Having a clear pool of water will take effort, patience, and includes science. To achieve this, you need to learn basic chemistry, like balancing the pH and chlorine levels, and even if you mastered it many times, your pool could still run into issues if the circulation isn’t right. Effective pool circulation will help keep the pool clean or free from any debris in the filter.
How do you check pool circulation? To check pool circulation, there are some areas that you should focus on. These areas are monitoring and maintaining the pump, filter, return jets, and check for some dead areas.
A Must-Read: How to Select the Best Pool Pump
As you read on, you will be able to realize why those areas are essential if you want to have a good pool circulation.
Importance Of A Pool Circulation
Most pool owners know and understand how to disinfect and clean their pool. But they only know that pool circulation is essential, as well as the flow rate and the turnover. Good pool circulation handles:
- It helps in powering your filter system
- Distributes the pool chemicals more often
- Help keep away the debris present in the water
- Assist in the transferring of heat in the water
Without good and right circulation, you might encounter several problems in the future, like having a swamp swimming pool. If you don’t want to have it, better check your pool circulation more often. Or you can ask pool server experts on how to check your water pool’s circulation.
Areas To Check For Poor Pool Circulation
The Pool Pump
A pool pump is what they call the heart of your pool system. Meaning without it, your pool will suffer from pool water circulation. With this, you need to ensure that your pump is in good working condition. Meaning it should have a reliable and consistent circulation.
It may not seem unnecessary, but if you have a faulty pump, it can lead to severe problems, like a dirty pool that can damage the heaters and other equipment.
But to avoid this, check the pump’s basket weekly and then have a regular inspection on the pool’s pump. And if it produces strange noises or weakness in water flow, then your pump is at risk.
That’s why it’s better to choose and buy a good pool pump to ensure that there’s a right circulation. You can invest in a variable-speed pump and then run it in a lower setting, whichever works for your pool. Ideal time is at 24 hours a day to ensure it provides accurate turnover and constant circulation.
Plus, it’s efficient compared to those traditional pumps. And you can set the exact speed that your pool requires.
The Filter
Poor pool circulation doesn’t only mean that the pool pump is the reason. A clogged filter also causes it, or the filter needs cleaning. Despite of what type of filter you are using, backwashing it every other month is better. With this, it’ll help you avoid any major buildup and pressure of the water rising too much.
To clean the filter, you can follow these steps:
1. For those with a cartridge filter, turn the pump off first and open the air bleed’s valve. It is one the filter’s top while the drain’s port is at the bottom, draining it from the housing’s filter.
2. Then remove the filter cartridges and then rinse it with a hose and clean the filter tank too.
3. With a sand earth filter or what they refer to as the diatomaceous, turn the pump off. And open the valve to discharge or waste line.
4. Attach the discharge hose and position it to the direction where you would like dirty water to go.
5. Move the filter’s level to a backwash position and then restart the pump.
6. You can watch the water in a filter’s view glass. Once the water is clear, you can now turn off the pump and set the lever back to filter. And restart the pump.
If you’ve done it correctly, and still it didn’t work, consider changing your pool’s pump. You can call for a professional’s help if you’re unsure. Remember that there’s nothing wrong with calling for help.
The Return Jets
Most pool owners will overlook the importance of the return jets. Return jets make a major difference in the efficiency of your pool water circulation. They say that a pool has a typical two return jets. Wherein the filtered water through the circulation system returns to the pool.
To have better circulation, you need to have multidirectional jets. It’ll help you determine the water’s direction returning to the pool. You need to point the jets in a direction where the pool’s water spins.
It means jets, to emit water, it should be in a downward position and opposite to the pool’s skimmer direction. With this setup, it’ll help in the mixing of the water that comes from the bottom of the pool.
Possible Dead Areas
Let’s say that you set up the jets that don’t mean that your pool won’t suffer from poor circulation. That is what they refer to as dead areas. These areas are ladder and behind the pool steps, corners of a rectangular pool, and in a rectangular pool. That’s why they say that pointing the jets in a downward position helps.
Pool experts say that it’s better to replace the returning jets with a specialty fitting. Which design helps in water circulation because it can distribute the water evenly. Running the filter of about 8 hours per day also helps as well as regular swimming in the pool. Because it helps circulate water to those dead areas mentioned.
Conclusion
In general, checking water pool circulation is essential, like balancing the pool chemicals. Checking those possible areas that cause poor pool circulation is a must. Yes, you can do it yourself, but you can always call for a professional’s help. And even if you know how to balance your pool’s level, if you have poor pool circulation, it’s useless.
