How to Keep Your Backyard Pool Crystal Clear All Summer Long

It wasn't long ago that COVID-19 severely restricted one of summer's greatest pleasures — plunging into a body of water on a scorching day — and sales of pools nearly doubled from one year to the next. If you're among the newer pool owners or are just trying to refresh your memory as you prep a backyard pool for the season, here are a few maintenance and care tips from pool blogging professionals and some essential supplies with solid reviews that'll help keep the water safe and sparkling.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Related: Reasons Not to Put in a Backyard Pool

Matt Giovanisci, who runs the website Swim University, recommends in his post "A Beginner's Guide to Pool Maintenance" that pool owners get to know four basic components that all pools have regardless of their design and complexity: the water, the interior wall or liner, the filtration system, and the skimmers and return system. "No two pools are alike, and you'll no doubt encounter pool maintenance challenges specific to your pool as time goes on," Giovanisci writes. "But if you've got a firm grasp on these four pool components, you'll be well equipped to face down most upkeep challenges."

Related: The Best Aboveground Swimming Pools

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Want a home resource you can check to answer questions quickly? This pool-care manual gets high marks from readers and even comes in a free Kindle edition if you're okay with not having a paper copy.

Whether it's in your head or on an actual calendar, there are few things you should remember to do regularly for optimum pool health and swimming conditions, according to the experts at Pool Troopers in their "Pool Maintenance Checklist." Read on for suggestions on what to add to your list.

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First on the Pool Troopers' list of daily tasks is to make sure a pool's water level isn't too high or low, which can affect skimming function. Second is checking the filter and pump to ensure normal pressure and inspect the pool cleaner, pump baskets, and in-pool skimmers to make sure they don't need to be emptied or cleared of debris.

Davy Merino, writing for the blog of In the Swim, a discount pool supply and equipment provider, notes that irregular filter pressure shouldn't be ignored. "Higher-than-normal pressure indicates a dirty filter or obstruction after the filter," he notes, "and lower-than-normal pressure indicates a dirty pump basket or obstruction before the filter."

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Your pool likely has one of three types of filters: sand, cartridge, or diatomaceous earth, or DE. Each has its pros and cons, according to INYO Pools' blog, and pool owners should familiarize themselves. The care, cleaning, maintenance, and replacement schedule of your filter depends which type you have and some other specifics of your pool, budget, weather, and so on.

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It seems most Amazon buyers are pretty satisfied with this filter cleaner, but some note that it works better on smaller filters and is easier to use with DE and cartridge filters.

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If you've got cartridge filters, buyers say this spray tool will make cleaning between those pleats a lot easier.

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If you haven't replaced the sand in your filter recently, this 50-pound bag of 20-grade silica sand is chemical-free, odorless, and claims to backwash easily and evenly. About 90% of buyers give it at least 4 stars.

Giovanisci recommends that pool owners memorize the three C's — circulation, cleaning, and chemistry — to remind themselves of the "foundation of effective pool care." Keeping these in mind will keep attention on things that could make your swimming experience less than enjoyable if ignored.

Related: The Biggest Health Risk of Public Pools (It Isn't Drowning or COVID-19)

Giovanisci says that pool owners should ideally run their pumps 24/7 but acknowledges that's "not feasible for everyone's budget or equipment." Do a minimum of 10 to 12 hours a day, he advises, and backwash your filter frequently. How depends on the type of filter (and note that some types, such as cartridges, aren't designed for backwashing).

At the very least, Giovanisci writes, you'll need a pool vacuum, pool brush, and net skimmer, and you should use them weekly at a minimum. He recommends a couple of pro hacks: "Toss a few tennis balls into your skimmer basket, or even right into the pool, and they'll absorb surface oils left behind by suntan lotion, cosmetics" and so on. Second, wrap your skimmer baskets in pantyhose to create an "extra-fine filter that'll catch more contaminants than a skimmer alone."

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While highly rated pool brushes abound, this one claims that its whale tail feature holds the brush against the wall with more than 10 times the usual force. Nearly 90% of buyers agree, giving it 4 or 5 stars.

$30 from Amazon
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Buyers seem to love the durability of this deep-bag leaf skimmer, giving compliments such as "super-sturdy" and "excellent design." Note that it doesn't come with the attached pole (many well-made skimmers don't), but that any standard 1¼-inch pole will work.

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Don't have a pair of pantyhose lying around? These "socks" can be used on filters, baskets, and skimmers for an extra layer of filtration.

The three components of water chemistry, Giovanisci notes, are pH levels, alkalinity, and sanitizer levels (aka the amount of chlorine, bromine, and such in your pool). Pool Troopers recommends checking these levels with a water-testing kit at least weekly, and two to three times max. Get to know what levels mean, and also what to add to your water should levels deviate from the norm.

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This highly rated kit tests for chlorine, bromine, pH, acid demand, and total alkalinity and includes a transparent round test block with integrated color chips for accurate color matching with your test strips.

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These strips will test your free chlorine, bromine, pH, and alkalinity levels and come in an easy-to-store container.

Most pool experts agree that the surface of a pool should be skimmed daily, and that walls, corners, ladders, and other surfaces should be brushed down at least a couple of times a week. Investing in an automatic pool cleaner will save you a lot of trouble and labor; run it once a day in a regularly used pool, or weekly or biweekly in a pool that isn't often used.

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This comes recommended by the In the Swim blog folks for in-ground pools. They call it "a speedy cleaner that gets the job done every time." Some pool cleaners cost two or three times as much, so this one is also pretty reasonably priced.

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In the Swim recommends this pool cleaner for aboveground pools. It's suitable for pools up to 5 feet deep, and it's cute to boot.

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Robotic vacuums can miss spots, so keep a manual vacuum on hand. This one gets high marks from Amazon buyers.

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Sometimes a pool can start to look a little less than sparkling. If that's the case, it might be time to employ a bit of elbow grease via a brush.

If you've had a lot of people using your pool or there's been a recent storm, you should shock it — adding extra chlorine or other chemicals — to further help with sanitation. Giovanisci recommends doing this at night, as "the sun's ultraviolet rays will eat up the chlorine before it has a chance to do its job." After adding shock to your water, he adds, "run the pump for at least eight hours to make sure it's fully circulated."

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This shock treatment gets solid reviews from customers and can be used to clear cloudy water and control bacteria.

Pool Troopers recommend that you also check calcium hardness, cyanuric acid, and — if applicable — salt levels monthly. Along with pH and alkalinity, proper calcium hardness levels help keep water in its ideal chemical balance. CYA helps stabilize chlorine loss from UV rays. And salt levels help keep saltwater pool chlorine generators running properly. All three are important but are less likely to fluctuate dramatically.

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This cyanuric acid treatment will help prevent your pool from losing chlorine to sunlight up to 25%.

$270 from PoolSupplies.com
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If you want to get a few chemicals for your pool in one fell swoop, this kit includes chlorine tabs, shocking chemicals, algaecide, clarifier, and test strips. It's for pools up to 15,000 gallons; a larger size is available for pools up to twice that size.

If you're feeling confused about any aspects of keeping your pool clean, well-running, and safe, reach out to experts. Pool supply and equipment store employees and pool-care professionals can help answer questions and perform tasks you don't feel comfortable doing.

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