Ahhh...the joys of summer. Long, hot days filled with swimming, barbecues and backyard pool parties. Jumping into the backyard family swimming pool is an excellent way to cool off, exercise and spend time with friends and family. But what about water? You know, the stuff that makes up 2/3rds of our planet. What can we do to conserve water and still enjoy our pool?
1. Use a pool cover to keep your pool clean and reduce water evaporation. The average uncovered pool loses one inch of water per week.
2. Block the wind with trees, plants or a trellis. A 7 mph wind at the surface of the pool increases water evaporation loss by 300 percent!
3. Don't overfill your pool. Minimize water loss from splashing by keeping water levels lower and encouraging swimmers to keep water in the pool.
4. Check for and fix leaks in your pool and equipment. Look for water-saturated soil or wet pavement near the pool, pump and pool plumbing. Keep an eye on your water bill for sudden or gradual spikes in water usage.
5. Reuse pool backwash water. Direct the filter waste water onto lawns or garden beds.
6. Consider converting your pool to use a cartridge filter system. Unlike sand and DE filters, cartridge filters do not require regular backwashing.
