Having a dirty pool is the last thing you need when you’ve got guests coming around for a BBQ or just to enjoy dinner outside during summer. You also want to make sure that you’re swimming in the cleanest water possible, so you need to know how to remove sediment from bottom of pool.
We’re going to take you through some of the most common options available that will show you how to remove sediment from the bottom of the pool and also how to stop it from forming in the first place.
Options to remove sediment from pool floor
Once there is sediment on the floor of your pool, there are really only a few ways to get rid of it, and some of those options are pretty labor-intensive but need to be done; otherwise, it’s just going to get worse. So let’s review how to remove sediment from bottom of pool.
Buy and run an automatic robot pool cleaner
Buy a robot pool cleaner that you can keep running in the pool whenever you’re not using it; this will automatically move around the bottom of the pool and suck up any sediment, including leaves, dirt, and anything else that happens to build up down there.
Robot pool cleaners are great for getting loose and easy sediment, especially the leaves or dirt that’s just floated down there. However, anything that’s stuck on or isn’t easily sucked up will stay down there and needs some extra work to clear it away.
Suck up any sediment with a pool vacuum
If you haven’t been running your robot pool cleaner, or you need to get rid of sediment faster than the robot pool cleaner can handle, get a pool vacuum cleaner so you can manually suck everything up quickly. However, this option requires you to put in some manual labor by walking around the pool, pushing the vacuum, and getting all areas that have sediment on.
A pool vacuum is an excellent option after a storm or anything else that’s blown a lot of sediment into the pool. It has the same issue as the robot cleaner in that it will pick up the easy sediment that isn’t stuck on hard or isn’t too light.
Sweep the pool bottom with a pool brush
The most labor-intensive option is to use a pool brush; this can often be used in combination with a vacuum or hose that will suck up any of the sediment you dislodge by scrubbing the bottom of the pool.
The pool brush is the best option for scrubbing off and loosening any sediment that’s stuck on hard or even that’s been too light for the vacuum and robot cleaner to pick up. You don’t need a vacuum attached, but it makes your job easier and the cleaning faster.
If you dislodge very fine sediment and it floats away, the filters may pick it up, or the chemicals you have in the pool may destroy it later. Otherwise, it’s up to the pool cleaner or vacuum to try and get it once it settles back on the pool floor.
Hire professional pool cleaners
If your pool has an ongoing issue with sediment on the bottom and you just don’t have time or don’t want to clean it, you need to hire professional pool cleaners to come once a week or every two weeks. They’ll run through everything to ensure the pool is clean, the filters are cleared, and the chemicals are at the right levels.
It can add a fair bit of cost to your pool maintenance, but you’ll know that it’s being done right, and you don’t have to bother with it. Just ensure that you get professionals; you don’t want people pouring too many chemicals into your pool and causing issues for you and your family.
Options to stop sediment forming on pool floor
If you’ve spent a lot of time on how to remove sediment from bottom of pool, but it just keeps coming back, you’ll need to look at ways to stop the sediment from getting there in the first place.
Install a pool cover
A simple but effective option to stop sediment from getting into your pool, especially during months you’re not using it, is to install a pool cover. Any dirt, leaves, or anything else trying to get into the pool will need to deal with a heavy barrier on top.
While some sediment will get through, a pool cover will stop most of the big stuff and save you a lot of time. If you’ve got a robot cleaner running, that should get most of the sediment that does get through.
Keep pool chemicals topped up
Another issue if your pool floor just won’t stay clean is that your pool chemicals are too low, or you’re not putting enough in. You can buy a pool testing kit from most hardware stores, pool supply stores, or even Amazon.
Check your levels and start finding the right balance to ensure you’ve got enough chemicals in the pool but not so much that your eyes burn every time you get in. The kits are cheap enough that you can use them often, but once you get the levels right and understand how much you need to be putting in, you shouldn’t need them very often.
Clean or replace pool filter
A big issue that causes sediment to stay on the pool floor or come back quickly is that your filters and baskets are dirty and need to be cleaned or replaced. So make sure your baskets get emptied often and double-check your filter isn’t old or too dirty.
You can often pull out and clean your pool filter; it simply needs to be soaked for up to three hours in a cleaning solution. If your filter is just too old and not working anymore, you can replace it, which needs to be done every 3-5 years.
Use a pool floc treatment
If you’ve gone through everything on how to remove sediment from bottom of pool and nothing is working, it may be that you have a lot of fine particles floating around in your pool, and your standard chemicals aren’t clearing that sediment away.
If your pool isn’t crystal clear and has a cloudy appearance, then this may be your issue, and that floating sediment ultimately falls to the pool floor. You can add flocculent or a floc treatment, which is a chemical specifically designed to clump these fine particles together so that they fall to the pool floor, and your vacuum can finally get them all.
Conclusion
Hopefully you now know how to remove sediment from bottom of pool and how to keep it from getting there in the first place. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of effort to look after a pool, and there isn’t a lot you can do about that, aside from hiring somebody to do it for you.
If you’ve gone through these steps and your pool floor just continues to build up with sediment, you need to look at where the sediment is coming from. If you can find the source that keeps putting sediment into your pool, you can fix that issue, improving your pool floor sediment issue.
