Summer in the Cape means braais, sunshine and, if you're lucky, a dip in the pool. Nothing ruins that faster than a green, cloudy pool. The good news? Keeping it crystal clear takes about 15 minutes a week.
The big three of pool care
- Circulation: run your pump long enough each day for the water to turn over (usually 6–8 hours in summer).
- Cleaning: skim leaves, brush walls and empty the baskets.
- Chemistry: keep chlorine and pH in the right range.
Get your pH right first
Chlorine works best when pH is between about 7.2 and 7.6. If pH is too high, your chlorine becomes much less effective, and you'll use far more of it. Test weekly with a simple test kit.
Chlorine: little and often
Hot sun and lots of swimmers burn through chlorine fast. Add chlorine regularly according to the product instructions and your pool size, ideally in the evening, as sunlight breaks chlorine down.
Turning a green pool blue
- Remove debris and brush everything.
- Balance pH.
- Shock-dose with chlorine according to the label and run the pump continuously.
- Backwash the filter once the water starts to clear.
Safety
Store pool chemicals in a cool, dry place, away from children, and never mix different pool chemicals together. Always add chemicals to water, never water to chemicals.
Our sister store maxproducts.co.za stocks MAXCHLOR GOLD chlorine plus handy pool care hampers, so you have everything for summer in one box.
Products mentioned in this guide
Available now from our sister company Max Products at maxproducts.co.za, in trade sizes and delivered in Cape Town.
Visit maxproducts.co.za →
MAXCHLOR GOLD Chlorine
