How To Know If My Pool Needs Cleaning?

How To Know If My Pool Needs Cleaning? Enjoying a bath in the pool is one of the most favorite ways to have fun and relaxation for people. Kids enjoy water activities even more. What if the water in the pool is not clean?

Yes, this is possible, especially when you have not cleaned the pool recently. In the rush of daily life and professional commitments, you likely forgot to clean the debris from the pool for a few days. How would you know if the water in the pool is clean enough to take a dip? How to know if your pool needs cleaning?

A little bit of pool cleaning should be part of its daily maintenance routine. This is necessary to keep the water clean and ensure it does not pose a threat to your and your kids’ health.

In this post, we’re going to discuss some of the common signs that indicate that your pool is not clean. If you find any of these signs in your pool, you should avoid taking a bath until it is deep-cleaned. So, how to know if your pool needs cleaning? Read on!

Does your pool smell like chlorine?

A lot of people think a little bit of chlorine smell around the pool is normal. But it’s not. The smell is an indication that the chlorine that you put in the pool to kill bacteria is not working. This can happen when the pool is dirty and chlorine is not able to do its job.

The culprits for making your pool dirty could be urine, sweat, skin residues, and bacteria. Chlorine is a powerful cleaning agent and it can kill most of the bacteria within one minute of being put in the water. But when it is not able to do its job perfectly, it remains in the water in a diluted form. It reacts with urine, sweat, and such things and forms chloramines.

This is what smells in the pool. Now, you need a pool cleaning. The solution of a smelling pool is not reducing the chlorine, but increasing it. However, the chlorine smell around your pool is a perfect indicator that the pool is dirty and it should be cleaned immediately.

Has the water changed its color?

Discoloration of water could be another indication that you can easily notice. The pool water should be clean to the point that it’s completely transparent. If it looks a little cloudy, muddy, or greenish, this is a clear sign that the pool is no more safe for use.

The change in watercolor could be because of excessive debris rotting in the water and contaminating it. It could be because of excess soap and chemicals in it. Or it can be due to the algae growth. In all these conditions, the water quality has fallen below the safe levels. If it is your pool, a deep cleaning is overdue.

Too many bubbles for too long

If the pool has remained uncared for a few weeks, its water can become a little slimy and bubbly. This can happen also when the water has too much soap or other chemicals in it.

You can feel that the quality of water is not good just by looking at it. You will notice that there are some bubbles on the surface of the water for no apparent reason. You might also notice that the bubbles remain intact for longer than normal.

It is because the surface tension of the water is high due to excessive chemicals in it. This happens when there is an imbalance of chemicals in the pool. If the filter is not working properly, the water can turn like this sooner than a week. If you dip your hands in the water, you might feel the water is not clean.

Is the chemistry alright?

The cleanliness of the pool water is dependent on the balance of chemicals in it. For example, we put chlorine in the pool to clean the water and kill microorganisms. The water has a certain amount of calcium and magnesium that react with the walls and debris. There are other things to watch such as alkalinity and the pool’s pH levels.

A pool is in a good and healthy state if the balance between these chemicals is perfect. But if the balance is lost, the pool water can become unsuitable for use. The chemical balance of the pool can get skewed with all the sweat and chemicals that we leave behind. Regular checking of pH level, alkalinity, and calcium in the water is another way you can notice if the pool water is dirty or good for use.

Does your pool have living organisms?

If the pool is left uncared for some time, it can become a breeding ground for many microorganisms and insects. Mosquitoes and water beetles are very common in this kind of water. But there can be many other types of small organisms that can start breeding in the stagnant pool water. If you notice such insects in the water, you should avoid using the pool.

Microorganisms and insects don’t live on their own. They represent a complete food cycle in which they feed on something and some other organisms feed on them. These insects indicate the presence of other living organisms in the water. Using this kind of water can leave you with irritation and itching skin. You should immediately go for pool cleaning.

Why dirty pool water is not good?

Besides an unsavory feeling, taking a bath in a dirty pool can result in some health problems. For example, among the top Recreational Water Illnesses is Cryptosporidium, a kind of diarrhea. High amounts of chlorine cause skin burn and can lead to some other health problems as well. Chloramines can cause skin, eyes, and respiratory tract irritation.

How To Know If My Pool Needs Cleaning? – Conclusion

The pool water can get dirty and become unfit for use. There can be many reasons for this but irregular pool cleaning is one of them. It is not advisable to use a dirty pool for a bath or any recreation.

If you find your pool is showing any of the signs that we have talked about in the article, you should immediately get it cleaned by professional cleaners. Doing it yourself may be too much tiring. Also, you may not have the right tools to do this.