Last updated: 29 August 2014 Pool maintenance can be a drag, but there's no point having a great pool out the back if it's full of sludge. Cleaning and maintenance are crucial to keeping the water safe for you and your family, and to make sure you actually get to use it! Looking for our unbiased, expert comparisons? Try our pool fence reviews. From collecting leaves and debris to keeping the chlorine levels stable, there's a huge range of tricks, tools and products to keep your pool in tip top shape. All pools require cleaning to remove the leaves, dirt and other grotty things that they collect. The kind of cleaner you need will depend on: The cheapest option is to do it yourself by 'hand vacuuming'. The 'vacuum' is attached to your skimmer box to create suction and then you manually push the vacuum around the surfaces of your pool with a pole. Typically, this will take between an hour and an hour and a half, and you'll need to do it once a week. If you prefer to leave the gunk-scooping to someone else, there are plenty of pool-cleaning services around.

They'll also check everything's operating correctly and do required maintenance. A regular visit may cost around $55 or more. One-off call-outs will be more expensive. A Kreepy Krauly is a brand of suction pool cleaner, but these days the name 'creepy crawly' is often used to describe products in this segment of the market. They're the cheapest and one of the more popular automatic cleaners. A more expensive type is the pressure cleaner, and more expensive again are the robot cleaners. Find out more about these in our pool cleaner buying guide. Without regular sanitisation, all pools develop bacteria – which can pose serious health risks. Water top-ups, leaves, grass, dust, and even people all cause bacteria to grow; these factors, along with the size of your pool, will determine the level of sanitisation you need. Most pool owners use chlorine. There are other options to keep pool water clean and in balance – such as using ozone gas, UV sterilisation, bromine or ionization – but these methods make up a very small part of the Australian market.

Health departments around Australia generally recommend all domestic pool owners have a chlorine residual in their pool. There are three main ways domestic users can keep their pool chlorinated: As well as sanitisation, you also need to chemically balance your pool water. The chemical balance of your pool is made up of: You should monitor your chlorine and pH levels at least once a week, or every day if your pool is in high use. Total alkalinity and calcium hardness levels can be monitored less frequently. Maintaining the pH level of your pool is crucial to ensuring it's safe to use. Incorrect pH levels can cause itchy skin and red eyes, and can also reduce the effectiveness of chlorine. pH ranges from 0 to 14, with 7.0 being neutral, anything above 7.0 alkaline, and anything below 7.0 acidic. The Australian Standard for pool water is 7.0 to 7.8, with 7.4 being ideal. Rain, water top-ups, people swimming and chlorine will all also alter your pool's pH. You can raise pH levels by adding soda ash (which is alkaline) or lower them by adding pool acid.

Low levels of total alkalinity will cause erosion to pool surfaces and corrosion of equipment. It can also cause pH levels to become very unstable. The Australian Standard recommends that your TA level should be 60 to 200 parts per million. You can raise the TA level by adding 'buffer' – sodium bicarbonate – or lower it by adding pool acid. Bear in mind, adding acid will also affect your pH levels. Low levels of dissolved calcium in pool water can corrode pool equipment, and high levels can create scale. best vacuum cleaner recommended by allergy associationCalcium hardness levels can't be monitored using most domestic pool water-testing kits. mandarin oriental las vegas pool cabana costInstead you need to take a sample of your pool water to your local pool shop for testing. carpet cleaning rentals denver

In areas where calcium levels aren't high, you shouldn't need to do this test more than once a year – unless you use calcium hypochlorite to sanitise your pool. There's a wide range of kits on the market you can use to test your pool water. A basic 'four-in-one' test is a good starting point. This kit tests chlorine levels, total alkalinity and pH, as well as the level of acid needed to rebalance the pH. Alternatively, you can now buy electronic testers, which will analyse a disposable strip that you dip in your pool. These strip readers tend to cost more. The most labour-intensive way of keeping your pool sanitised is to manually add chlorine. This involves testing your pool's water to figure out how much chlorine to use, and will need to be done every second day for the average backyard pool. This might be the best option if you're renting a property with a pool and aren't looking for a long-term solution. Saltwater pools are popular in Australian backyards – but they don't do away with the need for chlorine.

Saltwater pools use salt chlorinators to convert common salt crystals into chlorine gas which is soluble in water. Liquid chemical feeders are fitted to your pool's filtration system and automatically add liquid chlorine, and in some cases acid, to the water. In cooler climates, heating your pool can give you the opportunity to swim all year round. The best heating choice for you will depend on where you live, your budget, and how you use your pool. An ideal water temperature is said to be around 25°C. No matter how you heat your pool, a solar/thermal blanket is an excellent way to reduce heat loss overnight. These blankets not only keep the heat in, they also reduce evaporation. For this reason, some state governments offer rebates if you buy one — so find out what's on offer where you live. If you live in an area with a lot of sun and you have a large roof area, solar heating is an efficient option. Solar heating works by pumping pool water into rubber matting that is installed on your roof.