Cleaning your pool regularly is very important when it comes to swimming pool maintenance. Ideally, you should vacuum your pool frequently in order to remove debris and keep your pool in a healthy condition.
Whereas a pool pump comes in very handy in this regard, there are some instances where you may need to vacuum your pool manually. For example, if your automatic pool cleaner is broken, you may have to clean your pool manually until you get your pump fixed. There are also instances where using an automatic pool cleaner to vacuum your pool may not be as effective as desired. If your swimming pool is affected by an algae problem, for example, it might be more practical to clean it manually, rather than using an automatic pool cleaner or pump.
In light of these reasons, it is vital for you, as a swimming pool owner, to know how to vacuum a pool without a pump. Sounds good, right?
Things that You’ll Need in Order to Vacuum Your Pool
Before you embark on the process of cleaning your pool, you need to ensure that you have all the right tools and equipment. These include:
- Vacuum head
- Telepole which attaches to the vacuum head
- Long vacuum hose/pipe
- Vacuum plate
Setting up Your Equipment
Once you have all the required tools in place, the next step is to set up your vacuuming gear. Here is how to do so:
- Connect the head of the vacuum to one end of the telepole.
- Attach one of the hose’s ends to hole on the top of the vacuum head
- Place the vacuum head, hose, and telepole inside the pool such that they are in contact with the floor of the pool
- With the pool pump and filter still running, attach the other end of the vacuum hose to a return jet inside the pool. This will ensure that all the air inside the hose is pushed out by the water draining into it.
At this stage, you will see some bubbles coming out of the vacuum head. Wait for the bubbles to stop since this will be your cue that all of the air has been driven out of the vacuum hose.
- Thereafter, connect the end of the hose which you had initially attached to the return jet, to the vacuum plate. Ensure that the opening of the hose is properly blocked using your hand as you bring it to the skimmer. This will keep it carefully sealed and prevent suction from being lost.
- In case you are not using a vacuum plate, take out the skimmer basket and use your hands to block the opening of the vacuum hose. Next, put the hose into the skimmer taking care to ensure that it is tightly inserted into the hole found under the skimmer
Vacuuming your Pool
With your apparatus set up correctly, it is time to begin the manual pool cleaning process.
- Begin your pool cleaning from the shallow part of the pool and gradually move toward the deeper part. Try to maintain long slow strokes with slight overlaps in order to ensure no debris is left behind as your vacuum.
- Avoid rushing while cleaning since doing so will kick up debris on the pool floor, reduce visibility and make the cleaning process needlessly time-consuming. However, if there is a lot of debris at the bottom of your pool, you will probably kick up a cloud of debris no matter how careful you are. Nevertheless, you should still try to maintain a slow pace when cleaning in order to avoid creating unnecessary problems for yourself during the pool cleaning process.
- If the water becomes clouded by debris, give it a few hours to settle before you resume the vacuuming process. You may have to repeat this several times until your pool is clean.
What to do After Vacuuming your Pool
Once you have completed the process of cleaning your pool, you need to detach the head of the vacuum from the telescoping pole and get rid of all the water that is still inside the hose. Thereafter, use a brush to scrape off any dirt, debris, and algae from your pool
Next, clean any debris that is inside the strainer basket and conduct a final backwashing of your filter. Finally, clean up your equipment with water and allow them to dry before returning them to your storage
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Take Away: Here is what you need to consider
Just because your pool pump is damaged or not working effectively doesn't mean you should allow your pool to be in a sorry state. By learning how to vacuum manually, you will be able to keep your swimming pool in healthy condition all year round, with minimal effort and a little expertise.
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