Own a swimming pool? 5 tips to help you conserve water

(BPT) – With record-high temperatures and droughts occurring nationwide, you may be experiencing water use restrictions where you live. But even if you’re not, it’s natural to be concerned about the amount of water you’re using as a pool owner. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take to help conserve water, which will also save you money while keeping your pool clean, safe, and beautiful. Here are five easy tips to help you make the most of your pool without wasting water.1. Practice routine pool care and maintenanceKeeping your pool clean and maintaining the proper water chemistry and sanitization will help you avoid the need for excess pool drainage, which will save water.Balance your pool chemistry — Leslie’s provides a free in-store AccuBlue® water test with a customized treatment plan that can help you manage water chemistry and avoid having to drain your pool. Just bring in a water sample to your nearest Leslie’s location.Clean the pool — Regularly cleaning your pool ensures you won’t have as much debris going through your filter, which means you can go longer between cleanings or backwash cycles. Don’t forget to clean out the pump strainer and skimmer basket.Keep backwash cycles to a minimum — Backwashing the pool filter can use 250–1,000 gallons of water, so backwash only as much as necessary per the manufacturer’s instructions.Upgrade to a cartridge filter — Cartridge filters don’t need to be backwashed, unlike sand or D.E. (diatomaceous earth) filters. You can clean cartridge filters by simply spraying them off with a garden hose or specialty nozzle, which helps conserve water.2. Cool your poolBecause warm water evaporates faster, keeping your pool water temperature lower will help reduce the rate of evaporation. The best part? When it’s super hot outside, the cooler pool water will feel that much more refreshing. Here are some tips on keeping your water temp lower:Run your pump at nightUse a heat/cool heat pump or chillerSet up shades or umbrellas in and around the pool3. Don’t overfill the poolAnother way to avoid pool water loss is to keep the water level halfway up the skimmer. This means losing less water when people jump in or out of the pool or play vigorously. Excessive splash-out from an overfilled pool simply wastes water.4. Use a solar coverThe average uncovered pool loses 1.5” of water per week to evaporation, and it can lose even more in hot, dry climates. Covering the pool when it’s not in use can reduce evaporation by up to 90–95%. Leslie’s offers solar covers in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit most pools. Another plus? Covering your pool can help keep insects and debris out of the water.You can also use a liquid solar cover, which helps protect your pool while the regular cover is off. This chemical layer can reduce evaporation by as much as 30–50%.Keep in mind that solar covers will also heat your pool during the day, and increase heat retention at night. For this reason, they’re most often used in the cooler spring and fall months to help extend swimming season.5. Check for leaksLeaking pools, equipment or plumbing wastes precious water resources. It can also cause damage to your pool, which costs you even more money. Check for leaks by regularly inspecting your equipment, as well as the ground around the equipment pad and pool. Wet soil and sunken or eroding areas may indicate a leak. You can also watch your pool’s water level by marking the level with a grease pen or tape and checking periodically — if it seems like you’re losing more water than from simple evaporation, you could have a leak. Fix leaks as soon as you find them.If you’re looking for other ways to conserve water in your pool, the experts at Leslie’s can help. Visit LesliesPool.com to learn more.