How a Pool Vacuum Factors into Pool Maintenance

Once you design and build your own custom swimming pool, you need to keep it clean and functioning. Regular pool maintenance is important to ensure your pool looks its best and keeps working for years to come. Using a pool vacuum is one step in maintaining your inground pool. Whether you vacuum manually or use a robotic cleaner, you need to vacuum regularly.

Here are some facts about how a pool vacuum factors into maintenance:

What a Pool Vacuum Does

A vacuum removes dirt and debris from the bottom of your pool. Your pool’s filtration system works hard to remove as much of these undesirable materials as possible, but regular vacuuming of the floor and walls helps your pool filter run more efficiently. You should also skim the top of your pool regularly to remove any leaves or other foreign objects.

Pool vacuums also keep your swimming pool looking its best. No one wants to look in their custom pool and see a collection of leaves and branches on the pool floor. When you vacuum regularly, you will see the difference. Removing dirt and debris also helps reduce algae growth, so when your friends and family come over you know that your pool will look its best.

How to Vacuum Your Pool: Manual vs. Robotic

When it comes to pool vacuums, you have two primary choices. You can either do the work manually or you can invest in an automated vacuum cleaner. Some pool owners also find that a combination of both options works best for their maintenance schedule.

Manual Pool Vacuuming

In order to vacuum manually, you will need some supplies. You need to have a vacuum head, which is the part of the vacuum that sucks up debris from the bottom of your pool. You also need a telescopic pole, which you attach to the head so that you can reach the bottom of your pool. These then connect to a vacuum hose, which you hook up to a return jet in your pool. This replaces the air in the hose and vacuum head with water. Once this is done, you remove the hose carefully and attach it either to a vacuum plate or to your pool skimmer. You then work your way across the pool floor. This does take some time and effort to do correctly.

Robotic Vacuum Cleaners

If you don’t have time in your busy schedule to vacuum your pool manually, you can invest in a robotic cleaner. You have a few different options for these automatic pool cleaners.

The first is a suction-side pool cleaner, which hooks up to your skimmer and moves around your pool. It is less expensive, but not as effective as other models. Your next option is a pressure-side cleaner. This attaches to your pool water return jets and includes a filter bag which holds any debris. Finally, you can choose a robotic pool cleaner that runs on electricity. This is the easiest to maintain and reduces stress on the filtration system. However, this is the most expensive option.

Pool Vacuum

Whether you vacuum your pool manually or choose an automated pool vacuum cleaner, you want to keep your pool looking its best. When you create a custom pool with Pools by Design, we will help you decide how to maintain your pool and will give you helpful tips to keep it running for years to come.