With summer right around the corner, those really hot and humid days are also fast approaching! It's the perfect time to plan a little ahead and get that much coveted swimming pool for your backyard. Splashing around in the privacy and comfort of your own backyard is wonderful and you will be assured of “100 smiles per gallon” from your family! Your own swimming pool will be the centerpiece of your backyard oasis; a place to cool off, to get some exercise, and to enjoy fun times with family and friends.

Swimming pools are one of those features that can be both functional and aesthetic and can add value to your home. In ground pools usually add 8% to sale price of home. But in order to ensure that your backyard swimming pool will be a joy to own and will provide hours of enjoyment and cool relief from summer’s heat, you need to keep to a consistent maintenance schedule and follow strict safety guidelines. 

The following tips will help you keep your pool at its best and your family safe this summer.

Safety first
A swimming pool is fun but it is also very dangerous. Each year a number of children drown in backyard swimming pools because of lack of attention to safety. in order to have a safe and fun swimming season, review the importance of strict safety guidelines with all members of the family. Be sure everyone knows the rules and informs any guests of those rules too. Make sure you also learn some of the pool safety guidelines from Health Canada. Some of the important ones are highlighted below:

• Build a fence and a gate that will keep children away from your pool.
• Keep the gate locked at all times.
• ALWAYS have an adult watching children in and around the pool.
• Children under the age of 3 and children who cannot swim must wear a life jacket.
• Send children to swimming lessons.
• Make sure lifesaving equipment and a first aid kit are always handy at site.
• Have emergency phone numbers listed at the telephone closest to the pool.
• If you have any concerns or questions about water safety, call your local Canadian Red Cross Society, or the local Branch Office of the Lifesaving Society.

Sparkling water
Keeping your pool crystal clear and sparkling is a must. It does not require lots of hard work and it is not a challenge. If you create a proper maintenance schedule, you can make pool maintenance an easy job and a breeze. Some maintenance steps you should regularly take include:

• Use a pool leaf skimmer to remove any floating debris.
• Frequently check and clear the drainer baskets in the skimmer and pump for excess debris.
• Vacuum the pool at least once a week. Some pool owners prefer to use an automatic pool vacuum that remains in the pools at all times. With this device, manual vacuuming is rarely required. If you are vacuuming the pool yourself, begin by brushing down the walls from top to bottom. If your pool surface is vinyl, you can clean the “bathtub ring” with a vinyl pool cleaner and a sponge.
• Keep your filter clean by rinsing it. A clean filter will ensure proper circulation and flow of water through the pool jets.
• Clean your deck area by using a garden hose and direct the water away from the pool to keep dirt from getting into your clean pool.
• Depending on your type of pool, you will need to test your water and add the correct balance of chemicals to keep your water safe, hygienic and clear. Your local pool store will test your water free of charge and recommend the proper chemicals you will need.

Sanitize your pool
Maintaining your pool is easiest when your chemical treatment program and filtration system work together. With the sparkling water, ensure you sanitize your pool with a stabilized chlorine product to provide protection against bacteria. These generally come in stick or tablet form and are fed into a distribution container near the pump and filter system. Also, use an algae preventive or inhibitor to help keep the more than 15,000 kinds of algae from ever getting started. This liquid product is simply poured into the water near the skimmer intake so that the pump system can distribute it to all areas of the pool. Look for pool companies that offer weekly maintenance services if you're not committed to taking care of the pool yourself. The weekly service and the great pool conditions can often be less expensive than the extra chemicals and the work involved in dealing with a poorly maintained pool.
 

What can be better on a hot summer's day than lounging around in a swimming pool? The answer is lounging in a pool in your own backyard! You and your kids will love splashing around in the pool and having a blast playing with the water. It's simply a perfect way to beat the heat! But remember to take the time to learn about pool safety and maintenance and you will make a big, safe splash this summer. Safety always comes first!