Keeping your swimming pool clean and hygienic year-round is a vital part of pool ownership.
With proper pool maintenance, you’ll keep algae and mosquitoes at bay, and you’ll ensure that the water in your above-ground pool or in-ground pool stays fresh and inviting throughout the swimming season.
As an inbuilt bonus, using the right pool cleaning strategy should also help you to cut down on the use of pool chemicals.
I. 7 Ways to Keep Your Swimming Pool Clean
- Robotic pool cleaner
- Pressure-side pool cleaners
- Suction cleaners
- Manually cleaning with a telescoping pole
- Handheld pool vacuum
- In-floor vacuum system
- Pool cleaning service
1) Robotic pool cleaner
A robotic pool vacuum is the best option if you’re looking for a low-maintenance approach to pool cleaning.
These vacs feature electric motors and come with pumps and filters onboard, so these vacuums are self-contained as well as self-driven.
You can sit back on your pool lounger with a cocktail while the robo vac works its way all around your pool, from corner to corner, as well as up the steps and walls. Robotic pool vacuums will run until the timer elapses or your pool is cleanest, whichever happens first.
What are the benefits of robotic pool cleaners?
- Cleans pool from corner to corner
- Filters the water efficiently
- Promotes vigorous water circulation
- Works in the background without any need for monitoring
- Could reduce the amount of pool chemicals required
- Super-simple to assemble and use
2) Pressure-side pool cleaners
A pressure-side pool cleaner works in tandem with the water return port on your pool. Alternatively, this type of pool cleaner works with an independent booster pump line.
If you choose a pressure-side pool cleaner with a booster pump line, this offers more automatic functionality – you can program this to stop and start automatically. This type of cleaner also comes with an integrated bag for debris, so you won’t need to rely on your pool’s filtration system.
Both types of pressure-side pool cleaner work by using water that is briskly pumped right back into the pool, helping the cleaner to travel across the surface of the pool. As water enters the cleaner, this is channeled to the following components:
- Sweeper tail
- Thrust jet
- Venturi
The sweeper tail helps to scrub small debris from the walls. This is then circulated into the water and on into the pool filter. Larger debris and leaves are sucked into the bag through the venturi. The thrust jet acts like a propeller, moving and directing the cleaner as it goes.
What are the benefits of pressure side pool cleaners?
- Seldom becomes clogged
- Hardwearing and long-lasting
- Effectively cleans pool surfaces
- Comes with integrated filter bags
3) Suction cleaners
A suction-side pool cleaner is attached to your pool skimmer, offering you perhaps the most cost-effective method of automatic pool cleaning.
Most suction cleaners are suitable for either above-ground or in-ground pools. Much like a robotic pool vacuum, suction cleaners will travel all around the pool, cleaning and scrubbing as it goes. Unlike the motor powering a robotic vacuum, though, suction cleaners are powered by suction.
Rather than featuring inbuilt filters, suction cleaners send the water through a hose to the filtration system in your swimming pool. Here, the dirt and debris is efficiently filtered out.
Simply set a suction-side cleaner up on demand and then remove it from the pool when the cleaning cycle is complete.
What are the benefits of suction pool cleaners?
- No motor
- Cheaper than a robotic cleaner
- Simple to use and maintain
- Cost-effective to run
4) Manually cleaning with a telescoping pole
As long as you pool or hot tub has a decent filtration system, you could try removing debris, stains, and algae using some brushes and skimming nets hooked up to a telescoping pole. This method allows you to access the furthest reaches of your swimming pool, scraping away any stains and algae from the bottom and the sides of your pool. You then simply use a skimming net to get rid of floating debris.
Cleaning your pool manually gives you a thorough upper-body workout, but it is quite time-consuming and taxing, so make sure you are prepared for the effort involved.
What are the benefits of manually cleaning with a telescoping pole?
- Ideal for small pool or spas
- Great for above-ground pools
- Cheap to buy and use
- Deep-cleans pool
- Great physical workout
5) Handheld pool vacuum
A handheld pool vacuum works in much the same way as a regular household vacuum. These self-contained appliances feature suction heads, integrated filters, debris compartments, and lengthy handles.
You find handheld pool vacs in both battery-powered and corded electric variants.
You take charge of maneuvering the suction head. This is loaded with bristles that scour the sides and surfaces of your pool efficiently just like you would vacuum the floors of your house.
Since these handheld pool vacs have no mechanical parts – there is no brushroll like you get on a home vacuum, for instance – they deliver a cheap but effective way of relieving the burden on your swimming pool’s filtration system.
You’ll need to set aside a few hours to clean your pool with a handheld vacuum. This method works best if you first lightly hand brush the surfaces of your pool before vacuuming.
Take note that the vacuum’s bristles often kick some debris into the water, so you’ll need to consider backwashing the filter system in your pool once you’re done vacuuming. Overall, this is one of the most time-consuming methods out there for cleaning your pool.
What are the benefits of handheld pool vacuums?
- Straightforward operation
- Affordable and efficient
- Perfect for spot-cleaning
- Battery and plug-in models available
- More powerful than some automatic vacs
6) In-floor vacuum system
With some more upscale in-ground swimming pools, you’ll benefit from an automatic in-floor vacuum system. These are fitted when the pool is constructed.
The bottom of these pools features jets hooked up to the return line of the pool’s filtration system. When you turn the pool system on, a booster pump creates a highly pressurized swirl of water throughout the pool. Heads pop up and a strong current is produced, pushing dirt and debris toward the pool’s main drains. The primary pool pump sucks debris from the pool as the water circulates.
These systems mean you’ll need to clean your pool filters more often, but a pool cleaning service can take care of this filter maintenance for you if you don’t fancy doing the job yourself.
What are the benefits of an in-floor vacuum system?
- Completely automatic and seamless cleaning
7) Pool cleaning service
If you really hate the idea of any form of pool cleaning, the obvious solution is to hire a professional pool cleaning service.
A quick Google search should yield the best options in your area, then all that remains is to see if this falls within budget.
What are the benefits of a pool cleaning service?
- A hands-off approach to pool maintenance
II. Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s guide to the different types of pool cleaner. We have covered all bases for you, whether you want to clean manually at low cost, or you prefer the luxury of hiring in a pool cleaning service.
Bookmark Wild River Country before you head off, and pop back soon for more great content on all aspects of pool ownership and much, much more. See you soon!