Some of us are lucky enough to have a pool. If you are even luckier, you get to enjoy that pool year round. But then, pool maintenance never takes a break."Maintaining pool chemistry and cleanliness are the most important aspects of pool maintenance," says John Puder of WaterWarehouse.com, an online source for pool supplies. "Taking routine steps is the best way to preserve your pool and ensure your enjoyment."

Follow these pool maintenance tips to ensure that your pool is pristine:

    * Daily Care
      Test Pool Water for Sanitizer Level
      Make certain alkalinity and pH are in balance. Unbalanced pools can affect water clarity, damage pool equipment, cause erosion and even alter water chemistry.
    * Add Chlorine or Bromine
      Sanitizing your pool is like sterilizing your pool. This kills bacteria, algae and any other living forms in the water. Almost all swimming pools in the United States are disinfected by chlorine or bromine in one form or another.
    * Adjust pH and Alkalinity levels
      Balancers can help maintain the proper pH and alkalinity levels necessary in a pool. This will get rid of cloudy or irritating water and save expensive equipment.
    * Check Skimmer Basket
      Clear debris from skimmer basket to help keep pool water circulating and fresh.

Weekly Care

    * Shock Pool Water
      Weekly shock treatments are necessary to destroy combined chlorine compounds. Shocks sanitize pool water and quickly raise the chlorine level.
    * Add Algaecide
      Add a weekly dosage of algaecide to prevent and control algae. Good algaecide should kill algae without damaging or staining your pool.
    * Add Metal Out
      Even the best maintained pools have tiny suspended particles that can escape the filtration system. Add a weekly dosage of Metal Out to eliminate metal particles.
    * Add Clarifier
      Add a weekly dosage of clarifier to prevent cloudy water. Clarifiers are used to remove particles from the pool that are too small to be caught in the filter system. Clarifying agents will cause these particles to cling to each other making them larger, so they can be removed from your water through vacuuming or filtration.

As Needed

    * Vacuum pool
    * Leaf skim
    * Brush walls
    * Check filter/backwash