Swimming pool supplies

A swimming pool on your own property is a dream for a number of homeowners. Relaxation, family recreation, exercise, and festive gatherings can all take place in and around your pool. Creating a pleasurable and safe environment in your pool area means that you have to maintain the cleanliness of the pool, the water, and the deck and surrounding areas. This will require trips to a swimming pool store.

Disinfecting the swimming pool

Your swimming pool water should always be clean and a clear, crisp shade of blue. To achieve this, you’ll need to ensure proper filtration and use of appropriate chemicals for disinfection. Apart from chlorine, you also need stocks of water clarifiers, algaecides, and acids. If you’ve installed an effective filtration system, you won’t need to use so many chemicals – good for you since less usage of chlorine, algaecide, and other chemicals will reduce the load on your filters, meaning fewer visits to a store to buy replacement filters.

Another important item to have in stock is a water testing kit, since it helps you monitor the chemical parameters for maintaining a clean, clear swimming pool of water. The brand of the kit is not as important as what chemical tests it will allow you to perform. What is essential is that your testing kit is comprehensive, performing tests for pH, free chlorine, alkalinity, free bromine, and hardness levels.

Keep in mind, however, that you should not allow anything you need to maintain your swimming pool to go out of stock. You should always have adequate supplies of the proper chemicals, since these are vitally important.

There is a limit to what chemicals and filters can do for the swimming pool, though. Dirt will naturally accumulate on the bottom and on the sides of the pool, so you’ll need some tools and equipment:

First, you’ll need some side cleaners. You can choose from suction side cleaners – which you operate manually, pressure side cleaners – which come with filter bags and associated accessories, or robotic cleaners – automatic and electrically operated.

Then you’ll also need skimmers to help minimize unsightly debris, like leaves and other litter that are likely to fall into the water and which can damage your pool’s pump. Skimmers are usually nets or rakes mounted on a telescopic pole. Your local supplier will probably sell the poles separately, and lengths may vary so you’ll have to select according to the pole length you need.

Temperature of the water

Some people are concerned about the temperature of the water in the pool. Keep a thermometer on hand so you can quickly and easily check it (to convince your guests to join you for a dip!). Your store will offer both analog (hanging or floating) and digital thermometers. A floating analog thermometer obviously will give you the water surface temperature, while the hanging thermometer can give you the temperature several inches (or feet) below the surface – more important and relevant temperature readings. Digital thermometers are more accurate, of course, but they do tend to be less sturdy.

For decorative purposes, why not ask your store about floating thermometers shaped like alligators, ducks, or other fun shapes? Maybe even a classic ‘Jaws’ shark might be fun!