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10 Money-Saving Pool Maintenance Tips & Tricks

A pool is a huge investment, and it’s worth every penny when you jump into the crystal-clear water on a scorching summer day. Maintaining your investment takes daily effort during pool season, but it doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Make pool maintenance as easy and cost efficient as possible with these easy tips.

1. Add Chlorine After Dark

The sun’s heat can weaken the efficiency of chemicals you add to the pool, which means you go through chemicals more quickly. When you need to shock the pool with chlorine, wait until evening to do it. The chlorine will have all night to kill unwanted organisms, and the water is clear by morning.

2. Set Alarms to Test Pool Water

Regularly testing your water is a critical part of pool maintenance. It’s better to make small adjustments now than to let a problem grow to the point that you need to bring in professional help to restore the right chemical balance. Set an alarm on your phone for twice a week so you never forget this task. Test after heavy rainstorms too.

3. Clean Tiles With Vinegar

Vinegar may help remove calcium deposits that cling to your pool tile above the water line. Pour a little white vinegar onto a soft cloth and try buffing a section of tile with it. Follow with a second cloth dampened with water.

4. Treat Metal Stains With Vitamin Tablets

Sometimes, brownish or greenish metal stains appear on the walls or floor of a pool. They often happen because something metal, like a hair pin, has been dropped into the pool. Some pool owners say that rubbing a vitamin C tablet or powder over the affected area lightens or removes metal stains thanks to the ascorbic acid in vitamin C

5. Throw in Tennis Balls

It’s best not to think too long about all the oils that accumulate on the surface of your pool water from the people who swim in it. Instead, toss a few tennis balls in the water when it’s not in use. As they bob around, they should soak up any oils they encounter. (Just make sure there are no little kids or pets around who will want to dive in to collect those balls!)

6. Discourage Bugs With Dryer Sheets

Nothing ruins a perfect pool day like a buzzing bee that refuses to leave. Scented dryer sheets discourage insect activity, so try tucking them into the landscaping around your pool. If you don’t have bushes and potted plants around to hold dryer sheets, try attaching them to garden stakes and plunging the stakes into the grass or dirt around the pool.

Insurance for the backyard with Shield Agency

Posted on August 31, 2020January 30, 2025 by Shield Insurance Agency

Whether you’re grilling out, gardening or splashing in the pool, your backyard is a space to relax, run around and spend quality time with the people you care about. If anything were to happen to it, you would want to be in a position to get your yard back in shape. Insurance for the backyard is important.

You know your home insurance policy covers your house, but what about your backyard? Items like a shed, swing set, pool, or even a few trees can affect how much coverage you need to recover from a loss. While your independent agent can determine the best coverage for your situation, here’s what coverage is needed for common backyard items.

Shed

A standard homeowners’ policy contains many different coverages in addition to the portion that protects your house. Your shed is protected as another structure on your property. Items protected under “other structures” also include detached garages, driveways, and fences.

Grills, tools and other equipment

Most grills, lawn equipment, and other items in your backyard are covered under the personal belongings portion of your policy. However, if you have a particularly pricey item, your standard policy may not contain enough coverage to replace everything after a loss.

One option is to raise your coverage limits. Keep in mind that there’s a cap on how much your insurance will cover for each item, as well as for the entire loss. Alternatively, you can add endorsements to cover specific, high-value items. It may increase your premium, but you will be covered for more kinds of losses and your policy deductible doesn’t apply. This means that you could replace expensive equipment at no additional cost.

Backyard Pool

When protecting your pool, your coverage depends on if you have an in-ground or above-ground pool. In-ground pools are considered a structure, but above-ground pools are considered personal property. Either way, both are protected to a degree with a standard homeowners’ policy. Be sure to talk with your agent about insuring your backyard and adding coverage to ensure that your pool is fully protected.

In addition, owning a pool increases your chance of having an accident. You may need to increase your liability limits or add an umbrella policy, which helps cover costs once you’ve surpassed policy limits. Make sure you also take preventative safety measures, like installing a fence around your pool and never leaving children unattended.

Landscaping and trees

If caused by a covered loss, like fire, vandalism, or lightning, your homeowners’ insurance will cover damage to landscaping and trees. Similar to your lawn equipment, the amount your insurance company will contribute to your loss is capped – and even more so by the individual item.

Trampolines and playsets in the backyard

Backyard playthings are covered under your personal property coverage. If destroyed by a covered loss, your standard policy should cover your trampoline, swing set, and more, all part of insurance for your backyard.

Remember, while a trampoline or playset can be a fun addition to your yard, these items put you at a higher risk of an accident. Increase liability limits or add an umbrella policy to help cover you if someone is injured while playing on your property.

Be sure to discuss your backyard with your agent. If you fail to disclose that you have items like a pool or a trampoline, a future claim could be denied. Withholding information on your home also puts you at risk for your policy to be canceled entirely. So be sure to discuss the items in your backyard with your insurance agent and they will help you get the right coverage at the right price for you. Contact Shield Insurance and make sure your yard is properly insured today.

This article is for informational and suggestion purposes only. If insurance policy coverage descriptions in this article conflict with the language in the policy, the language in the policy applies. To learn more about home insurance coverage, speak with your Shield Insurance Today!