Introduction To Cleaning Your Pool

Cleaning Your Pool

OK, we are on the last leg of the journey: Vacuuming, brushing, netting and cleaning the tile along the top of the your pool. Before you begin, the following pages contain essential equipment you will need in order to do a proper job and impress your friends and family.

Initially, it will be an investment of about $80.00 - $150.00 depending on the quality of equipment you buy. Just remember that unless you store these tools properly in a tool shed or in your garage, they will be exposed to sunlight and could deteriorate quickly. It may be worth your while to spend a little extra money on quality equipment.

Use this checklist to be sure you have everything you need to clean your pool:

_____ Pool Pole
_____ Pool Net
_____ Pool Brush
_____ Vacuum Hose
_____ Vacuum Hose Cone
_____ Vacuum Hose Coupling
_____ Tile Brush
_____ Tile Soap

Pool Pole – I have seen a number of telescoping pool poles on the market. The most popular extend approximately 8 - 20+ feet. One of the most popular has a tightening handle in the center. My personal favorite self tightens just by twisting the inner part of the pole.

Pool Net – It never seems to amaze me of the variety of pool nets that are on the market, when in reality, a basic net that has a deep pocket about 10” will solve all of your needs. One of most inefficient pieces of pool equipment I have seen is the leaf rake, which is flat and designed to scoop small leaves or bugs off the top of the surface. The problem is that unless you have developed a constant up/down, in/out motion for scooping, you wind up leaving the mess back on top of the water every time you break the waters’ surface.

A net with a deep pocket is the only way to go, trust me. Some nets have an aluminum neck that clips into your pool pole. If you have light debris, this post is fine. However, if you have to scoop a lot of heavy, waterlogged leaves, in time, the aluminum begins to bend and break. My personal favorite is a deep pocket net with a plastic post. They are a lot sturdier than the aluminum posts.

Pool Brushes

There are three types of pool brushes:

Metal Bristles - can be harsh on a pools’ surface and wear down the pool finish a lot faster. This is good for a pool with a lot of stains on the walls.

Nylon Bristles - are soft and best used on a fiberglass pool as a metal brush will scratch the plastic finish.

Note: Plastic bristles tend to break down quicker when exposed excessively to the sun and weather. This can be frustrating if you are brushing your pool and the bristles start to fall off and float on the water. Be sure you buy a brush that says “Nylon” on it.

Metal/Nylon Bristles - a personal favorite, the combination of metal and plastic bristles are perfect for just about any pool.

Vacuum Head - again, there are many choices, but for the typical pool, a standard head is fine. If you can find one that feels a bit heavier than the rest, these vacuum heads tend to stay on the pool floor better because of the extra weight.

Vacuum Hose - I prefer a plastic hose that has a nice flexibility to it, which makes it easier to roll up when you are finished vacuuming. I am surprised at how stiff the plastic is on some hoses. Before buying one, try to test a sample hose in the store. My personal favorite is the “Bosun Hose” brand simply because they are easy to manipulate and wrap well when done. Ask for it by name. Before purchasing, you will want a hose that is long enough to stretch from your skimmer to the furthest end of your pool. When measuring this distance, be sure to include the distance from the top of the water to the deepest part of your pool.

Choosing The Right Vacuum Cone

Vacuum Cones And Coupling - Two simple devices that make life easy, a coupling plugs into one end of your vacuum hose and then into the cone. When you put your hose into the skimmer port to vacuum, this ensures a tight fit. Be sure it is firmly attached to the hose.

Turn off pump so that there is no suction in the skimmer. With cone A attached to the coupling and vacuum hose, put it into the skimmer hole. It should fit snugly about halfway. Some skimmer holes are larger than normal and the “A” cone could be pulled into your pipe if the suction hole is too large. If cone A goes more than halfway into the hole, use cones B or C to create a solid seal. If this is the case, you will not need cone A as the coupling attached to your vacuum hose will fit nicely into either of these cones.

CAUTION: make sure the pump is off so your hand doesn’t get pulled into it from the pump suction. Once hose is firmly seated in skimmer hole turn on pump.

NOTE: Some skimmer bottoms have two holes, one of which may be sealed off. Be sure you are putting the cone into the correct hole that has the suction. If you put it into the wrong hole with no suction, you will be scratching your head trying to figure out why the vacuum hose doesn’t ramp up. If you aren’t sure which is the proper hole, turn pump on and put a couple leaves or grass into skimmer and watch which hole they are sucked into.

Cleaning Your Pool - Finishing Touches

Tile Brush And Tile Soap - Lets clean your pool like the professionals. A tile brush on an extending pole is the easiest and most efficient way to clean your tile. A gallon of tile soap will go a long way and is a minimal investment.

Bugs, Critters And Frogs

In the years spent cleaning swimming pools, I have saved thousands of helpless critters, bugs and frogs by skimming
them out of the water with my net and setting them in the sun to dry out. When my time comes and I stand in front of
the pearly gates, perhaps there will be a notation in the great book that says “Mr. Christensen has saved over 4,256 little critters from swimming pools.”

The fact is, it breaks my heart to see a little critter trapped in a large body of water that is not part of its natural environment. Although I’m not particularly fond of bugs or rodents, I take pleasure in saving the industrious frog who has sat on top of a skimmer basket for a week, or bugs and spiders clinging to an automated floor vacuum hose in hopes of rescue. When I’ve found a frog that has been in the water so long that its skin is white or grey, or, I have to fish a live snake or small rodent out of a skimmer basket, I wish that someone would invent a humane way to save them.

Critter Skimmer

My wish came true when I met Brian Meagher at the Orlando pool show in January 2008. He had just developed
the Critter Skimmer, a revolutionary invention that allows critters to save themselves by crawling up a detachable spiral ramp and out the opening of a pool skimmer cover. Once they are out, they are free to go on and enjoy the wonders of Mother Nature.

Brian shared the same enthusiasm as I did for saving helpless creatures, and after years of finding frogs either dead or near dead in his pool skimmer, he went into his workshop and carved out the first Critter Skimmer and popped it into his pool skimmer. After that, it was just a question of time to see how effective his invention was.

During his morning ritual of “coffee-drinking and skimmer checking”, he never found a dead frog in his skimmer basket! Occasionally, a frog would be on the ramp that hadn’t found its way to freedom, but most
mornings, he found nothing, even after it rained when unwelcome visitors to a pool are at their highest! When
he removed the Critter Skimmer for 24 hours, he found 29 frogs in the skimmer basket with no means of escape.
It was then that he realized that he had to share his invention with other pool owners and save frogs in pool skimmers throughout North America.

Some people might shrug their shoulder at frogs that wind up in their pool, but as the world climate changes, there aren’t as many frogs as there used to be! Considering how important they are in the natural life-cycle process, 2008 was designated the Year of the Frog by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and marks a major conservation effort
to address the amphibian extinction crisis.

It all comes down to this: No one wants to dive into a pool surrounded by frogs and critters floating on their backs. I highly recommend this product to anyone who cares how their pool looks, as the Critter Skimmer is without question; the finishing touch to “The Perfect Pool”! Made from highly durable plastic far above industry standards, it fits most swimming pool skimmer holes, square or round.