Spring Cleaning…Pool/Hot Tub Style

Spring Cleaning…Pool/Hot Tub Style

As the weather eventually warms up we are coming into our prime backyard time. With that being said, it is time to clean up the yard & prepare for sprucing up the garden & opening the pool/hot tub. Below you are going to find a few quick tips that may help make your pool or hot tub really shine for the sunny season.

We find it very helpful to prepare a list of all your pool chemicals that was left over from the previous year. It is also important to check the state of your cleaning equipment as well to ensure that it will be ready for the upcoming season. Things to check would be the wall brush bristles & the locking clasps, pool vacuum bristles & see if there are any cracks in the vacuum plate, the telescopic pole adjusts with ease, pressure gauge, etc.

Here are a few things to think of having prepared & ready for the pool opening:

• Jets (eyeballs & lock rings if applicable)
• Drain Plugs, O-Rings
• Backwash Hose
• Vacuum Hose
• Telescopic Pole
• Vacuum or Robot Cleaner
• Chlorine Container (Government Approved)
• Algaecide (poly-quat based preferably)
• Pool Opening Chemical Kit

If you have a salt system for your pool we suggest that you take a look at the panels in the salt cell to ensure that there isn’t any sodium buildup. If there is you can either soak the cell in a special solution or mixture of water & muriatic acid. If you do not feel comfortable doing either, you can always come to The Spa Shoppe & we can assist you with this as well.

Safety Cover Tips & Tricks

Now that you have the best cover in the market you want to make sure that the water also matches. Once the snow melts you will find that there are some residual leaves & dirt. At this point of the season we would suggest that you sweep these away to ensure if we do have any rain that the dirt doesn’t make its way into the pool.

It is a good practice that a week prior to opening the pool to add 20-40L of liquid chlorine to destroy, and eliminate bacterial growth. With the addition of chlorine to the water it will reduce the possibility of algae growth as well which is accelerated by direct exposure to the sun.

Water Bag/Clip-In Cover Tips & Tricks

It is always a wise decision once the ice melts on top of the cover to consider removing the excess water. This will help drastically when removing the cover from the pool when you’re ready to open it. We have found that the best way to complete this would be to use a submersible pump. It beats using a garden hose & siphoning (just in case you get a mouthful of the dingy water). When doing this keep in mind that we don’t want to clog the suction of the sump pump. If you were to take an old pool chemical bucket & drill a few holes in the bottom & sides it avoids sucking up the leaves & worms keeping the suction end clean from debris.

Once you have removed all of the water & allowed for a short period of time to dry it would be optimal to remove any leaves, dirt or any additional buildup from the winter season. This will significantly reduce the additional time spent when cleaning the cover after opening the pool. While you are pumping the water off the cover grab your telescopic pole and attach a wall brush. Brush all the water, dirt, leaves, and debris to the end of the pool where the pump is, you should find that sweeping the cover at this stage is easy and a great way to quickly clean up a majority of the cover, it also makes removing the leaves and debris much easier since it is all going to be concentrated in one spot.

Another tip, just like a safety cover, it is helpful to add liquid chlorine a week prior to the opening of the pool. This will allow for a presence of disinfectant in the water ultimately assisting in clearing the water for a cleaner opening.

Hot Tub Spring Cleaning

When the warmer weather comes you can take advantage of the time to reconnect your hose outside & do your quarterly drain & clean. If you are not yet scheduled for this you can at least take some time & do some sprucing up on the tub. You can spend some time & give the hot tub cover a little TLC with a UV protected vinyl cover cleaner or a enzyme base cleaner such as Natural Chemistry’s Clean and Perfect. The advantage of using an all purpose hot tub cleaner like Clean and Perfect is that you can also use this to clean not only the cabinetry of the tub as well as wipe down the scum line that perhaps has been beginning build up in the hot tub. It can also be used on your patio furniture and works very well to remove stains caused from organic matter such as leaves and bugs. Using enzyme based products do not contain any by-products and will not affect your hot tub’s water chemistry, or damage your cabinet and outdoor furniture.

It is also beneficial to spend additional time to rinse out your filter. This can be done by either taking your thumb over the garden hose & running down each pleat, by using a garden nozzle on the fan setting, or using a specifically designed filter cleaning wand. Ensure that you do not apply too much pressure or you will damage the filter causing less than adequate filtration. It is suggested to also use a filter cleanser to help eliminate the excess oils from the filter allowing for a longer cleaning life of the filter. Finally, if your filter is too dirty to bring back to effective cleaning ability it may be time to replace the filter.

If you do have any questions regarding preparing your filters or pool equipment for the upcoming season please feel free to call or come into our store & speak with our trained specialists. We will be more than happy to guide you & check your equipment for any issues.

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