Pinto Pools

Water Care
Routine water care as described in the water care section of this guide is an important part of your basic pool maintenance. Please read that section carefully.

Debris removal and water line cleaning
Empty out skimmer baskets daily.
Clean scum line from inside skimmer, walls of skimmer and weir, and water line around pool. A product like Soft Scrub and a wet sponge works well for this. Do this at least once a week.
Skim surfaces of pool with hand skimmer net before swimming.
Brush walls, stairs, skimmer mouths, behind ladders as needed but at least weekly.

Backwash filter
Turn off filter and clean out hair and lint basket in pump. Replace basket after cleaning.
If you have a valve on your waste line, open valve before backwashing.
Turn off pump before moving controls on multiport handle to backwash position. Pump must be off in order to change the position of this handle.
Backwash filter until waste water runs clear. Then Rinse, backwash and rinse. Be sure to move multiport handle back into the “filter” position when done.
FOR DE FILTERS: Recharge your earth filter with DE immediately. Never run your filter after backwashing without doing this or you will clog your filter elements. If you do make this mistake you will need a service call. With filter on pour DE slowly in the skimmer basket closest to the filter. Hayward DE3620 filters use 4 ½ lbs of DE. Hayward DE4820 filters use 6 lbs of DE. Be sure to use a DE scoop for accurate measuring.
Turn off filter and clean out pump hair and lint basket again. Then turn on the filter and you are done.

Vacuuming
Vacuuming your pool should be done at least weekly if you do not have an automatic pool cleaner in your pool. If you have an automatic pool cleaner you can simply brush any debris stuck around edges of pool, behind stairs, or corners towards the center and your cleaner will pick it up. With an automatic pool cleaner you will probably only manually vacuum in the beginning of the season and after any stormy weather when debris levels would be too heavy for your automatic cleaner.

To vacuum your pool, with your pump on high speed, remove the skimmer lid of the skimmer closest to the filter system and insert your skim vac attachment into the skimmer opening. The skimmer basket should remain inside the skimmer to collect the vacuumed debris. The valve for the other skimmer(s) and main drain should be closed to obtain maximum suction from the line you are vacuuming from. With heavy debris you may need to stop vacuuming, turn off filter, backwash and empty skimmer basket a few times. Follow the above directions for backwashing when done with vacuuming.

Winter Care
Shock the pool and add your winter chemicals while your pool is still circulating. Lower the water level to just below the skimmers. Using an air compressor blow out all lines and add swimming pool non-toxic anti-freeze, plug all lines and drain water from the equipment to protect against freeze damage. Gizzmo expansion devices should be installed in skimmers. Cover your pool with either a mesh or solid cover. Solid covers will need to have accumulated water pumped off the cover using a submersible cover pump during the winter. Pump motors and heater trays should be removed by a professional and stored for the winter. It is strongly recommended that you have Pinto’s or your local pool professional Winterize your pool.

READ ALL OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURERS OF YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR PROPER USE AND MAINTENANCE. IF YOU ARE UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO OR HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONTACT PINTO’S OR YOUR LOCAL POOL PROFESSIONAL.

Help is available from Pinto’s
PINTO’s offers a full range of services to assist you with your pool. Summerizings, weekly maintenance programs, Winterizings, and repairs are just a few of the services available to help you enjoy your pool with less work! Contact the Pinto Service department at 631-878-0966 for assistance or information.