Date: 27 May 2010 Comments: 0

If automatic pool cleaners seem the easy way out to you, or robotic pool cleaners just aren’t in your budget, you can always spend some quality time with your pool and vacuum it by hand.

Start by skimming the surface of the pool for leaves and debris. A skimmer head attachment will fit your pool pole the same as the vacuum head will. Once the water’s surface looks good, continue on to vacuuming.

You will need vacuum hose (long enough to reach from your skimmer to the opposite end of the pool), a vacuum or skimmer pole long enough to reach the center of your pool from all sides, and a vacuum head attachment. You will also likely need a vacuum plate to place in the bottom of your skimmer. These are all relatively affordable and available at your local pool supply store.

Start by placing the vacuum plate in the skimmer – this is where your actual vacuum suction will come from. Attach the vacuum head to the end of your pole and the hose to the top of the vacuum head. Submerge the vacuum head and ensure that it stays below the water from this point on. You must then prime your vacuum hose so that no air is sucked into your pools pump. An easy way to do this is to hold the loose end of the hose to the pools return jet – this will fill the entire hose with water.

Keeping the loose end of the hose under water (now that it is completely filled with water), attach it to the vacuum plate in the skimmer basket. Once that is attached you have suction and are ready to vacuum!

Holding the top of the vacuum pole, slowly pass along the floor and walls of the pool until you’ve effectively cleaned all surfaces. All debris being vacuumed is filtered through your pools filter. When finished, detach the hose from the vacuum plate in the skimmer first. Then drain and store your equipment.

Your filter should be “backwashed” every so often depending on how dirty the pool gets and how much you vacuum.

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