Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance

When you think of swimming pools, Boston generally isn't the first city that comes to mind. In fact, the most famous activity involving a standing body of water in Boston is ice skating on the Frog Pond in Boston Common. Despite being known for its long, brutal winters, however, Beantown does have its fair share of residential swimming pools. And anywhere you find swimming pools, there's a need for swimming pool maintenance as well.

Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance Is a Seasonal Affair
During the summertime, the maintenance required of a pool in Boston isn't any different than you'll find in warm weather cities like Atlanta or Los Angeles (we'll get to some specifics of that here in a minute). However, unlike areas where the mercury rarely, if ever, drops below freezing, owners of swimming pools in greater Boston also get to experience the joy of closing and opening their swimming pools in the fall and the spring. In short, swimming pool maintenance in Boston takes a little more commitment than in some other areas of the county, though the extra labor will be well worth it when Boston's humid summer hits full swing and you head out for a dip.

Step #1 in Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance: Opening Your Pool
Opening your pool is one of the most exciting times of year when it comes to swimming pool maintenance in Boston. After all, this ceremony marks the beginning of pool season in Beantown. For the most part, opening your pool consists of cleaning, re-filling, and adjusting your water quality in preparation for use: starting with removing and cleaning your pool cover, brushing your pool walls and floor, and then vacuuming your pool in order to remove any foreign debris that's built up over the course of the winter months. Follow that up by replacing any water lost to evaporation, and getting all your pool systems, such as the pump, filter, chlorinator, and heater, up and running per manufacturer directions. Finally, make sure your water quality is up to snuff. You'll need to take a sample in to a professional to be tested, though as you wait for results you'll also want to shock your pool and add an algae preventative right off the bat. You may have to tinker some at the beginning to get your pH and chlorine to the appropriate levels after your pool has sat all winter, but all in all, once you get your test back and everything sorted out, your pool is ready to go.

Step #2 of Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance: Basic Pool Season Maintenance
Once your pool is up and running, your biggest responsibility throughout pool season is maintaining the high water quality you worked so hard to achieve when you opened. On a weekly basis you should test and adjust your water's pH and chlorine, remove all debris from the pool and skimmer baskets, scrub and vacuum your pool, and add an algae preventative. Other than that, you should get your water tested professionally once a month, and clean and de-grease your pool filter once in the middle of the season to ensure that it operates at peak efficiency.

Step #3 of Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance: Closing Your Beantown Swimming Pool
When you close your swimming pool in Boston, basically what you're doing is taking preventative measures to protect your pool, pool lines, pump, and filter from getting damaged once the deep freeze of a Boston winter sets in. Start with the final water quality check, water shock, and pool cleaning of the year, then move on to winterizing your pool. You should start by turning off your pool heater, blowing out the lines, and removing water from your pump, filter, and chlorinator either with an air compressor or a vacuum setup. Once these tasks are all checked off your to-do list, the majority of the closing process is behind you. With most pools you can leave water in the pool year round, though you'll need to drain some concrete pools below the tile level, and others you'll need to empty entirely. If you have a vinyl-lined pool, top it off to prevent damage to the liner that can be caused by freezes and thaws. Finally, install your pool cover, and you're all set for winter!

Hiring out Your Boston Swimming Pool Maintenance
Some homeowners enjoy maintaining their pool on their own; others would rather pay a monthly fee to have a professional do it for them. If you fall into the latter category, there are plenty of Boston swimming pool maintenance providers in Greater Boston to choose from. The monthly fee usually includes a weekly visit to perform the basic in-season tasks mentioned above, though in some cases they'll include opening and closing your pool as part of the deal as well. More often than not, however, you'll need to pay an extra service fee in the spring and fall to cover the extra time it takes them to get your pool up and running, and then to shut it down again when the temperatures start dropping. Our advice is that you talk to several different contractors before you hire so that you can compare services, charges, and make sure that you're getting the best deal possible when it comes to swimming pool maintenance in Boston and the larger metropolitan area.