Business & Tech
Tips Help Keep Blow-up Pools Clean
A Berkley business owner offers advice for preventing coudy, algae-laden water in your plastic pool.
The idea of having a sparkling blue pool to plunge into during the dog days of summer is quite attractive, and — given the affordability of smaller, blow-up pools — many residents now have this luxury.
However, maintaining a pool requires brushing up on chemistry.
Tom Bishop, co-owner of Pools & Spas A Go-Go in Berkley, said a majority of his customers have blow-up pools and offered advice on how to keep them clean.
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“You should check your pool’s chemical levels (chlorine, pH and alkalinity) at least twice a week with at-home testing strips,” Bishop said.
He also encouraged pool owners to have a professional computer analysis — available at Pools & Spas A Go-Go — done at least once a month. The process works like this:
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- Bring in a pint of your pool water.
- The water will be tested.
- A printout of normal levels compared to your pool water will be provided, along with instructions on how to balance the levels in your water.
- A staff member will help you select the needed chemicals.
- A staff member will explain preventive maintenance in order to maintain clean water levels.
Given that blow-up pools' filters are too small to remove and lack the power to push enough water to keep it clean, Bishop said they are magnets for cloudy, algae-ridden water.
“People with blow-up pools usually run their filters for three hours,” Bishop said. “Instead, they need to run for 24 hours to do their job. Overall, it takes more than just dropping in a chlorine tablet.”
Pool owner Sandra Sewell of Berkley agreed.
Sewell said she finds that the filters just aren't big enough to keep the water clean.
"If we are on vacation and the kids aren't in the pool, it gets cloudy," she said.
Sewell said she plans to purchase a battery-operated vacuum to help keep her pool's water clean.
“Vacuums that run off the garden hose just blow dirt around,” said Bishop, who sells the battery-operated version. “They really don’t work well.”
Bishop stressed the need for pool owners to learn how to care for their water levels if they want to enjoy a crystal-clear backyard watering hole.
