“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is an adage that folks have used to explain everything from car maintenance and relationships to just about anything related the house. There’s certainly some truth to the saying. But before you go applying the age-old rule to your pool, a word of caution.
“If your equipment is 10 years old, it needs to be replaced,” says Dawn Elser, Paces Pool Service’s Service Manager. “[Your pool] might still be working, functioning, but you have to think, it sits outside, so it's definitely not functioning at its optimal performance. That all leaves in about Year Five. Manufacturers tell people that if your stuff is 10 years old, it's really about to go.”
Though pool parts like the liner or pump may go bad in that span, Elser points to one particular area that deserves your regular attention—the filters. “Normally, you'll start to see a decrease in water flow,” says Elser. “The water is not drawing through as quickly as it once was. And you'll also notice that the water just doesn't stay as clean.” Elser insists that the main culprit in this case is algae. Because there are so many deciduous trees in Georgia backyards, the green stuff simply plops into pools and becomes a hassle for filters.
“If it looks like there's dirt coming back through [your returns], you have a filter problem,” says Elser, who suggests two cartridge filter cleanings each year. “There are various things that could be the [central] problem but, best-case scenario, you need to have a professional take your filter apart, clean it and do an inspection on the internal [unit] because that's a big indicator.”
And there’s no better time to call a professional like Paces Pool Service for said job than in the winter. During the cooler season, of course, pools aren’t being used nearly as much, so the work is less intrusive. Plus, by getting all of the maintenance out of the way in December or January, it gives you plenty of time to have your pool ready before things heat back up in spring.
