How to Clean the Bottom of Your Pool (4 Simple Steps)
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If you’re noticing a lot of sediment or debris at the bottom of your pool, you may be struggling with how to clean it up.
There are several steps you can take to clean the bottom of your pool, but it mostly depends on what it is you’re trying to pick up.
Let’s discuss several methods for cleaning the bottom of your pool and what each technique is best to clean.
The 4 Simple Steps to Clean Your Pool Bottom
1. Plastic Garden Rake
When we recommend using a plastic garden rake in your swimming pool, you probably think we’ve lost our minds. However, the plastic garden rake can be the perfect tool to pick up larger debris like broken twigs and branches, or large deposits of leaves and seedpods, which can collect in large amounts and block or clog other methods of removal.
Make sure the rake is plastic and not metal, and use it like you ordinarily would. Rake the debris into a pile in the middle of the pool so you can scoop it out.
2. Pressure Side Vacuum
The next method we recommend for cleaning up the bottom of your pool is the pressure side vacuum. The pressure side vacuum gets its name because it uses the return pressure from the pump instead of the suction side usually used. This type of vacuum uses water pressure and a net to trap large particles. This type of vacuum also works with the garden house, but when using a garden hose, you add water to your pool, and you may or may not want to do that.
The pressure side vacuum captures debris in the net, so it does not enter the filter system and clog the sand or cartridge. This type of vacuum is perfect for picking up seedpods and many types of suspended debris and grass clippings.
3. Suction Side Vacuum
The suction side vacuum is the most common type of pool vacuum. It works with your pool’s filter system and comes with the pool. The suction side vacuum connects to your pool’s filter system through the skimmer. You can then use it as an ordinary vacuum and suck up the dirt from the bottom of the pool. The debris gets trapped in the sand filter.
If the material you are vacuuming is too dense, it can clog your filter and require backwashing to remove from the filter system.
4. Pool Brush
If none of the methods previously mentioned were able to remove the substance from the bottom of the pool, some good old fashioned elbow grease and a pool brush might do the job. The pool brush is very similar to a deck brush, but the bristles aren’t as harsh on your liner. You want to use the brush to gently scrub away the contaminants from the bottom of your pool.
Conclusion
As you may have noticed, the type of sediment that you have on the bottom of your pool is going to determine the method you use to clean it up. If the debris is mostly large pieces, like branches, leaves, twigs, etc., then you can use the plastic rake to pick them up. If the particles are too small for the rake but could clog up your sand filter, we recommend using the pressure side vacuum and capturing the contaminants in the net. If the contaminants are small and don’t pose a threat to your sand filter, you can use the suction side vacuum to get rid of them. Some debris requires scrubbing, and in that case, you need to use the pool brush.
In most cases, either the pressure side or the suction side vacuum will do the job. Sometimes the pressure side vacuum can lead to cloudy water because it pushes contaminants up through the net. If the pollutants pass through the net, they’re dispersed back into the pool. The suction side vacuum pulls the water directly into the skimmer and into the sand filter.
All of these tips will work for above ground as well as in-ground pools. If you have learned a little bit more about how to clean the bottom of your pool, please share this short guide on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Ludwig Willimann, Pixabay
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