Vacuuming a swimming pool is a great way to keep it clean and dirt-free. Sure, it takes a bit of effort, but it’s well worth it for the many benefits, such as avoiding algae and keeping the pool chemicals in balance.
Vacuuming the pool is easy; you need the essential equipment and the proper technique!
Things Needed to Vacuum the Pool
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
1. Suction head with a telescopic rod – You might already have a telescopic pole available and interchangeable accessories such as screens and brushes. Most pool suction heads are designed to work with any telescoping rod.
2. Float tube – Connect the vacuum head to the pool pump through the skimmer inlet, which provides power for debris suction.
Proper maintenance of your pool equipment is essential to ensure efficient operation. In Melbourne, where enjoying a refreshing dip in your pool is a popular pastime, keeping your pool pump in top working condition is crucial. However, if you ever encounter issues with your pool pump, such as reduced suction power or unusual noises, don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance for pool pump repair Melbourne. Timely repairs can restore your pool’s functionality and prolong your equipment’s life, allowing you to continue enjoying crystal-clear water and worry-free swimming in your Melbourne oasis.
3. Floor cleaner socket adapter – This accessory connects the hose to the skimmer inlet.
Choose the best suction head for your swimming pool.
If you have a swimming pool with PVC lining, using a brush with soft bristles is advisable to prevent scratches or damage.
If the cladding is instead made of concrete or tiles, opt for a suction head equipped with wheels to move it more easily.
How to Vacuum a Swimming Pool?
Once you have recovered all the necessary equipment, you can move on to action.
First, assemble the aspirator: connect the head to the telescopic rod with the practical joint, attach one end of the tube to the aspirator head and connect the other end to the skimmer using the adapter.
Before starting, select the correct filter setting by positioning the selector valve on “filtration” for regular cleaning or “exhaust” for extraordinary cleaning when the dirt to be vacuumed is greater.
At this point, you can start with the aspiration. Remember to proceed slowly: if you go too fast, you risk simply lifting the dirt instead of vacuuming it.
If the pool is filthy and there is a lot of material to be vacuumed, take a break from time to time to empty the pump filter.
Once you have finished vacuuming, replace the suction head with a soft bristle brush and give the bottom and walls a final pass.
You must get the air out before connecting the hose to the skimmer. The easiest way is to hold the tube against a nozzle and wait until no more bubbles come out of the other end.
How Often Should You Vacuum Your Pool?
In general, it’s a good idea to vacuum your pool once a week. We also recommend doing this whenever you notice large amounts of debris, dirt, or leaves on the bottom of the swimming pool (for example, you may be able to perform a cleaning procedure after a heavy summer storm ).
Do I Have to Vacuum the Pool Even if I Use a Robot Cleaner?
Robotic pool cleaners are great for routine cleaning but aren’t designed to remove large amounts of dirt that would weigh down the machine. If debris is not removed on time, it can quickly degrade water quality and cause maintenance problems like algae.
We advise you to use the vacuum cleaner to complement the robot cleaner. In this way, you will be able to prevent accumulations of debris, and you will be able to deal with all types and quantities of dirt.
Can the Vacuum Remove Algae?
Algae can be difficult to remove, especially once it settles in the nooks and crannies of your pool. While the vacuum alone won’t remove all the algae from your tank, it certainly helps prevent it.
After making your swimming pool water sparkling clean, you might try out beautiful landscaping ideas to enhance the look of your pool and make your backyard even more attractive.
How to Clean the Bottom of the Pool?
Having a swimming pool is a pleasure that more and more people allow themselves if they have ample open space. It is a relief valve for people of all ages, from children playing and learning to swim to adults who want a body of water to relax on the hottest days. The swimming pool, however, is not just entertainment; it requires a continuous and constant commitment to keep the water transparent and the structure clean.
Cleaning your pool is a breeze if you use the correct equipment. Often, however, it can be ineffective either because it needs to be carried out adequately or because they are actions that do not counteract the causes of dirt but clean only superficially.
Using chemicals such as chlorine can help keep the water reasonably clean, but more is needed to deal with dirt and debris at the bottom of the pool.
Indeed, dirt accumulates at the bottom of the tank, and it is necessary to intervene periodically to guarantee the water’s hygiene. To always have a clear and clean pool and to ensure the hygiene of those who use it, it is advisable to maintain the swimming pool as regularly as possible. The pool water should be pure, clear, and neutral.
Maintenance is mandatory to avoid unpleasant inconveniences like green or cloudy water. For this to be complete and not require extraordinary interventions, it is necessary to use a disinfectant, products that help keep the pH level stable, and water filtration.
Pool Cleaning Kit:
Maintenance of the swimming pool can be carried out using special cleaning kits. There are now many on the market, which is offered in different versions and with many accessories. Some of these accessories can be included in the pool package, while others must be purchased separately. The main tools present in the pool cleaning kits are:
A Pool Cover:
It is a plastic sheet covering the entire pool surface to prevent leaves, insects, or any other type of dirt that the wind can carry from entering. It should be placed on the pool on rainy days or when it remains unused for a longer time: in this way, in addition to cleaning, it will also help maintain the heat of the water heated by the sun.
Swimming Pool Filter:
It can be with cartridges or sand filters. This filter promotes the recirculation of the water and returns it to the pool, free of insects, leaves, and other debris.
A Skimmer:
It is a device positioned at the water surface level and contains a filter that collects dirt, insects, and other debris. You can place chlorine, which should never be released directly into the water.
Nets:
Nets are accessories that can never be missing in a pool cleaning kit. They can help remove surface dirt faster than the skimmer.
pH analysis instruments: A neutral swimming pool should always be between 7.2 and 7.5. If it is too basic, the water becomes cloudy, and the walls are encrusted, while if it is too acidic, it could cause irritation to the skin and eyes.
Anti-algae:
It should be used when green spots appear in the pool, the water seems a little cloudy, or the sides and bottom have a slippery coating. These are all symptoms that the water needs disinfection. After adding the chlorine, the product should be put in water and left to act for at least one night.
How to Clean the Bottom of a Pool Without a Vacuum Cleaner?
As we have already said, cleaning the pool is a matter that should not be underestimated and requires constant commitment. Undoubtedly a clean tank without residues is easier to obtain with an aspirator, but if you don’t have this type of device, you can also proceed with other tools.
The equipment does not vary according to the material in which the pool was built or the type of swimming pool (inground or above ground). Let’s see some of the tools that can be included to ensure that the water in your pool is always evident.
Telescopic Handle:
The telescopic handle is a versatile accessory used in most pool cleaning operations. It is a very long rod, which allows you to easily reach every point of the pool, even the largest and deepest ones. Many tools, such as a net or brush, can be attached to the end of this accessory.
Pool Net:
The pool net helps keep a swimming pool clean and prevents surface dirt from settling on the bottom. It is a narrow mesh net that can collect leaves, insects, and debris in the water. The net should be used daily, primarily if the pool is located in a location with many trees or dense vegetation.
It is, therefore, advisable to purchase a very robust and resistant net so as not to risk breaking it and having to replace it frequently. To be sure of having an excellent screen, you can focus on the material in which it is built: the screen’s frame can be made both in PVC and aluminium, and obviously, the second case is the more solid one.
There are two types of nets on the market: flat and bag. The flat net has a smaller capacity but is much faster to empty, and you don’t have to remove the leaves that have been collected manually.
On the other hand, the bag net can be convenient for cleaning even huge swimming pools without having to stop to empty it, but a point against it could be precisely that of having to remove the dirt collected with your hands.
Pool Brush:
Scrubbing the pool is one of the most tedious and time-consuming cleaning tasks. For these reasons, sometimes it is carried out by someone other than those who own a swimming pool, even if it is essential.
If you do not regularly brush the ladder, the pool wall and the bottom of the pool, you may face more severe problems and have to deal with deposits that are difficult to remove.
More is needed to clean the water’s surface and remove the debris on the bottom: the dirt is deposited on the walls, the ladders, and in the most hidden corners of the tank. One of the most challenging spots to brush is the water line because there are more encrustations, and often, these are substances derived from sunscreens or other organic compounds.
In most cases, algae develop on the walls and in the most difficult-to-reach corners. To prevent their formation, you should brush at least once a week. In case the algae have already formed, however, brushing helps the action of the chemical products a lot. In fact, by brushing, the algae are dispersed in the water and are easier to reach than chlorine and anti-algae.
How to Vacuum the Bottom of the Pool?
Cleaning the pool with tools that suck in the water, filter it, and then introduce it back into the pool free of dirt and debris is undoubtedly the fastest and safest way to clean it in the shortest possible time thoroughly. Many models of devices are available on the market that takes care of sucking impurities from the pool. Still, these can easily be divided into two groups: the manual ones and the automatic ones.
Manual Vacuum Cleaner for Swimming Pools
Manual pool suction is an operation that certainly requires more time than can be achieved automatically with robots, but it also has its positive sides. Indeed, manually controlling a vacuum cleaner allows for much more precise cleaning than any automatic system can offer. Furthermore, it is undoubtedly the most effective option if you have to deal with algae, which are particularly difficult to suck up.
Most of the time, the automatic cleaners would go over it without insisting on the most critical points in a particular way. To clean the pool manually, it is necessary to have a telescopic handle, a vacuum cleaner to connect it to, and a hose to connect it to the skimmer.
Pool Robots:
Automatic suction is undoubtedly the option with the most apparent advantages: time is saved, and it is possible to carry out more frequent cleaning cycles. The automated robot can be started anytime, and most models can also be programmed to carry out cleaning cycles when you are not at home.
In this way, it is possible to have a pool that is always clean with minimum effort: you have to remember to carry out maintenance on the robot itself, emptying the filter or the basket.
3 Different Types of Automatic Pool-Cleaning Robots:
Pressure Hydraulic Cleaners:
This type of cleaner exploits the power of the water introduced into the pool by the system. This way, a vortex is produced, which lifts the debris and makes them converge in a unique bag. Once the cleaning cycle is finished, you need to empty the bag full of dirt. However, these devices do not guarantee optimal cleaning: they help eliminate the debris in the water but do not clean the walls and the bottom.
Hydraulic Suction Cleaners:
This product cleans very similarly to manual cleaning. They move randomly across the bottom of the pool and use the suction of the pool system to suck up debris and send it to the pool filter. A weakness of these devices is that they overload the pool filtration system and foul the filter, which requires multiple backwashes. In addition, these cleaners only vacuum, so they don’t help scrub stubborn dirt and don’t offer a complete cleaning.
Robotic Pool Cleaners:
This is the automatic option that indeed ensures the best cleaning for your pool. They are not limited to vacuuming but can also brush the surfaces of the bottom and walls thanks to brushes. This type of device has a bag with a filter or basket that allows dirt to accumulate inside it, which can then be removed and washed very easily. Therefore, these are tools whose maintenance is simple and does not overload the pool system.
