It has always been a homeowner’s dream to have a home with a clear and clean pool, especially when they want to relax and have a good time with their family on the weekend. Whether it’s chilling with friends, having a barbecue, or simply teaching your child how to swim, there are a lot of uses for having your own swimming pool.
But just like any structure and building material we use, like our home’s roof, sidings, and general foundation, a swimming pool will also have its own lifespan. Most of the time, pools aren’t roofed, making them quite vulnerable to harsh weather conditions. While pools are designed to be water-resistant (since they do carry a good amount of water), they’re still vulnerable to the elements.
Besides just trying to extend our pool’s lifespan, it’s also important to maintain our pools monthly. If left untreated and unchecked, pools can be prime breeding grounds for different disease-causing microbes and water-borne diseases, which can also significantly affect your pool’s lifespan. Not only will maintenance of the pool and its equipment keep it in pristine condition, but it will also effectively improve your pool’s lifespan.
It might seem like you’ll need to spend more to ensure your pool is in good shape, but if you’ve already spent thousands of dollars on your home’s pool, then there’s no harm in paying $80 to $150 monthly on maintenance.
What is the Pool’s Lifespan?
But before we can discuss some effective ways of lengthening our pool’s lifespan, you’ll need to determine its lifespan. This will help you gauge whether you will need to have major repairs or spend money on a monthly maintenance routine.
How long does it last? Based on statistics, the usual pool lasts around 10 to 20 years, depending on several environmental factors. Some of the factors that can affect a pool’s lifespan will include:
- Proper construction and installation
- The construction materials used for installation
- The quality of the equipment in maintaining your pool
- The amount of manual care that it gets
- The frequency of certain natural calamities, such as floodings, earthquakes, and storms.
Even though we can’t prevent natural disasters and other natural occurrences from happening, it’s important to focus on things that we can change. Almost all factors that decrease our pool’s lifespan can be easily remedied and prevented. Contrary to what most people think, keeping our pool in pristine condition only takes a little manual care.
But what can we do to maintain our pool? Here are some effective ways of keeping it clean:
Maintaining Your Pool’s Equipment
One of the best ways to maintain your pool is not necessarily supporting it but maintaining the equipment that will help keep it clean, which is the best way to ensure it’s sparkling and clean.
Usually, water will carry minerals and granules, especially in your home’s non-regulated water tanks. Of course, a water softening system will remove any impurities in the water that could clog up waterways and pipes. However, some equipment might not work as intended when your pool is at the end of its lifespan. Fortunately, there are water softener repair services that can help ensure that your water softeners are up-to-speed.
Another piece of equipment you’ll need to look at is the chlorinator. Chlorinators play an integral part in keeping your pool clean, with the proper chlorine tablet levels stopping clogging and loading. Still, this will depend on the style and features of your pool.
Ozone generators are also used to purify your pool for any impurities and contaminants that might cause health problems. They can also help reduce the amount of chlorine in the water so that there’s a balance. Still, it’s important to make sure that it’s working.
Check the pH Levels
Naturally, you’ll also need to check the consistency of your water. This means that it should be right between 7.2 and 7.8. Most experts would say that 7.4 is the optimal comfort level and the safest experience for swimmers.
As we have discussed, a chlorinator and an ozone generator are needed to keep your pH in the right condition. For instance, if your pH is above 8.0, you might want to make your chlorinator 10% more active.
Conclusion
There are several ways of lengthening your pool’s lifespan, and you don’t necessarily need to invest too much in intricate equipment or even manual labor. Still, it’s important to be vigilant about your pool’s consistency and that it’s just “right” for human use. Our pool is an extension of our home, and we must ensure it’s safe for everyone.