How To Vacuum Your Swimming Pool 

Sometimes we all need a little help.  And that goes for our pool, and its cleaning.  You might be thinking that your pool cleaner should do all the work.  It's true that you should have one and it does make life a bit easier.  While having an automatic cleaner, or a robotic cleaner is great, it can't do everything.  Manually vacuuming your pool is one of those pool care tasks that we should expect. 

Why Should I Vacuum My Pool?

Vacuuming our pool is the perfect way to help keep our pools clean and free of dirt and debris.  Of course it requires time and effort, but everything good in life does.  The benefits of pool vacuuming are worth the small amount of effort.  With routine vacuuming, you'll have cleaner water, spend less time fighting algae, and your chemicals will work more efficiently.  It's also a great way to spend some time in the sun and get a little exercise. 

Your Pool Filter and You

When we swim, our skin can absorb a certain amounts of contaminants, so we need to make sure our pool filter is properly working.  This will ensure the dirt, algae, and bacteria are filtered out of the water as much as possible.

In order for the filtration system to work at optimal level, it's advisable to backwash or clean the filter on a regular basis.  Cartridge filters should be rinsed out and sand and D.E. filters should be backwashed when the pressure reaches 8 - 10 psi over the normal operating pressure.  We'll never clean dirty water with a dirty filter, so let's keep them clean.

Gather Up Your Equipment

Vacuuming a pool is not a scary endeavor, nor is it something you will need to do everyday.  You have other things in your life, right?  All it takes is a few minutes of effort and minimal equipment.  The biggest part is to make sure you have all the pieces and parts before vacuuming.  Gathering all your tools beforehand will make this job much easier.  You will need:

• A pool vacuum head
• Telescopic pole
• Vacuum hose

Pool Vacuum Set Up

Follow these steps and your pool will be clean in no time flat.  You will want to make sure your filter is clean, the multiport valve is on the FILTER setting, and the pump motor is on. 

• Lay the telescopic pole, pool vacuum head, and hose on the deck.  Make sure the hose is straight.  A hose that's curled up is more difficult to manage.
• Remove the skimmer cover and basket.
• Attach the vacuum head to the pole.
• Attach the hose to the vacuum head.  If the hose doesn't have a tight fit on the vacuum head, you can use a hose clamp to keep it in place. 
• Extend the telescopic pole to a desired length, place the pole and vacuum head in the water and allow it to sink to the bottom.  This works better in the deep end.  Remember to maintain control of the pole at all times. 
• You can now either "feed" the rest of the hose in the pool water, or take the other end of the vacuum hose and place it in front of a return.  What we want to do is fill the hose with water.  No air should be in the hose. 
• Carefully feed the hose through, not over, the skimmer, and place the open end into the suction port of the skimmer. 

Once these steps are completed, it'll be time to vacuum your pool.

How To Vacuum Your Pool

The length of time it takes to vacuum your pool depends on how dirty it is, the size of the pool, how powerful your pump motor is, and how fast you want to work.  Let's start in the shallow end and work our way down to the deep end.  We use long, slow, and overlapping strokes.  Very similar to vacuuming the carpet in our home.  Back and forth over the bottom of the pool, and up the sides of the walls.  Going too fast will only kick up the dirt and debris.  Slow and steady wins the race.  If you do go a bit too fast, no worries.  Turn the pump motor off and allow the dirt to settle once again, then resume your vacuuming.

Keep an eye on your filter pressure.  Once the psi gauge reads 8 - 10 psi over the normal operating pressure, it'll be time to clean or backwash your filter.  If your pool is exceptionally dirty, maybe after a bad rain or wind storm, you may want to vacuum to WASTE.  Monitor the water level and maintain it between 1/3 - 1/2 up from the bottom of the skimmer.  If the water level gets too low, make sure to top it off with water from a garden hose.    

You're Finished Vacuuming Your Pool

After you're finished vacuuming your pool, remove the pole, vacuum head, and drain the water from the hose.  Thoroughly rinse them off with clean water and properly store them away.  Remove any debris in the skimmer basket, place the basket back in the skimmer and replace the skimmer lid. 

Check the water level to ensure it's correct and top off the water if needed.  If you used the WASTE setting and your pool required a quick top-off with new water, retest the chemicals and make any chemical adjustments if needed.  Fresh water can skew and dilute your chemicals, so now is the best time to take proactive measures. 

Become A Pool Vacuum Pro

Sometimes the old saying is true.  If you want the job done right, you need to do it yourself.  Robotic vacuums are great and suction side cleaners wonderful, but your pool will need a little help every now and again.  And what better way to help it out than with a good pool vacuuming.