HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — As these temperatures are heating up, many of us are wanting to cool off in the pool but making sure your pool stays clean is extremely important--as improperly maintained pools could lead to health problems.
Rontario Hicks with Pool Scouts of Huntsville, a veteran-run full-service pool cleaning company, says, "there's a common myth that all I need to do is put chlorine in my pool and then it will stay clean….If you have too much chlorine, it can irritate your skin. It can also burn your eyes. Also, people get sick because they ingested too much chlorine as they're trying to swim."
He says keeping the chemicals in your pool balanced will prevent swimmers from getting sick.
"You look at your alkalinity and something small calcium, calcium's part is taking care of your pool, making sure it has its counter effects. And then also stabilizer and alkalinity as you look at those few parameters, they make a difference in ensuring that your pool…is healthy for you."
If you don't have enough chemicals in your pool it can create a different kind of harm, "you can still be sick as having too much or having too little. And that can drive around respiratory infections, different things," Hicks said.
So how do you make sure your pool stays balanced?
You could use pool testing strips or kits, have a pool professional take a look, "or you can go to your local pool store and they'll test water for you…"
But it's not just about the chemicals in your pool, there's some small steps you can take during the week to make sure everything stays running properly.
"On a daily basis, if you have a lot of trees or debris around your pool, I would always say…skim your pools, skim the top of the water to make sure it's clear just to keep the particles out of your pool."
Hicks adds, "every week at least go and brush your whole pool, all your sides, brush your bottom and make sure you're emptying your skimmers."
This will ensure you're getting rid of any kind of build up.
And while you may be familiar with pool cleaning robots, Hicks always suggests purchasing the ones that have both front and back wheels.
"They'll fully climb up the wall and back down the wall. Some cleaners only clean the bottom, but this one cleans all the way up."
If any type of equipment isn't running properly, it's very important to find and fix the problem before taking a swim.