Practical Tips for Pool Water Conservation

If you care about the environment enough for the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” to be a part of your regular vocabulary, you may feel a bit guilty about the amount of water that’s required by your swimming pool. In our first article in this series on pool conservation, we explored some ways you can continue enjoying your active aquatic lifestyle without overdoing it when it comes to water usage. Here are a few more ideas to help you cut back on the amount of water which you need for your backyard swimming pool.

Protect Your Pool from the Blustery Wind

Some parts of the country are especially susceptible to high winds. No matter where you are, but especially if you live in a windy area, you should consider taking some steps to keep the wind from blowing water out of your pool or making it feel too cold for comfortable swimming. You could try putting up a high, sturdy privacy fence. Not only will it reduce the wind, but it can also work as a safety measure. If you don’t want a permanent fence, you could put up a windscreen. Trees, shrubs, and hedgerows can double as attractive landscaping and excessive wind prevention tools too.

Block Your Pool from the Sun’s Harsh Rays

During those dog days of summer, you may want to cool your pool off with a little shade. Not only will this make your swimming environment more pleasant and prevent sunburns, but it can also cut down on the amount of water evaporation which you experience in your pool. Try planting some quick-growing shade trees, or adding a sun-sail style awning that can stretch above your pool. If you want to be able to adjust the amount of shade your pool gets, a retractable awning could be ideal for you.

Take Care of Leaks Promptly

A leaky pool is an inefficient pool. Don’t pour money down the drain by having to continuously add water to your leaky pool. If it seems like you’re having to add water to your pool more often than normal, that’s an indication you could have one or more leaks in your pool. A good rule of thumb is a pool that loses more than 1/4” of water per day is likely to have a leak somewhere. Do regular inspections to help you find even small, barely noticeable leaks that could be causing your pool water level to keep dropping. Some areas you should definitely take a look at would include your backwash line, steps, lights, and the perimeters of your skimmers. These are all areas that tend to commonly develop leaks. Once you find the leak, do your best to patch it up. You can find a pool leak repair kit online or at your favorite local pool retailer.

Recycle Your Pool Water

Sometimes you’ll need to drain the water out of your pool. This may be necessary when you’re making repairs or getting rid of large amounts of debris that have gotten into the water after a storm. Consider renting a large vinyl container for storing your pool water while the repair or cleaning is taking place. Then, simply pump some of the water into the container. Though you probably won’t be able to salvage all your pool’s water, you could save a significant amount. There are even water recycling services that will drain your pool, run it through special cleaning filters, and then refill it again. You can find out more about how these filters work here.

Following these steps can take you a long way toward your goal of reducing the amount of water your pool needs to function as a source of refreshment for you and your loved ones. Knowing that you’re doing your part to conserve water can give you a feeling of satisfaction as a pool owner.

Lyon Financial

Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.