How to Keep Your Pool Clean While on Vacation

Thinking of going on vacation but worried about your pristine pool turning into a swampy mess? Follow these simple tips to keep your pool clean while you’re gone and you’ll come home to clean, clear water that’s ready for you to dive in and enjoy.

1. Automate Your Pool Care

More and more pool owners are automating their pool care. We use technology to make our lives easier everyday through smartphones, smart TVs, and even smart cars, so why not have a smart pool as well?

Automated pool care makes keeping your pool clean and clear all year simple, even when you are away from home. Some simple steps to get started are:

• Consider investing in a saltwater system. Salt water pools automatically convert salt to chlorine, so you only have to top up the salt levels one in a while. For home owners who travel frequently this is much easier than having to fiddle with chemicals at least once a week
• If saltwater isn’t your thing, then pool chemical feeders make dispensing the perfect amount of chemical simple and easy
• Buy an automatic pool cleaner. These automated vacuums crawl your pool sucking up dirt and debris before the dirt has a chance to settle or clog your filter
• Pool monitoring systems make checking your chemical levels simple.

2. Buy a timer

This could go under the “automate your pool care” section, but it is such a simple and important step that it deserves to be called out. Running your pump regularly is one of the most important factors behind keeping a pool clean, even when you are far away relaxing on a beach.

Set your timer to run at least eight hours per day, and if you aren’t concerned about energy bills then it may even be best to simply run your pump 24/7.

Unlike people, timers won’t forget to switch your pump on or off, and are a great purchase whether you are off on an exotic adventure, or enjoying a staycation right in your own backyard.

3. Find a friend

If you don’t want to invest in automating your pool care, or if you just want some extra insurance to make sure that everything goes smoothly, you’ll have to enlist the help of a friend, family member, neighbour, of pool care professional to oversee your pool while you are gone.

Ideally whoever you choose should either own a pool themselves, or at least be familiar with pool care. Hiring a pro is by far the safest option, but if your pool is already automated then you really just need a set of eyes to make sure that everything is functioning properly.

Ask the lucky candidate to:

• Remove any debris
• Skim the pool
• Check the filter, pump, and chlorine feeder to make sure they are functioning properly
• Check the pool chemical levels (this is a lot simpler when you have a pool monitoring system)
• Test the water (again, easier with a pool monitoring system, or the use of test strips)
• Add any needed chemicals

Create a written checklist with all of your instructions clearly laid out, along with any additional information that they may need and emergency contact numbers (such as your vacation number, or your trusted pool maintenance contractor).

4. Before you go

Before you leave on vacation there are a few very simple steps that you should take to ensure that your pool is all set. First, check the water level. Low water level could impact the performance of your skimmer, filter, or pump. Very low levels can even cause damage to your pool. On the other hand if a recent rain storm has flooded your pool with rain water then your chlorine levels are likely too low, and that is a big risk to take right before leaving on vacation.

Fill your pool all the way up (or pump excess water if it is overfilled), or even slightly higher than you ordinarily would. If the forecast calls for significant rain then don’t fill it too much.

As well as the water level, you’ll want to check your chemical levels to make sure that everything is correct, your filters are clean, and there is no debris in the pool.

5. Turn the heater off and remove the solar cover

Unless you have agreed to let family, friends, or neighbours use your pool then there is no point in wasting money heating it.

Solar covers don’t use electricity, but unless you expect people to use your pool then they aren’t much use, and they present a risk to people or animals who can fall in and become trapped.

6. Speaking of people using your pool…

Pool safety should always be at the forefront of your mind. If you ask someone to keep an eye on your pool then it is usually common courtesy to let them use it while you are away. Be very clear about the safety standards that you expect them to uphold, and lay out in writing who is and is not allowed to use the pool (e.g.: “You are responsible for anyone who you invite to use the pool, and we expect no alcohol or horseplay around the pool”).

Every year there are dozens or even hundreds of people injured as a result of unauthorized pool use. Keeping your pool safe is your responsibility even if you are thousands of miles away. Keep your pool gate locked, and consider investing in a pool alarm. If someone else is watching your pool for you, be sure to stress the importance of pool security and safety.

7. Shock your pool

Depending on who you ask, how long you are going on vacation for, and the condition that your pool is in, some people advise that you shock your pool before leaving, or when you return home.

Shocking your pool before you leave and adding in some extra algaecide will keep your pool cleaner longer. Shocking your pool when you return from vacation might seem like overkill, but you never know what has been in your pool while you were away.

Follow these tips and you’ll return to a pool as fresh and clean as the day you left it!

This Blog was Posted on August 22nd, 2017
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