Anyone with a pool should also invest in an automatic pool cleaner to do most of the hard work of pool cleaning. If the water is not kept clean you can easily get an ear infection or worse, algae could come to visit and it will very likely make itself at home.  Pool cleaners can work away while you sit and relax by the side of the pool. But like many other machines they require a little maintenance to keep on rolling around, sucking up that debris from the pool.

Sometimes a pool needs to be cleaned with what is known as ‘shock treatment’. This is necessary when you notices any opacity in the water, green or red slime or even black spots that herald that dreaded black algae. It should be done regularly such as once a week, especially if you get a lot of leaves and other debris in the pool and don’t always remove it quickly.

1. Shock treatment is basically adding extra chlorine or trichlor – lots extra. Don’t leave the automatic cleaner in the pool at this time, because so much chlorine is likely to corrode and rust it. It can even corrode rubber seals, the neoprene gaskets, steel and PVC. You should wait for at least 4 hours before putting the cleaner back in the water.
2. If you see kinks in the hose, always straighten them out. Kinks not only wear the hose, but make the cleaner work harder. They can prevent the cleaner from working properly with the result that your pool water will still have dirt in it.
3. Always empty the filter basket regularly to ensure the bacteria from rotting debris doesn’t get washed back into the pool. Don’t just empty it, but also rinse it out with clean water. And don’t just rinse it in the pool as this will also return bacteria to the water.
4. Check on the cleaner occasionally while it is working. Sometimes certain models get stuck in a corner or go over the same area due to the position of the swivel top as well as kinks in the hose.
5. Read the instruction manual for the cleaner and check that it is moving at the rate it is supposed to.
6. Don’t drop the cleaner onto a hard surface.
7. When storing the cleaner, make sure it is dried out and clean, but don’t clean it with any substance, just clean water. If you use polish or oil it will get into the pool water.
8. If the manual says to replace certain parts at certain times, do so, don’t leave it for another few months. Sometimes things wear out from the inside and you can’t see it happening. If seals wear out, the cleaner won’t do a good job.