Top 5 maintenance tips:

1. Make sure that your skimmer weirs are in place and functions properly.
   
   When your skimmer weirs are in place and functioning they make the skimmers 150% more effective. Without a weir the skimmer is trying to pull in 4 inches of water. When the weir is in place, the skimmer is able to use its suction power to draw the top half inch of water resulting in more effective skimming.
2. Double check and make sure that your automatic pool cleaner is running at 100%.
   
   An automatic pool cleaner is practically a must for Central Texas. With all the native trees that are in the area, being able to pick up leaves, acorns, pollen, etc. is essential to a clean pool. If you're having problems with performance or cleaner coverage, call us for a tune up on your automatic pool cleaner.
3. Filter Maintenance - It doesn't matter if you have a Cartridge, DE, or Sand filter, insuring that the filter is functioning at 100% efficiency is a must in order to maintain a clean pool.
   
   DE Filters - ALL major manufacturers recommend that you manually "break-down" the filter at least once a year. If your pool has a large swimmer load, or you have dogs that swim in the pool, or a lot of trees that deposit debris on the pool it might be a good idea to have the filter broken down twice a year.
   
   Cartridge Filters - These should be opened up and cleaned at least once a year. However if there is a lot of swimmers, dogs, or organic debris entering the pool this may need to be performed more than once per year. Refer to the filter pressure to gauge when it would be time to clean the filter.
   
   Sand Filters - Most sand filters need little or no maintenance throughout the year, with the exception of regular backwashing. It is a good idea to use a filter cleaner and degreaser at least twice a year (once before swim season, and again at the end of swim season). Consider changing the sand in your filter every 3-5 years. New sand is generally squared off causing a tighter filtration pattern, however as water is continually passed over the sand, the edges are rounded off due to erosion causing the sand granules to become rounded and thus becoming less effecting in filtering out debris. In addition here is Central Texas our water is very "hard". This aspect can cause Calcium buildup inside the filter creating "rocks" inside the filter rendering the sand filter practically useless. Change your sand on a regular basis!
4. Make sure that none of the decorative plants and landscaping is touching the pool water. Many plants are searching for water in the midst of this drought but when living organic matter is in contact with pool water, it can drain the chlorine out of the pool and inject other unwanted algae(s), phosphates, etc. into the water causing major issues.
5. BRUSH YOUR POOL! Brushing your pool at least once a week is the best algaecide that you can never buy. When you brush the pool you're forcing the algae spores into the water allowing the Chlorine to oxidize the spores, killing the effectively, and then allowing the filter to pull out the impurities.