If you own a swimming pool, there are some swimming pool maintenance tasks you should be doing often to keep your pool clear and safe for those wanting to swim in it. Without proper maintenance, you could be shortening the lifespan of your swimming pool as well. The swimming pool liner could be suffering from the lack of maintenance and may end up with holes from debris, or from algae eating its way through the liner. If you aren't sure how to properly maintain your swimming pool, read on for some of the tasks you should be aware of and should be performing.

Clean Out The Pump And Skimmer Basket

The pump and the skimmer basket both need to be emptied to get rid of the debris inside. The pump may not fill up with much debris if you are emptying the skimmer basket often, but if you aren't, the pump will get clogged eventually. This can block the flow of water going to the filter. When this happens, you could blow up the pump and the filter as well, which can be costly to repair if necessary. Empty the skimmer basket regularly.

Backwash The Filter

The filter needs to be backwashed to remove the dirt and dirty water that may still be inside. Turn off the pump, then set the filter to the backwash setting. The filter will blow out the dirty water. There should be a glass on the side of the filter where you can see how dirty the water being removed is. Turn the filter back to the filter setting after the water runs clear again.

Vacuum The Pool Floor

Debris is eventually going to settle to the bottom of the pool floor, and you are going to vacuum the pool. A pool vacuum is going to be needed. You can use a manual vacuum, or you can invest in an automatic one that cleans for you. Whichever vacuum you choose to use, be sure that you use it regularly. Leaving dirt on the pool floor can eventually lead to algae growth, which can eat through your pool liner if not taken care of properly.

If you are not taking care of your swimming pool by performing routine maintenance, you may not be swimming in water that is safe, and you could also be shortening the lifespan of your pool. If you aren't able to perform the maintenance tasks on your pool, you should hire a pool maintenance professional to do these and other tasks for you.