When cleaning a swimming pond, a certain regularity of the mostly mechanical work is important. In addition to regular cleaning and winter preparation of the natural pool in autumn, the sediments on the bottom should be completely removed at the start of the bathing season.
How do you clean a swimming pond properly?
When cleaning a swimming pond, sediment and mud should be removed from the bottom of the pool, the water cycle should be started, regeneration zones should be cleaned and plants should be pruned. In addition, careful water testing for phosphate and nitrate levels is required to ensure ideal water values.
Whether frosty or mild, every winter leaves its unmistakable mark on the natural pool, so cleaning the swimming pond is a must at the start of spring. On the bottom of the pool, a mixture of plant residues, leaves and mud accumulates in a conspicuous manner, primarily in the deep water of the swimming pond, which is most effectively removed with a pond sludge vacuum (€124.00 on Amazon).
Getting the water cycle going
The skimming of water that contains a lot of sediment should be done generously, as it contains a lot of nutrients and therefore causes new algae to form quickly. Just like the pool water from an external soil filter in the system (vacuum completely here!), it should be drained onto the lawn or garden beds, where it is an excellent natural fertilizer for flowers and vegetable plants.
Cleaning the regeneration zones with plant cuttings
Depending on the size, a thorough swimming pond cleaning can lower the water level by 30 to 40 cm, so that the plants at the edge of the pond can now be reached better. In the area that has been drained, the strong roots and reed plants can now be easily cut back. Instead of using a rake or rake, it is better to remove stuck leaves or dead plant residues with a leaf blower, so that the roots and leaves of the neighboring smaller pond plants are not damaged.
Check the water when cleaning the swimming pond
After the sediments and deep water have been removed, it is recommended to carry out a careful water analysis, particularly checking the phosphate and nitrate levels. This not only helps the pond plants and limits algae formation, but is also much he althier for bathers. Here are the most important water values for a temperature range between 4 and 30 °C (16 to 26 °C in summer and 4 to 14 °C in winter) in short form:
- Acidity level: pH 6.5 to 8.5 (optimally 7 to 8)
- Total hardness (GH): 8 to 25 °d (optimally 12 to 18)
- Carbon hardness (KH): 6 to 18 °d (optimally 10 to 14)
- Nitrite (NO2): maximum 0.2 mg/l (optimal < 0.1)
- Nitrate (NO3): maximum 50 mg/l (optimal < 25)
- Ammonia/ammonium (NH4 or NH3): maximum 0.5 mg/l (optimal < 0.1)
- Oxygen (O): 5 to 10 mg/l
- Carbon dioxide (CO2): maximum 30 mg/l (optimal < 20)
Tip
Before refilling, be sure to check your drinking water for the above guidelines. The drinking water supply companies sometimes change the origin of the wells, so that the water values can fluctuate.