Owning a Swimming Pool:
Introduction to Pool Basics
"Owning a Swimming Pool is a Lot Like Owning a Pet."
Let's be honest here. Owning a swimming pool carries with it a few responsibilities that are not right for everyone.
When you think about it, owning a swimming pool is a lot like owning a pet. You have to perform routine tasks in order to care for both of them. Each require an investment of time, as you do the housekeeping and clean up after them. Each require a financial commitment to purchase the necessary supplies, treatments, and equipment that are needed to keep them going strong.
If you can handle a pet, you probably can handle a pool.
How much time will you need to care for your pool? We will go into further detail on this later, but if you follow our routine, you will need 3 minutes a day and about a half-hour once a week.
How much money will you spend on pool care? This is a question that is not easily answered. There are a lot of factors to consider.
How large will the pool be? What chemicals will you use? What kind of filtration will you have, and how often will you run it? What kind of environment will the pool be in? How often will the pool be used and by whom? What kind of weather does your area get? Get the picture?
The best way to control the majority of the above factors is by adopting a strategy for routine maintenance.
Vacuuming the pool bottom, brushing the inside walls, emptying skimmer baskets and traps, it's all part of the deal.
Fortunately, by implementing a plan for regular and scheduled maintenance you will keep things under wraps
regardless of the size of pool, and we think you will find that the
maintenance is rather easy. It's general housekeeping for the most part.
In the coming sections, we will reveal to you a solid daily, weekly, and monthly routine to ensure that your pool stays under control. Before we set you into a rhythm, however, we need to get you more acquainted with your pool.
The goal here is to make you familiar with all aspects of your pool, so you can maintain your pool with confidence.
If you are new to pools, you should review the entire basics section, but if you are looking for specifics, you can skip around using the table of contents below.
Section 2: Estimated Cost of Ownership
Section 3: The 5 Keys to a Healthy Swimming Pool
Section 4: The Anatomy of a Swimming Pool
Section 5: Swimming Pool Tools and Equipment
Section 6: Daily Maintenance
Section 7: Weekly Maintenance
Section 8: Other Maintenance
Section 9: Basic Water Chemistry
Section 10: Swimming Pool Safety
Section 11: Installing an Above Ground Swimming Pool
Section 12: Swimming Pool Start-up
Section 13: Swimming Pool Winterizing
Section 14: Replacing a Liner
Section 15: Service and Repair