August is often the hottest month of the year, and is not the time when you want to be dealing with pool repair. If you’ve kept up with regular maintenance, you usually won’t run into any pool repair problems. However, there are a few culprits that can undermine what you’re doing to keep your pool in good shape:
- Mulch – If you use mulch close to your pool, it can be quite detrimental to your pool and pool equipment. Other than gravel or rubber mulch, most mulch contains high levels of nitrates, phosphates, and other chemicals that will end up in your pool water if they get blown into the water. In addition, because of the way mulch holds moisture and is acidic, if it is close to your pump or other equipment, over time it can cause corrosion.
- Sun – You already know that the sunnier it is, the faster the chlorine depletes, but the sun is also hard on plastics and vinyl. Too little sun is also detrimental because you need a certain amount to provide natural UV sanitation and avoid mold. You can’t do much about how much sun you get, but it is important to understand that you may have to take steps to minimize the results of too much or too little sun.
- Debris – Just as mulch can mess up your pool, so can leaves and debris. There can be plenty of acids and tannins going on with debris as well, which can throw off your pool water’s pH or alkalinity. If your landscaping has been treated with various chemicals, those become contaminants in your pool. Keep debris cleaned up so it doesn’t enter the pool and keep your landscaping well-trimmed throughout the year.
- Water balance issues – Low pool chemistry is as dangerous to your pool and equipment as it is to anyone who swims in those conditions. Pool filters and heaters are particularly susceptible to acidic water conditions that result from not using the right amount of pool chemicals. Pool repair costs will be much higher if you continually have low pool chemistry. Be careful, however, because using far too much chlorine can have equally damaging effects, particularly to pool liners, covers, and floats.