The importance of circulation in your swimming pool

A clean swimming pool is not only great to look at but vitally important to ensure the water is healthy and safe for swimming. Complete circulation of your pool water is essential to keeping your pool clean. Without it, your water would be susceptible to bacteria and impurities which can cause serious problems for your pool.

Water circulation

Circulation plays one of, if not the most crucial role when it comes to maintaining a clean pool. Circulation filters and cleans your water and works to disperse the chemicals and sanitising agents throughout your pool. Pool water that does not have proper circulation becomes stagnant and can house a multitude of algae and bacteria. There are three main steps to consider when it comes to pool maintenance. They are cleaning, chemicals, and circulation. Without circulation, the other two steps are pointless.

Adequate pool circulation

No matter the size of your pool, it should be fitted with a good quality filter and pump. The whole volume of your pool water should be pumped, filtered, cleaned, and then returned every day to meet Australian standards. It is important to have a pool circulation system that is capable of doing this in a 24-hour period. Your pump allows your pool water to circulate, it does this by drawing water from your pool to your skimmer box and then travels to your pump and filter. The filter works by removing any impurities or debris in the water and returns it back to the pool once it is clean via a return jet. Some pools are equipped with a couple of jets and skimmers, not just one and we recommend the more returns to the pool the better.

Some factors that affect your pools circulation:

Jet settings

The jet’s job is to return clean water back to the pool. To ensure that you are getting the best water circulation, your jets should be multidirectional to propel the water throughout the entirety of your pool. This applies if you have several return jets, if not, your individual jet should be turned downwards and facing the opposite side of your skimmer box. By turning your jet in a downwards direction, it enables water on the bottom of the pool to be circulated with the water on the top half of the pool. This will improve your pool’s circulation and assists with heating the water where required.

Dead spots

A dead spot is a section in your pool that receives little or no movement, meaning it does not get to the filter to be cleaned. Dirt and bacteria are known to settle in these areas. Even with regular maintenance and equipment that is working properly, you can still have dead spots. Brushing the interior surface of your pool on a regular basis and ensuring your return jets are facing any dead spots can improve circulation in that area.

Your pools turnover rate

Turnover rate is a term used to describe the amount of time it takes to circulate the entire volume of your pool water through your filtration system. It is important that the pump runs for enough time each day to adequately circulate the entire pool water at least once per day and preferably one and half or twice per day. The pump does most of the work when it comes to your circulation system, however, there are some key things you should be keeping on top of to ensure optimum circulation of your pool water. They include:

• Brushing those hard to reach areas of your pool on a regular basis

• Running your filter pump for as long as required to turnover the pool water

• Keep at least one jet directed to bottom of the pool

• Remove debris, dirt and insects from skimmer and pump baskets often

Your filter

Your pool filter is a big contributor when it comes to keeping your pool clean. Ensuring that the filter is clear of debris and has adequate pressure enables it to work at its full potential. Always ensure the filter is adequately sized for the volume of water in your pool and clear it often. The NKD-R Freshwater System will work with any kind of filter such as sand, glass or cartridges but it is important to note that you cannot use Zeolite/Zelbrite filter media with an ionised swimming pool.

Adverse effects of poor circulation

Inadequate pool maintenance and poor circulation can lead to significant complications for your pool. Poor circulation inhibits the ability of your sanitising agents and pool chemicals to work by not distributing properly throughout your pool water, this can result in your pool becoming unsanitary and unsafe to swim in. A simple way to consider this is to think of a freshwater stream – where the water is constantly flowing it is clean and fresh, but if not moving it becomes stagnant and unhealthy.

Other options available to circulate your pool water

Technology is always evolving which means newer, smarter systems are constantly hitting the market. Pool maintenance is simpler and now less time consuming than ever. Systems such as self-cleaning pools (in-floor cleaning) can now do a lot of the work for you. They have become increasingly popular over the years as they offer many advantages when it comes to cleaning your pool rather than needing to vacuum or use a robotic pool cleaner. Our suggestion is that if you are able to afford in-floor cleaning we would highly recommend it as not only is it making maintenance easier it is a really effective way or increasing circulation in your swimming pool.

There are many reasons why it is crucial to cover all aspects when maintaining your pool. Ensuring your pool has complete circulation should be on the top of your priority list when following your pool care schedule. Remembering to check your filters, the direction of your return jets and keeping an eye out for dead spots can all increase your pool pumps ability to circulate your pool water to its full potential. Should you have more questions about circulation and Freshwater Pools, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.