is doing enough to offload pressure from the filter. Additionally, by keeping an eye on your filter, you’ll be able to tell exactly when you’re due for a refitting. Were this to come upon you unexpectedly, you’d likely be spending hours to fix it. Therefore, regularly checking your pool filter, even for a quick 10 minutes a week, can save you time in the long run – especially during Autumn when those leaves start to pile up!
…Keeping your pool cover on will mean your pool naturally retains heat for longer. It will also keep out any stray debris – saving you time on cleaning!…
Secret Number 4: If You Haven’t Already - Get A Pool Cover!
The real secret here is why doesn’t every pool owner have a cover! We’re just joking, but on a more serious note: utilising your pool cover is the most efficient and simplest way to save time on cleaning!
A pool cover primarily keeps out organic material and debris from falling into your pool. A typical pool cover will only take a minute or two before to roll on, and the benefits are amazing! Did you know that pool covers can also lower heating costs in your pool and lower the cost of cleaning?
This is because with the cover on, your pool will naturally retain heat longer and faster. Next, with your pool cover on, outside debris will not be able to sink into your pool. Meaning, of course, you can use less chemicals to clean your pool and save the rest for peak periods of use. In fact, it’s actually recommended to lower your chemical dosage when your pool is not in use and the cover is on.
So, keep that pool cover on and you won’t have to be cleaning your pool every day like usual!
Secret Number 5: Don’t Skimp On Your Pool’s Maintenance!
A little bit of maintenance can go a long way towards saving you from a lot of headache later on. Just as you should be checking your filter regularly, we also recommend that you check on your PH and alkaline levels, too. Chemical imbalances are one of the most costly and time-sinking problems that can affect your pool. Further, a chemical imbalance is not always immediately recognisable: and it can negatively affect your pool’s equipment, causing severe degradation. Avoid this by ensuring your chemicals are balanced in your pool – and do so often!
Here at Newcastle Pools we understand that cleaning your pool is oftentimes the last thing you want to do with your pool. But we cannot stress enough how important it is to regularly clean it anyway: doing so can save you a significant amount of money and time down the track. If you need any more information, please don’t hesitate to get in contact and one of our friendly, professional team members from Newcastle Swimming Pools will be in touch shortly!
