Imagine swimming in crystal-clear waters. You see it sparkle as you walk up to the pool. You can’t wait to dive in. That’s the image you hope to create with your commercial pool. With the right pool services, your Washington pool can look that good.

The secret to a crystal-clear swimming pool is the right cleaning routine. It’s not difficult, but it does entail regular maintenance. It involves cleaning it the right way.

Do your current commercial pool services keep your pool crystal-clear? If murkiness lies just beneath the surface, it may be from one of these mistakes.

Mistake #1: You Don’t Test the Waters Enough

If you own a pool, you understand that testing is a part of operations. Especially in commercial pools, testing is a vital part of keeping the waters clean and healthy.

Squeezing it in from time to time isn’t optional. Crystal-clear waters depend on knowing your pool is properly sanitized and chemically balanced throughout the day. This ensures:

• Clean and clear water
• The ability to fight off bacteria and protect swimmers’ health
• Reduced chemical costs—a cleaner pool doesn’t need periodic shocks to bring it back to health
• Lower pool bills—maintenance is much cheaper than emergency repairs

Keep in mind that commercial pools are different from privately owned pools. Residential pools may be checked two to four times per week, while commercial pools need daily, even hourly, testing. This involves checking chlorine levels, pH levels, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, and calcium hardness. It depends on climate, inside or outside location, and activity, among other things.

Mistake #2: You Avoid Manual Maintenance

The busier the pool, the more debris and other materials are likely to end up in the water. That cloudy look can be caused by various things, depending on the location. No matter how big or small, it can eat away at your sanitizer and impact the chemical levels. The longer you leave things without fixing the problem, the cloudier the water becomes.

Chemicals are only part of the mix. You can make a difference with manual maintenance by skimming, brushing, and vacuuming the pool. This manual maintenance can help you:

• Spend less on chemicals
• Reduce pool cleaning time throughout the week
• Keep the water clearer
• Create a more tempting environment for everyone who enters

Ever wiped down your home bathroom daily? It helps you avoid a bigger job on the weekends. The same concept applies when you’re caring for a pool.

Even a short daily routine can make a big difference. We’re happy to give you pointers to help your commercial pool stay cleaner throughout the week, working together to provide the best service for your pool.

Mistake #3: You Don’t Have Proper Filtration

Commercial water filtration systems are designed to purify water on a large scale. These systems are more robust than residential filtration units and can handle larger amounts of water in shorter periods.

Commercial pool filters are rated by gallons per minute. This describes how many gallons of water will be filtered every minute. Once this rate is calculated, you’ll have a good idea of the pool pump and filter size you need.

This isn’t the time to ignore size and requirements. An oversized pump can pump more water faster, but its bigger size could cause lower pressure, defeating your original goal. Commercial pools need the correct size.

Mistake #4: You’re Not Using Shock Treatments Effectively

Managing chemical additions is a part of regular pool maintenance. Along with regular sanitizing treatments and water balancers, you’ll also need occasional shock treatments.

Shocking adds a stronger concentration of pool sanitizer to instantly get those chemical levels back up to acceptable levels. Think of it as a fast, deep clean to ensure your pool is safe for swimmers. Shock treatments effectively kill algae, bacteria, and other harmful pathogens. They also break down waste products created by your sanitizing routine.

Pool shock treatments are usually chlorine-based, but they differ from the day-to-day sanitizer you use for daily use. Having the right chemicals on hand for when you need them is important.

Shocking is needed occasionally. You cannot rely on everyday sanitizers to maintain the correct chemical level inside the pool. It’s more critical with a commercial pool because of the heavy use.

Mistake #5: You Approach All Cleaning the Same Way

Daily cleaning is the most important thing you can do for any commercial pool. However, good commercial pool services realize there is more to maintenance than daily cleaning to maintain your Washington-based swimming pool properly.

Daily services include vacuuming and brushing the floor, scrubbing the walls and steps, and rinsing or replacing filters. Check all chemical levels regularly depending on how much traffic your pool receives.

Monthly services go deeper. This is your chance to identify any problems before they take a turn for the worse. This is where checklists and logs can benefit you to ensure you understand where any problems stem from. Chlorine and pH levels should be checked and analyzed to see trends and potential problems. This can give you a better idea of repairs and replacement issues to ensure a cleaner pool.

Seasonal checks and maintenance items should be determined by the pool traffic. Washington outdoor pools will need checks and maintenance throughout the warm summer months and winterization heading into the colder months. Indoor pools may be busiest in the winter months when people look for things to do inside. More traffic means more checks and balances. It’s up to you to stay on top of maintenance to create a healthy swimming experience for all.

Do You Need a Commercial Pool Service?

One of the most common things we hear from commercial pool managers is they assume the pool is clean because it doesn’t appear dirty. There’s more to pool maintenance than meets the eye.

Pool servicing requires year-round maintenance to keep bacteria from growing in the water and keep chlorine levels safe for daily swimming. This can add to quite a bit of maintenance work, services you might not perform yourself.

By partnering with a commercial pool service like Strong Refuge Pool, you’ll have a hassle-free maintenance routine for your Washington pool for as long as you need. And happier customers overall.