After you’ve designed and constructed your custom pool, keeping it neat and functional is important. Regular pool maintenance is essential to ensure that your pool looks good and has been available for many years.
The pool vacuum is a key method for maintaining an inground pool. If you use a manual vacuum or a robotic cleaner, you must vacuum often.
Here is some information about how a pool vacuum is incorporated into maintenance:
What Does a Pool Vacuum Do?
A vacuum cleans dirt and other debris off the floor of your swimming pool. The system that filters your pool strives to eliminate as many harmful substances as possible, but regular cleaning of your floors and walls can help your filter work more efficiently.
Also, you should clean the surface of your pool frequently to eliminate any fallen branches or any other debris that might be there.
Vacuums for pools also help keep your swimming pool looking most attractive. Everyone doesn’t want to stop at the pool that they have designed and see an assortment of branches and leaves on the pool’s floor.
If you clean your pool regularly, you’ll see the changes. Cleaning up debris and dirt also assists in reducing the growth of algae; therefore, when guests and family visit, you’ll know your pool will appear at its best.
Different Types of Pool Vacuums
A pool vacuum can get rid of particles that fall into the pool. While your filter for your pool will take in a significant amount of dirt, it won’t take it all in, which is why a vacuum is needed. There are two primary kinds of vacuums: automatic and manual.
1. Manual Pool Vacuums
Manual vacuums are perfect for extremely dirty pools that haven’t had a thorough cleaning. The robotic pool vacuums are ideal for keeping a pool clean when it’s already well-maintained.
However, they aren’t always designed to deal with a polluted pool with a lot of debris. Therefore, if you’re cleaning your backyard pool for the first time, you should consider purchasing manual cleaning equipment or hiring an expert pool cleaning service to restore your pool to its original condition.
A common question regarding manual cleaners is what can we do to vacuum our pool using Shop Vac? Yes, you can easily clean your pool using a Shop Vac.
You’ll need a pump specifically designed to use the Shop Vac, you’ll need to keep it away from the swimming pool, and you’ll need to drain the water tank numerous times during the process.
Most pool professionals do not recommend using the Shop Vac, but there are other, less expensive manual pool vacuums that you could use in place.
2. Automatic Pool Vacuums
Automated, also known as robot vacuums, are devices that use electricity to remove dirt from your pool’s floor and the lower walls of your pool. They provide the same cleaning you can get from manual vacuums but do most of the manual labor.
There are also solar-powered “skimmers” that float over the top of the pool, scooping the floating debris; however, they don’t have the power of the true pool vacuum.
There are a variety of different types that are available for automatic cleaners.
- Suction side cleaners are ideal for those on a budget, perfect for large and medium debris removal.
- Pressure side vacuums use the pressure of water jets to move through the pool, which is ideal for large and medium debris collection.
- Robotic cleaners do not run on circulation in the pool; rather, they run on electricity, which is great for silt and tiny debris.
Pool vacuuming is crucial for all inground vinyl or gunite pools. Both kinds of vacuums for pools (manual and automated) are suitable to clean pools of any kind and can be used to clean saltwater or freshwater pools.
How Often Should a Pool Be Vacuumed?
There are some aspects to be considered when creating the cleaning schedule for your pool. There are four principal time frames to clean your pool: spot cleaning, seasonal and excessive use, and regular maintenance.
- Spot vacuuming is best done periodically, such as following a storm in the summer or a very windy day which creates a lot of debris to drop into the pool.
- Seasonal Readiness, such as opening your pool for the season or getting ready for winter storage, are great occasions to clean. If you’re meticulous enough about closing your pool in winter, then the less you’ll need to do in order to open it during the summer.
- In excess, your pool can cause debris to enter your pool. You should consider excessive usage of a large celebration or a week of continuous usage. The more people moving between the pool, the more feet are carrying dirt.
- Regular maintenance is usually at least once per week unless you’re a homeowner of a pool with high usage. A weekly cleaning routine will speed up the vacuuming process and prevent algae from growing.
Cleaning Up Your Pool
There are two methods to clean your pool. You can use either vacuum for waste or filter the water and backwash.
1. Vacuuming to Eliminate Waste
Setting your vacuum for your pool to waste lets you bypass the cartridges or filter and put debris directly into the sewer line.
If you’re dealing with an abundance of filter-clogging debris in your swimming pool, you’ll need to utilize the option of removing it with a vacuum.
Dirt that is clogging your filter refers to dirt, silt, and other tiny particles that can cause the filter to wear out fast.
Depending on the vacuum type and the filter system you are using, the options for waste cleaning may differ.
You’ll need to select the “waste” or “drain” option if you have multiport valves.
If you have the push-pull valve, it is dependent on the kind of filter you are using. DE filters and Sand filters comprise the two commonly used filters, each with a different setting.
If you’re not sure which kind of filter you’re using or what you should do, you can set your vacuum’s setting to eliminate waste; talk to a pool technician who is certified.
2. Vacuuming to Filter and Backwashing
Utilizing standard settings and an air-filtered vacuum is the most commonly used method to clean a pool. It’s also what you’ll probably want to accomplish for upkeep and maintenance.
While you vacuum, your filter will capture any debris, dirt, and algae spores. It is the method of cleansing your filter to avoid accumulation.
When the vacuum is finished, you’ll need to turn off the water’s flow towards the waste line and let all the filthy water run out to the ground or down a drain.
Backwash the pool until the water clears. It is possible to do this using a self-cleaning pool vacuum or a manual vacuum.
3. Brushing Your Pool
No matter what kind of vacuum you pick, it is important to scrub your pool regularly so that the vacuum can remove all grime and scum from the floor.
The vacuums can perform a limited job in picking off silt and debris within the swimming pool area. However, they’re not advice you to clean the floor of your pool first.
Similar to the floors of your home, with repeated use, silt and dirt wear away on the floor, and you require a thorough mopping (in this case, brushing) to scrub all dirt off.
To ensure a successful pool cleaning session, concentrate on places that are hard to reach, such as behind the ladders, along steps, and corners.
4. Utilizing a Leaf Trap
Leaf traps are an added accessory that can be purchased for self-cleaning and manual vacuums. A leaf trap is crucial for those drinking up sticks, leaves, and acorns. Utilizing a leaf trap will stop these massive debris pieces from clogging the vacuum’s lines.
5. Shocking Your Pool
Must do Vacuuming before shocking your pool. The shock will aid in cleaning the water and removing algae, among other things, but it will not rid the pool of any silt that causes the fogginess of your water.
When you give your pool a good cleaning before the shock, you will increase the chances of getting clean, clear water following the shock is over.
Pool Vacuum Maintenance
Like you’ll need a vacuum to maintain your pool, you must keep your vacuum in good condition. Two of the most straightforward ways to ensure your vacuum is in good condition are to ensure that you do not allow it to run indefinitely and to not leave the vacuum on the floor of the pool.
1. How Long Should You Run a Pool Vacuum?
If you own an old-fashioned vacuum, you’ll use it until it is time to clean your pool. Using an electronic vacuum cleaner can last between two and six hours, based on the size of your pool.
An automatic vacuum should not be set to run continuously because it wears off the filter and motor and causes problems with other maintenance schedules for the pool.
2. How Long Should You Leave a Vacuum in a Pool?
It is suggest you to remove the vacuum when your cleaning process complete.
In addition to it being obvious that your pool vacuum, with its long hose and cords, could hinder swimming, the materials that vacuums are constructed of shouldn’t be immersed in chlorine and other chemicals.
After a lengthy amount of time, the material may begin to degrade, which can cause malfunctions and costly repairs.
