Your swimming pool is both a financial and emotional investment. Proper pool cleaning ensures that your swimming pool will provide value and be enjoyed for years to come.
You brush your pool, vacuum it, and balance the chemicals, but how often do you drain and refill it?
There are several reasons why periodically draining your pool and starting fresh is a good idea and best practices for proper pool cleaning.
Here are six reasons why you should be draining your pool as part of ongoing maintenance.
1. Clean the Pool
You hire a pool cleaning service, so why do you have to drain your pool? Regular pool cleaning involves skimming, brushing, and vacuuming your pool. However, many times the water you fill your pool with is high in metals or calcium.
Over time, stains from the metals and calcium in the water can form stains on your pool’s surface. Managing the metal and calcium in your pool water with additives can help prevent stains, but eventually, they will appear.
Once you begin to notice pool surface discoloration, it is time to drain your pool and have it acid-washed to remove unwanted stains that form over time.
2. Repair the Pool
Your pool’s surface will break down over time and require repairs. Inground pools with concrete surfaces will eventually form cracks and require repairs.
Pools with vinyl linings will eventually develop tears and require patches. Draining the pool is the easiest way to assess the damage and perform the needed repairs.
3. Resurface the Pool
Environmental changes and the intense sun will eventually fade the surface color of your pool. Your pool is a fun-filled oasis for your friends and family and it is important that it remains beautiful.
Depending on your pool’s surface material, your pool may require a pool paint or a complete gunite resurfacing. Your trusted pool service company will be able to advise about what type of resurfacing is needed once the pool is drained and the surface is inspected.
4. Remove Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
Total dissolved solids in a pool are the measure of the total of all soluble substances that are dissolved in the water. The remnants of years of adding chemicals to your pool water, plus dirt and other debris resulting in the eventual rise of total dissolved solids.
Measuring TDS during pool cleaning involves assessing the electrical conductivity of the water. Best practices for swimming pools is to have a maximum TDS of 1,500 ppm.
When the level is higher than that, you may notice cloudy water, stains forming and scaling on surfaces. Once your swimming pool water has a high TDS level and is saturated with contaminants, the best way to handle this is to drain the pool and refill with new water.
Replacing some or all of your pool’s water is the only way to reduce TDS.
5. Chemistry Rebalance During Pool Cleaning
Maintaining the chemistry of your pool water can feel like an impossible balancing act. When pool water PH levels are too high, the pool water will be cloudy and leave scaly deposits.
If the PH level is too low, pool equipment and surfaces can become corroded. Too much chlorine causes irritation to swimmers, but too little will allow algae growth. If you find that your chemical levels are always too high or too low, it may be time to drain your pool and start over balancing your chemicals.
6. Remove Algae and Stains
Stubborn swimming pool stains can cause your pool to appear dirty, even when it is clean. You may have already tried an “all-purpose stain remover” and been disappointed with the results. Many times a commercial stain removal plan is required for stains that are well set into your pool’s surface.
The only way to ensure that pool stains are completely removed and will not reappear is to drain the pool and aggressively treat the stains.
Draining your pool can feel like a major undertaking. While it is drained, plan to repair cracks or tears, remove all stains and take care of any other repairs that are needed at the same time. It is never wise to leave a pool undrained for an extended period of time, so have all of your repairs scheduled and materials ready when you begin draining.
Rely on a professional pool cleaning service if you are unsure of how to drain and refill your pool.
Contact Manning Pool Service for Help Draining Your Pool!
If you’re worried about managing the swimming pool cleaning on your own, call Manning Pool Service! We can help you with every pool service and maintenance task. Call us at 713-322-8304 to get more information!
Hit the Reset: 6 Reasons Why You Should Be Draining Your Pool | Manning Pool Service – Houston, TX