How to Vacuum a Pool
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Vacuuming your pool regularly is important to keep it clean and safe to swim in. This is a time-consuming and heavy exercise, but for some it is therapeutic.
Clean toys, floats and other debris from the surface first with a net or leaf rake and then turn on the pump and vacuum your pool filter on waste (not backwash) mode.
Remove Debris
Forest leaves could sink into your pool, which doesn’t invite you to swim. A leaf rake and good skimmer net should eliminate most of it, but if you live in especially windy climates with lots of leaves and debris blowing about, you may need another device, like a telescopic pool brush.
You can get smaller particles by using a skimmer basket with a pool skimmer sock and smaller particles by using a fish net that’s the right size. You can also get carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in your pool from nearby wildfires that algae consume.
You’ve got too much sediment in your pool so if you can vacuum it up and send it right into the sewer (if your filtration system offers this option). And you can also use flocculant as the package says to get it to settle more smoothly.
Set Up the Vacuum
There are a few things to do in advance of vacuuming your pool. Buff the walls first to remove algae and trash. Then prep your vac by plugging its hose in and dropping it into the water – be sure to cap off one end with your hand or skimmer vacuum plate for maximum suction!
As you vacuum, put your filter on “Waste”, rather than the more usual “Backwash”. : if you don’t vacuum, you can simply bypass the filter and vacuum off more dirt and debris without having to send it back through your pool cleaner.
Before turning on power and pump, open skimmer ports if necessary and make sure vacuum works as designed and you have a good clean pool.
Sweep the Floor
If your pool is near trees, if it is often used by people, or if the weather is prone to algae growth, you may need to do the manual pool cleaning to push dirt into its filter and keep water moving – so that your pool is crystal clear and ready for your guests.
: First, scoop any leaves or large debris from your pool’s surface with a skimmer net before you begin. Or you could just go for a long handled soft bristle brush if your surface is smooth but rough, otherwise a hard bristle brush will get scratches.
After the vacuum head is removed from its packaging and fed with a hose, blow off any air and hook it up to your pool’s telescopic pole and manual vacuum landscape areas so it doesn’t damage surrounding plants and flowers.
Clean the Filter
Vacuum the pool floor with a commercial telescopic pole until all the floor is swept. Remain under water with the head pointing away from the floor to minimize the mess this step blows up.
If the pressure gauge shows 10 lbs over normal running pressure, stop vacuuming and backwash the filter while you vacuum.
Set your filter to “vacuum to waste” if you have one and set that up when you start to vacuum to stop sucking algae into your filter sand. Vacuum when finished then rinse and empty the vacuum hose and debris basket and then clean, dry and store your cleaner. After that, test and fine-tune pool water chemistry for algae prevention and cleaner pools!
