Everything You Need to Know About Pool Cleaning in Jacksonville
Regular pool cleaning is the key to having a sparkling clean pool for you and your family to enjoy. Whether you're a brand new pool owner or could use a brush-up on pool cleaning and maintenance, this guide will walk you through what’s needed to keep your pool looking great year-round.
Benefits of Pool Cleaning
When a pool doesn’t get regularly cleaned, debris such as twigs, leaves, bugs, and more float on its surface. The pool will begin to get green and cloudy as algae creates a green tinge that will continue to deepen and, when chemicals aren’t balanced, bacteria can thrive: crypto, E. coli, giardia, and more. As debris builds up, the material can clog drains, which can ultimately lead to a burned out pool pump.
The water in the pool just described is clearly unhealthy, which can cause ear, eye, and skin irritations, along with rashes, wound infections, respiratory problems, and more—with young children and people with immune system challenges being especially vulnerable. Plus, once a pool reaches this state, it will be more costly to address the problems. Additionally, there are many myths about pool cleaning that can cause pool owners, even with the best intentions, to unknowingly let their pool reach an unhealthy state.
Now contrast that with a pool with pristine water: clean, healthy, and enjoyable for swimmers and sunbathers. The difference? Consistent and proper pool cleaning is the key to remove debris; prevent bacterial and algae growth; and to keep the pool safe for you and your family and friends. Year-Round regular pool cleaning also protects the pump and other pool equipment, which helps to reduce the amount of money spent on repairs over the years and to extend the pool’s life.
Your pool will be sparkling clean, ideal when you want to hold get-togethers and host in-demand pool parties. An attractive pool is more enticing for swimming with this activity being excellent exercise, a component of a healthy lifestyle. Plus, an in-ground pool can add five to eight percent to the value of your home; to realize that value, keep it well maintained.
Next up: the nuts and bolts of cleaning your pool.
#1: Understand the Structure of Your Pool
Although not all pools are alike, they share certain components. For example, they all have:
- A pump that keeps water circulating through the filtration system, and electric motor pushes water through the drains to the filter and then back into the pool via the returns
- Pool filters to help keep the water clean (some pools have one; others have two): these can be diatomaceous earth (DE), cartridge, or sand filters
- Drains, usually one main drain is at the pool floor’s lowest point plus regularly placed skimmers close to the surface so debris can get sucked in
- A skimmer-return system that pulls in water to be cleaned and then returns it to the pool
Optional equipment includes chemical feeders and pool heaters, among others.
#2: Get the Necessary Pool Cleaning Equipment
For effective cleaning, it’s important to have the right tools that are in good condition. These include:
- Telescopic pole: You can use all sorts of useful attachments on the end of these extendable poles to clean the floor and walls of the pool: brushes, skimmer nets, vacuum heads, and more.
- Skimmer net: Use this to scoop debris off the pool’s surface—the sticks, leaves, and bugs that float on top of the water as well as those below the surface. Buy a quality net because cheaper ones break. If you do a quick daily skim, then you won’t have to do in-depth ones.
- Pool brush: Invest in a quality one and attach it to your telescopic pole to scrub the floor and walls of the pool to remove dirt and loosen any algae that may have started to grow.
- Vacuum heads/hose: Get a system that allows you to reach every part of your pool and attach that to the telescopic pole.
Once you have all the necessary pool cleaning equipment, you’re set to regularly clean your pool. It’s highly recommended that this be a weekly activity, pick a day that works best for you and your family, maybe a Sunday afternoon, and stick with it. Avoiding procrastination will ensure that each week’s cleaning session will be much less work than if you were to let it go several weeks.
#3 Skim, Scrub, and Vacuum the Pool
Skimming Your Pool
The more often you skim your pool, the easiest each skimming will be. Debris often floats on the water’s surface for a few hours before sinking to the bottom; once that happens, it takes more time and energy to remove. When debris sinks, it introduces organic matter that leads to algae growth. When you skim your pool, also empty the skimmer baskets.
Brushing Your Pool
When you use an extendable telescopic pole for your brushes, you can keep it at a shorter length when scrubbing the walls and then extend it for the floor. Stand up straight as you brush the pool, reaching the targeted spots through appropriate adjustments in the pole’s length.
First brush the pool steps and the walls on the shallow end as well as any benches you may have. Then brush the floor of the shallow end, working your way towards the drain in the deep end. Finish up by brushing the deep end walls and then the deep end floor. If this is regularly done, it may take about 15 minutes, although a larger pool would likely take longer.
Vacuuming Your Pool
Next up is vacuuming, which you might do with a manual vacuum system that’s attached to your pole or you could have an automatic vacuum. If you vacuum your pool manually, keep cleaning until there is no visible dirt or debris, including on your pool’s side walls and the floor. This will likely take you 30 minutes to an hour each time. With an automatic vacuum, run it until all is thoroughly cleaned, perhaps for two to six hours.
#4 Consider a Professional Pool Cleaning Service
You didn’t get a pool because you wanted something else to clean. You invested in a pool to enjoy. To spend your time at the pool with friends and family members, professional swimming pool cleaners can free you up to do that—and it’s more affordable than you might think.
Here in Jacksonville, JOMO offers four pool cleaning service packages so that you can pick the one that best fits your budget and the amount of time you like spending on your own pool maintenance. Here’s more information about our four pool cleaning services:
- AquaJOMO: This is our basic service, ideal for people who’d rather do the actual cleaning themselves but want professional chemical applications. JOMO will make sure that your water is appropriately LSI-balanced to prevent unwanted deposits and to make sure that the water won’t etch the surface.
- SparklingJOMO: In this plan, our professional swimming pool cleaners will clean and maintain your pool on a bi-weekly basis and you’ll agree to take care of this in between our visits. For some people, this is the most attractive choice to keep all at its peak performance.
- SparklingJOMO Plus: This pool cleaning service includes our professional services 50 times each year. We’ll also balance your water and check all of your pool equipment. If this sounds like the right choice for you, just ask for SparklingJOMO Plus.
- SuperJOMO: Looking for premier service? Our best pool service will help you to have the cleanest, healthiest, and most sparkling pool around. This plan includes weekly cleaning and chemical balancing plus pool equipment maintenance, pool maintenance replacement items, and more.
If you’re ready for a quote, please contact us online or call 904-222-0809 today. Pricing can range based on the pool system’s age, environment surrounding your pool, air filtration system, and other factors.
Robotic Pool Cleaners
No matter which pool service you choose, you can add on a state-of-the-art robotic pool cleaner for a small additional monthly charge. This allows you to maximize the cleanliness of your pool water, seven days a week, without a need to pay any upfront costs. Once our swimming pool team installs this device, we’ll also maintain it with periodic tune-ups. If you ever decide to cancel this service, we’ll simply remove the robotic pool cleaner.
JOMO for Your Jacksonville, FL Pool Cleaning Services
Our team has a true passion for pools and for people who enjoy them. We believe that, when you’re poolside, it should be time spent with friends and family, not dragging out and inspecting poles and brushes, vacuum heads and hoses before using them again.
Here’s what makes JOMO a truly different pool maintenance company:
- Our people: A pool company is only as good as the people providing services. So, we hire only the very best talent and then pay significantly more and offer attractive benefits to retain our star employees.
- Our certifications: We thoroughly train each of our swimming pool cleaners and they are all designated as Certified Pool Operators and Florida Public Pool Specialists.
- Our trucks: We make sure that, when we park in your driveway, our trucks are maintained to the highest standards because we know how this is a reflection on you.
- Our technology: We invest in industry leading digital mobile labs that allow us to precisely adjust your pool water, pinpointed to the part per million.
- Our programs: One flat monthly fee covers everything with no hidden fees and no surprises.
For the best pool cleaner services in Jacksonville and surrounding areas, please contact us online or call 904-222-0809.