5 Things To Never Do To Your Swimming Pool

Swimming pool mistakes — they happen. From jumping in too soon after a big lunch to adding way too much chlorine before your kid’s birthday party, we’ve all (probably) made a mistake or two when it comes to our pools.

The good news? With a little care and plenty of awareness, these mistakes are avoidable.

At Neave Pools, we’ve witnessed plenty of slips in regard to pool usage and swimming pool maintenance — or lack thereof — and provided pool-rescuing solutions along the way.

Avoid These Swimming Pool Mistakes

With 50 years of pool design, build and maintenance experience under our belts, we wanted to share with you five of the most common swimming pool maintenance mistakes and user errors homeowners can make.

Not Running The Pump Enough

When talking pool pumps, we understand one of our customers’ biggest concerns is operational costs, since there are pumps available that will run night and day. This is why — in an effort to keep the electric bill in check — some pool owners are relatively frugal with how much they run their pumps.

Failing to run a pool pump long enough can result in a filter that clogs faster, which can lead to bigger problems the more often and longer a filter is clogged. For most residential pools, 8 to 12 hours of run time should filter the water in your pool.

Connect with Neave Pools and we can help save you money by recommending energy efficient pool pumps that will reduce your overhead without sacrificing performance. We can even install automated control systems that will allow the pool to practically maintain themselves.

Directly Shocking Your Pool

Out of balance pool water can be the cause of some serious long-term pool problems: corrosion of equipment, algae growth, and surface scaling. Proper chemical balance can extend your pool’s lifespan, not to mention prevent costly repair bills, such as equipment replacement, re-plastering, and liner replacement.

That said, shocking a pool — aka adding a high concentration of chlorine — directly into your pool is never a good idea. Doing this can negatively impact your pool liner in three ways: cause bleach stains, compromise its durability and eventually cause leaks.

Ignoring The Water Level

Whether from a leak or a neighborhood cannonball competition, a low water level in your pool can become a problem the longer it goes unnoticed — or ignored.

Chemical treatments in a pool noticeably below its fill line actually increase in concentration. And as noted above, unbalanced pool water can have damaging effects.

Also, a pool water level that drops below the skimmer means your pool pump will draw in air instead of water and begin to run dry. Running dry for too long can cause overheating and actually melt your pump’s housing.

To keep your mind at ease, we’re big proponents of complete pool automation.

Not Showering Before Entering

Did you know, according to a Water Quality & Health Council survey on swimmer hygiene, 32 percent of American adult swimmers say they “always” shower before swimming.

Showering before taking a dip is very important. That’s because when our colognes, lotions, deodorants and hair products mix with pool disinfectants, irritants are created that can prove harmful to your health.

Urinating In The Pool

We know this is something you’d never do, but you probably know someone who has … or does. Believe it or not, according to a recent American study, one in five people admit to urinating in the pool. And Huffington Post reported leading up to the London Olympics in 2012 that Olympic swimmers do it — a lot.

Besides the obvious, urinating in the pool can produce some unhealthy swimming conditions

Researchers have found when urine and sweat mix with chlorine, two chemicals form: trichloramine and cyanogen chloride. According to the Centers for Disease Control, exposure to these by-products can have negative effects on swimmers, such as respiratory problems as well as skin and eye irritation.

DIY Pool Maintenance? Better Leave It To Neave

Okay, okay, we’re obviously a bit biased on this one. But that’s because we’ve seen so many damaging and costly mistakes being made — like the ones above — unknowingly by homeowners.

Like your car, your roof, your plumbing, and even your teeth — your pool is a serious investment. Risking its lifespan, performance and integrity is not worth it. Why not leave any repairs, new pool tech updates, and maintenance to a professional with decades of experience?

Neave professionals are trained to detect potential problems before they start. We verify the condition of the pool and its equipment as we perform our regular maintenance, allowing us to catch problems early and prevent more costly repairs.

If you’re in Hudson Valley, call (845) 463-0592. Westchester, call (914) 271-7996. Cold Spring, call (845) 463-0592, and in Connecticut, call (203) 212-4800. Or fill out the handy web form on this page, and we’ll get in touch with you to schedule a complimentary swimming pool consultation.

Image: Pool shower sign