While it may come as a surprise to some pool owners, the proper swimming pool maintenance plan includes a complex and intricate set of tasks; most of which need to be repeated continuously in order to ensure your pool is running at an optimum level.

This is why, at The Pool Butler, we always remind you that pool maintenance is not a do-it-yourself job, as it requires many years of knowledge, skills, and the proper industry-grade equipment — such as the equipment our technicians use — in order to get the job done correctly.

Not to mention, if you don’t know what you’re doing when it comes to pool maintenance, you can cause serious damage to your pool that could be harmful to those that swim in it and be astronomically pricey when you eventually have to repair the issue.

All in all, swimming pool maintenance is an extremely taxing and time-consuming array of tasks; and, in this day and age — with a fulltime job, hobbies, friends, and family life to attend to — finding the time to set aside for proper maintenance of your pool may simply be out of the question for most pool owners.

With this in mind, your best bet is to hire a swimming pool services company in Atlanta — like The Pool Butler — who offers a thorough and robust swimming pool maintenance plan. However, it’s important for you to know just what exactly goes into a standard pool maintenance plan, in order to understand what you’re paying for.

Swimming Pool Cleaning

When you think of hiring a professional for swimming pool cleaning, your mind may conjure up images of a mustached man, in a white t-shirt, simply sifting leaves out of your pool for a few hours.

However, the proper swimming pool cleaning process is much more complex than this. While skimming debris out of your pool is a small part of the overall process, a reputable swimming pool cleaning company, such as ours, will include an array of additional tasks to keep your pool sparkling.

These include a deep and thorough vacuuming of the bottom of your pool — which is where a massive amount of dirt, leaves, insects, and other debris (such as algae) can accumulate. This job alone is one that requires the assistance of a swimming pool cleaning professional. Why?

For starters, in order to ensure the sides and bottom of your pool are spotless, you can’t simply dive into your pool with a brush and some regular old dish soap and start scrubbing away. No; in order to restore a pool that has years of built-up discoloration and dirt, you’ll need industry-grade cleaning solutions and equipment.

At The Pool Butler, our equipment is state-of-the-art and — when combined with the industry-grade cleaning solutions we bring to every pool cleaning job — can effectively clean even the filthiest of swimming pools.

Dealing With Swimming Pool Algae –

One of the most common issues — and probably the most common reasons why pool owners hire us to clean their pools — is algae buildup. Algae can appear in your pool for a myriad of reasons, however, the appearance of this fungus is typically due to an overexposure to sunlight and a lack of regular pool cleaning.

If you have an algae problem on your hands, there’s no way you will be able to miss it, because the most common side effect is a pool filled with green water. Unfortunately, pool owners will typically attempt to rid themselves of algae on their own, only to realize that it isn’t as easy as it seems to eliminate this fungus from a swimming pool.

This is where a swimming pool cleaning professional — like The Pool Butler — comes in. Our technicians can effectively rid your pool of algae now and in the future and have your pool water clear and sparkling for the swimming season and beyond.

Inspecting Your Pool’s Plumbing & Equipment

At The Pool Butler, swimming pool maintenance goes beyond simply keeping your pool looking its best, we also put an extreme emphasis on ensuring your pool and spa is functioning at optimum performance.

We do this by consistently inspecting your swimming pool’s pump and plumbing, looking for any signs of damage in order to make speedy repairs. This is something you won’t find from most swimming pool service companies in Atlanta, but something we pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers as our technicians

This is something you won’t find from most swimming pool service companies in Atlanta, but something we pride ourselves on being able to offer our customers as our technicians are not just trained solely on keeping your pool clean, but also on diagnosing and fixing plumbing and equipment malfunctions.

Here are just a few common areas we inspect when it comes to your pool’s plumbing and equipment:

Your Swimming Pool Pump –

Your pool’s pump is one of its most important aspects, as it’s the center of the overall circulation system; moving water from your pool and sending it through your filter in order to remove dirt and debris before it gets sent back to your swimming pool.

In order to keep your pump in tip-top shape, a swimming pool professional will recommend running your pump often. How often? Approximately 1 hour for every 10 degrees of temperature. This will help prevent any future pump problems and keep your water properly circulating.

Your Swimming Pool’s Filtration System –

Another aspect of your pool we, at The Pool Butler, will consistently inspect is the filtration system. Much like your pump, the filtration system’s job is the removal of undissolved debris from your pool’s water.

While your skimmer basket will play a significant role in filtering your pool water, the filter itself is the centerpiece of the entire operation. With most filters, you will be required to perform (what is called) backwashing whenever your pressure gauge has risen 8 to 10 PSI from clean. 

When it comes to filters, there a range of different types out there, all offering different advantages and disadvantages for your particular swimming pool. These include sand filters, cartridge filters, and DE (or diatomaceous) filters.

These all may sound foreign to the average pool owner, however, it’s important to know what type of filter your pool has in order to provide the proper cleaning and maintenance. This is something a swimming pool maintenance professional can assist you with.

Checking And Balancing Swimming Pool Chemicals & pH Levels

Swimming pool water chemistry is a complex subject, and one the average swimming pool owner typically won’t be able to attest to.

However, pool chemistry is an important aspect of, not only keeping your pool water clean and sparkling but ensuring bacteria doesn’t grow — which can lead to illnesses for those who swim in your pool — and pool chemicals are never higher or lower than necessary.

Balancing Your Pool’s pH – 

Known as the measure of acid and base in your pool’s water, your pool’s pH should be tested and adjusted — when necessary — on a weekly basis by a swimming pool professional.

While weekly pH adjustments may seem excessive, if your pool’s pH drifts to the acid side of the scale it could lead to the corrosion of your pool’s equipment and surface. On the other hand, if the pH goes to the base side, this can lead to deposits, scaling, as well as cloudy water.

Your swimming pool services technician will keep your pH in check in order to ensure your pool’s chlorine levels are never too high or too low. This will ensure your pool stays clean without running the risk of damaging the skin of swimmers.

Calcium Hardness –

Defined as the total amount of dissolved calcium in your pool’s water, calcium hardness is an important aspect your swimming pool maintenance professional will inspect.

Low calcium hardness in your pool can result in plaster finish etching and can also significantly shorten the lifespan of vinyl liners; while abnormally high calcium levels in your pool can lead to calcium deposits on your pool’s surface and equipment.

If you should encounter high levels of calcium hardness in your pool, a swimming pool maintenance professional in Atlanta can remedy and treat the problem in order to restore calcium levels to normal. The correct range for calcium hardness is 175 to 225 parts per million (or ppm) for vinyl swimming pools and 200 to 250 ppm for concrete swimming pools.

Your Pool’s Total Alkalinity –

As any reputable swimming pool services professional will tell you, in order to effectively prevent your pool’s pH from swaying up and down, you will need to maintain an adequate amount of total alkalinity (AKA acid buffers).

Your pool technician should test your pool’s water on a weekly basis to ensure a total alkalinity level of 120 to 150 parts per million. After all, a low total alkalinity in your pool can result in the fluctuation of pH as well as corrosiveness and staining. Abnormally high total alkalinity levels in your pool aren’t ideal either, as this can also lead to pH fluctuation and cloud your pool’s water.

While your pool technician can certainly maintain and remedy an abnormal total alkalinity level in your pool, you can always purchase an alkalinity booster if your total alkalinity levels are found to be too low.

Hiring The Pool Maintenance Professionals At The Pool Butler

As you can see there is a wide range of tasks that make up the proper swimming pool maintenance pla, and these tasks listed above are only the tip of the iceberg.

With this in mind, you’re likely wondering how you will ever find the time to properly maintain your swimming pool. Thankfully, by hiring the Atlanta pool experts at The Pool Butler for regular swimming pool maintenance, you’ll never have to lift a finger.

Our company has been serving Atlanta and surrounding communities for many years with the best in swimming pool cleaning, repair, inspections, and (of course) regular maintenance. With The Pool Butler on your side, you can rest assured that your pool is constantly being taken care of in order to ensure your pool stays sparkling all season and beyond.

After all, a swimming pool is a massive investment, and — at The Pool Butler — our mission is to protect that investment by offering the best swimming pool services that fit within your budget. Contact us today to learn more about any of our wide range of swimming pool services, or to schedule your swimming pool maintenance plan.