Your pool area is likely a favorite place for you and your family to hang out for the summer months. In order to keep the water safe in your pool, there’s lots of advice online on how you can clean and maintain a pool. Don’t fall for these top 10 pool cleaning myths:
A Chemical Smell Means The Water Is Clean
An overly chemical smell in your swimming pool actually may not be chlorine. What you are smelling from your pool is the byproducts of chlorine that form when a chemical is binding to contaminants in the pool. If you’re getting a stronger smell of chlorine in your pool, it’s likely because the water is dirtier or requires extra chlorine in order to manage the bacteria and contaminants in it.
Your Eyes Go Red When There’s Too Much Chemical
When your eyes go red after using the pool this doesn’t mean you should reduce the amount of chlorine. Chloramines are to blame for the redeye effect that often happens to people when they have been in the pool. These are formed when the water is not properly sanitized and when there actually needs to be more chlorine in the pool.
Clearwater Is Always Clean
Clearwater in your pool only indicates that there is a lack of growth with algae. There’s plenty of different microbes that might still be throughout the pool area. Even though the water is clear, this is not an indication that the water is actually clean and safe for use. This is one of many very popular pool cleaning myths.
Chlorine Will Kill Any Germ On Contact
Chlorine does kill germs but it takes time. After you’ve put chlorine in your pool you’ll need to take a few hours to make sure that the water can be in good balance. In pools with an ideal level of pH and disinfectant, most germs will take hours to die but microscopic parasites like cryptosporidium can often survive for several days.
Drinking Pool Water Can’t Make You Sick
If your pool is short on chlorine or it has a PH balance is off there are various microbes like E. coli, nor a virus, Legionella, shigella, pseudomonas, and cryptosporidium and more that can survive in the water for an extended period of time.
A Saltwater Pool Does Not Require Any Chlorine
Saltwater pools do require some form of chlorine to shock out the chemicals, to prevent algae, and to properly sanitize the water. A saltwater pool is actually creating chlorine through electrolysis so there is a presence of chlorine in the water and you’ll still have to buy liquid chlorine in order to shock the pool when it needs it.
You Need To Backwash Your Filter All The Time
Backwash in your filter is an essential cleaning step but it only needs to happen whenever the pressure gauge indicates that it needs to happen. If you’re backwash in your pool is too high often it can continue to stir up the sand and to push any of the debris back into your pool.
Baking Soda Can Be An Effective Pool Cleaner
Baking soda is not a suitable replacement for any type of soda ash and including baking soda in your regular cleaning could increase the pH in your pool and damaged the chemical balance you have for your pool.
You Should Consider Training Your Pool To Clean
It Is expensive to replace all the water in your pool and draining your pool too often can cause structural damage. The pool is designed to have water in it the majority of the time and the best way to clean out the pool when it falls into a dangerous state is to consider scrubbing and vacuuming the walls and adding plenty of chemicals to neutralize the algae that forms.
It Doesn’t Matter When You Add Chemicals To Your Pool
The sun can play a huge effect when it comes to reducing the effectiveness of chlorine. Adding chemicals in the evening is often one of the best paths to take for a clearer pool.
A lot of people fall victim to believing these pool cleaning myths, make sure you are not one of them and Contact us today to learn more about pool cleaning methods and how we can maintain your pool.
