This is it folks, the final stretch. We’ve already talked about getting your pool ready for summer, and if you haven’t seen the posts yet, don’t worry, we’ll list them out at the bottom of the page. Now it’s time to make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything else. See it’s like this, your pool is like a well-oiled machine… well… without the oil of course… which just basically means a damaged component somewhere can lead to your pool having problems and you’ll spend hours trying to figure out what that problem was instead of just lazing around enjoying your pool for the summer.
Getting your skimmers and fittings ready for the summer
Skimmers, one of the hardest working components of your pool, out of sight and out of mind. While skimmer boxes are basically built to last the lifetime of your pool, its component accessories can get damaged and in turn, cause damage to your skimmer box and to the other components of your pool like the pump or the filter.
Skimmer and pump Baskets
Even though they have no moving parts and they’re made out of pretty bulletproof material, skimmer baskets still get damaged. The damage usually comes in the form of broken or missing grills. When this happens, larger pieces of debris (or even the hard plastic from the skimmer basket themselves!) fly into your pool’s plumbing and into your pool pump. Good thing the pump itself also has a basket that will catch anything that the skimmer basket has missed. But of course, don’t take this as a sign that it’s okay to leave broken skimmer baskets as is, replace them as soon as possible at the first sign of damage.
Think of your pump basket as the second line of defense, this also means that you should be checking your pump baskets as well because when they crack and lose grills, nothing stands between the flowing debris and the pump impellers. Depending on your pump type, your impellers can turn at a rate of up to 3,500. Yes, 3,500 revolutions per minute, that’s very fast. We don’t need a science degree to imagine what kind of damage something solid hitting something spinning at that speed can cause. So again, at the first sign of damage, make sure to replace your pump baskets.
Deck Lids and Vacuum Plates
These are more than just covers for your skimmer. Okay, we’re lying, they’re actually just covers. But they’re covers with a very specific purpose! Your deck lids serve as your access point to your skimmer box while at the same time protecting it from external damage. They’re usually made from very durable plastic to resist damage from the elements and the weight of people (especially kids!) stepping on them. It’s very rare that they get damaged, but once they do, make sure to replace them immediately. It may sound funny to think about someone’s leg falling through a deck lid and into the skimmer, but it does happen and it’s can cause some pretty serious injuries.
Vacuum plates on the other hand are specialized covers designed to attach to your pool cleaning units. They provide an air and water-tight seal so that your cleaners can get a steady stream of suction to clean the pool. No explanation really needed here, if the vacuum plate is cracked then there’s a big chance that you won’t be able to get a proper vacuum when the time comes to clean the pool.
One thing to note: Vacuum plates are specifically designed to pair up with specific skimmer boxes to get the proper seal. Make sure to get one that’s made for your existing skimmer box.
Return and Suction Fittings
Again, out of sight and out of mind. Your return and suction fittings don’t really need much maintenance, but it’s a great idea to check them before summer comes. Eyeball return fittings help you direct the water jets back into your pool so you can circulate water in the area that you think needs water circulation and your suction fittings prevent pool accident like people getting stuck on the suction ports or clothes and other larger things getting sucked into the pipe and directly into your pool’s filtration system (don’t laugh! It has happened before!)
Final words
And that’s that! Everything should be ready to go for summer! All you need now is to practice your cannonballs so that your pool guests will stare at you in awe during those pool parties!
In case you’ve missed some of our summer series blog posts, here’s everything that you need to know on how to get your pool ready for summer! (Don’t worry, clicking them will open their own window so you can come back to this page anytime)
Our general guide on How to get your swimming pool ready for Summer
Tips and tricks on Getting your Pool Pump Ready for Summer
Summer water is different, read up on Balancing your pool water for Summer
Don’t forget to get your pool chemicals ready for Summer as well!
Chemicals are only half the battle, Get your pool filters ready for Summer
Have a salt water system? Then get your chlorinators and salt cells ready for Summer
Of course, there will be cleaning involved! Get your pool cleaning equipment ready for Summer
Don’t like manual labour? Get your automatic pool cleaners ready for Summer
What’s summer without night swimming? Get your pool lights ready for the summer
Not everything has to be about pool maintenance, check out our guide on How to Throw the best pool party this summer!
And of course, let’s not forget to make your pool safe and fun by finding out the Best ways to make your pool safe and fun for the summer