How Often Should I Get a Professional Pool Cleaning Service?

The heat is in, fabulous new season swimwear is out, end-of-year catch ups and festive celebrations are in full swing… and your pool is getting a workout. But, it’s important not to forget about your pool cleaning service.

The last thing you want to see this summer is a cloudy, green-hued pool. Besides the less than desirable aesthetics, a neglected pool can cause a host of other issues, from cracks and corrosion on the pool’s hardware to nastier symptoms like skin allergies and swimmer’s ear infections.

The more people in your pool, the more sunscreen, bugs and other microbes are going to be in it too, making it extra important to keep on top of cleanliness.

Read on for our easy-to-follow guide to pool cleaning services, and we promise with just a few minutes each week, you’ll keep yours healthy all summer long.

Your weekly pool cleaning checklist

Routine pool cleaning is vital to ensure pH levels are safe and contaminants are removed effectively. We recommend setting aside just 10 minutes a week to the following tasks (or better yet, adding them to the kids’ list of school holiday chores):

Check the water level. Is it where it should be? Too high or too low and the pump won’t work effectively.
Remove any leaves and debris from the bottom and skim the surface with your pool rake.
Test the pH levels and adjust accordingly.
Test the chlorine levels. Adjust accordingly and once a fortnight, ‘shock’ the pool with a high dose to destroy any bacteria (leave at least 24 hours between the shock treatment and your next swim).
Check the filter pressure and set it to ‘backwash’. This will reverse the water flow and direct any build up out of the pool. Keep this running for a few minutes until the water in the sight glass is clear.

There are a range of pool supplies available that make caring for your pool a lot less manual than it used to be too.

Your monthly pool maintenance checklist

As well as your weekly checklist, there are a range of other, less frequent tasks that are just as necessary to good pool maintenance. Approximately once a month, depending on the size of your pool and how often it’s in use, you should:

Clean the filter.
Apply an algae preventative.
Test the calcium hardness and adjust accordingly.
Brush the pool walls and scrub the tiles.
Inspect the pump and other pool accessories like handrails, ladders, or diving boards.
Inspect the liner for tears or the concrete and fibreglass for cracks.
Make any necessary repairs or replacements.

Once a year, your pool should also receive a thorough service and be ‘closed’ for winter. To do this:

Balance and lower the water levels.
Drain the pump and filter.
Clean thoroughly.
Remove any exterior equipment.
Cover the pool.

When to book a professional pool cleaning service

Sometimes, it pays to know when to call in the professionals.

For those of us that are time poor (which let’s face it, is all of us these days), it’s easy to lose track of pool maintenance and suddenly find yourself looking at major recovery works and costly repairs. A well-cared for pool is going to save you a lot of time, angst, and money.

A professional pool cleaner can step in as often or as little as you like, whether that’s monthly or fortnightly cleans during the summer or an annual service.

Talk to us about your next pool cleaning service

The team at Oceanic Pools are experts in below ground commercial and residential pool cleaning, including pool servicing, green pool recovery, pool condition reports, presale makeovers and tenant handovers.

With the heat (and our busiest season) upon us, contact us today to secure your services now for 2023 and ensure your pool is fit for another long WA summer.