If you shock your pool with a standard 10L chlorine jug, we recommend waiting 24 hours before swimming. This allows the water to circulate through the system.

This varies depending on the size of your pool and what type of pump you have. Ideally you want to be able to turn the water over twice per day. This will keep your pool clear. For example, I have a 16×32 pool with a ½ horsepower pump. We run it for 12 hours a day and our water is always clear. Many people with 1 horsepower pumps who run their pumps 24hrs per day are turning the water over too much! There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you don’t mind spending extra money on your hydro bill!

Depending on the quality of cover you purchased, a typical cover should last 8-12 years. If your cover is older then that you have done a good job caring for it! A lot of people have switched to safety covers over the last number of years. They are much nicer to look at and less hassle to open in the spring! If your cover is in need of replacing consider switching to a safety cover!

Salt cells should last for about 8-10 years. Of course how often you run it and at what percentage (40% 60% 100%) effects the lifetime of your salt cell. You should never need to run your cell over 50%. Having proper salt and stabilizer levels will help greatly with your salt cell’s life. We also recommend taking them in over the winter! Doing those things will help the cell last longer and save you money!

If you have a sand filter we recommend backwashing once per week. This allows the filter to clean out built up algae and dirt it has collected. It also keeps your water pressure coming out of your jets strong. The standard time to backwash is about 1 minute and then a 30 second rinse. One trick I use is to watch the water coming out of the backwash line. At the start it will be dirty and eventually the water coming out will turn clear. When the water becomes clear your filter is good to go! REMINDER after backwashing you should put your filter in “rinse mode” for an additional 30 seconds!

We recommend testing the water once per week. The water chemistry can change based on the weather. When it is really hot, chlorine can burn off quicker. When it rains the PH and Alkalinity are affected. Testing your pool water once a week allows you to keep your water balanced, making it safe to swim for everyone.

Weak suction can be caused by a few things:

1. Lots of debris in the skimmer basket
2. The filter needs to be backwashed
3. The vacuum hose may not be connected fully

Yes! Consider switching to an energy efficient pool pump. After the first few years, the pump will pay for itself. Check out the Pool Saver website for more info and to see if you are eligible for the $400 rebate program!