Is Your Pool Party Ready?

Summer is built around the classic swimming pool party: grilling, swimming surrounded by family and friends. Currently there are a 10.4 million residential and 309,000 public swimming pools in the United States. The numbers of pools in the U.S. isn’t surprising because swimming is the third most-popular sport and activity in the country. There is nothing more refreshing that taking a quick dip during a hot day, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you start inviting your guests.

Getting your Pool Party Ready

Before hosting any poolside barbecues it is important to ensure that your pool is in proper working order. Without proper maintenance a pool’s lifespan can be cut in half.The good news is that many residential pools can be easily cleaned without professional help in about 20 minutes or less, with the proper instructions. Chemical testing, maintaining a proper pH level, takes only a few hours a week. Pool cartridge filters should be cleaned every 4 months, or if pressure begins to rise above 10lbs psi over average pressure. Make sure to check your basket weekly if you notice reduced water flow and more debris in the pool than normal. Run your pump and filter on a daily basis for at least six hours during the summer and monitor it regularly.

Pool Safety

Maintaining a pool is only one part of the pool owning equation. Exercising proper pool safety is important especially with families with small children.In between parties erecting a fence which is at least four feet tall is one of the best ways to prevent drownings and accidents around pools. Not only do pool covers provide added safety, but they also cut the cost of heating a pool from 50%-70%. Also remember these classic swimming pool safety tips:

• Always swim with a buddy
• Stay away from drains
• Always walk when around the pool
• Keep Children under Supervision at all times
• Make sure that all guests know how to swim well

Installing a Classic Swimming Pool in Your Home

If you are thinking about adding a pool to your home, inground pools might be the way to go. The addition of an inground pool to your home can increase your property value by 8%. Inground pools are also better for areas where drought is prevalent because they use about a third less water than is required to keep a lawn of the same size green. Building an inground pool can take some time and money.Professional pool installers can take approximately 8-12 weeks to build a pool and costs range between $20,000-50,000. The cost may be worth it considering water park wait lines can be as long as 90 minutes. Also having your own backyard pool minimizes the stress from fighting weekend traffic and paying up to $200 for tickets and parking.