Eight water saving tips for pool owners

As a pool owner, do you worry about water loss for financial and/or environmental reasons?  This blog post will show you how to save water to save you money and help our environment. First, the following factors affect the amount of water required to keep a pool full year-round:

• Size of the pool (surface area and depth)
• Evaporation
• Backwashing & splashing
• Leakage
• Pool cleaning method
• Water temperature
• Having a fountain or waterfall
• pH and chemicals in the pool
• Maintenance habits

How can you consider these factors to minimize water loss?  Here are some tips:

Use a pool cover

Using a pool cover reduces evaporation and therefore reduces water loss.  Pool covers can also reduce heating and chemical costs by preventing night heat loss.  Be sure your cover fits properly to maximize the benefit.

Repair any leaks

Even tiny leaks in pool equipment or structure can lead to substantial waste. For example, an inch-a-day leak in a 15-by-30 foot pool can waste 102,000 gallons of water per year.

Reduce your pool/spa water temperature

Warmer water evaporates more quickly.  This will save energy costs and water.

Turn off unnecessary fountains and waterfalls

The aeration effect results in significant water loss due to easier evaporation.

Manually clean your filter

It’s more thorough and uses less water than an average backwash. Also, though backwashing is convenient, be sure not to backwash more often than you need to.

Maintain proper chemical levels and adequate circulation time

The pool will be safer, cleaner and less likely to require draining and refilling to fix a chemical imbalance.

Be careful not to overfill the pool when filling it up

Plug the overflow line.  Sounds basic, but we all get distracted sometimes.

Turn off the spray device 

If you have an automatic pool cleaner, turn off the tile-spray device.  Much like a fountain or waterfall, the splashing hastens evaporation. Owning a pool is wonderful, but it can be costly. Pool owners spend 58 percent more on water each year than people without a pool.  Do your wallet and the environment a favor and take a few steps to reduce water loss in your pool.