Making Use of Your Pool During Quarantine

Having trouble with cabin fever right about now? We don’t blame you. But you can breathe easy, because you already have the perfect antidote in your backyard. 

It’s true that right now, when you’re stuck at home all-day-every-day, the grass looks greener and the pool looks bluer on the other side of time. But there’s no reason you can’t continue to use your backyard pool during quarantine. 

Is my pool safe?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have stated the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can’t spread through pool use, as long as your pool is properly maintained and disinfected. 

COVID-19 has a fragile outer membrane, which is susceptible to breakdown from oxidants, like chlorine. In fact, COVID-19 is deactivated with chlorine levels as low as 0.5 parts per million (ppm).

Basically, it means that for pool owners and operators, it’s business as usual … necessary, too. That’s because pool maintenance is considered an essential business in Florida during this pandemic.

Why should I keep my pool open?

Proper maintenance during this time will prevent dangerous Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs) from growing in your pool, such as: 

• Cryptosporidium (Crypto)
• E. coli
• Giardia
• Shigella
• Norovirus

If you’re quarantining the right way and practicing proper social distancing, then preventing RWIs should be just as important to you as keeping coronavirus away from your home. It’s a lot easier to maintain your pool water right now — even during this outbreak — than it would be to drain it and start from scratch when it’s over. 

COVID-19 is still a major cause for concern, which is why we’re going above and beyond the CDC’s recommendations for safe, essential work. But trust the experts when we say that it’s much more dangerous not to keep your pool operational right now. 

We’re still open for business and performing repairs and regular maintenance, so give us a call or schedule a visit ASAP to keep your pool clean and functional during quarantine!

How should I keep my pool properly maintained during quarantine?

The truth is that nothing really changes about your pool’s chemical levels. As long as your pool water is properly disinfected and chemically balanced, then you should be fine. Here’s a quick reference list of the proper measurements for your pool:

• Chlorine: 1–3 ppm
• Alkalinity: 80–120 ppm
• pH: 7.2–7.8
• Calcium: 180–220 ppm
• Cyanuric acid (stabilizer): 30–50 ppm

How do I use my pool during quarantine?

Hopefully the hardest part of quarantine so far has been staying sane. We get it! It’s not easy to work from home, all day, with your spouse, while the kids are home. It’s not an ideal situation for anyone. 

But here’s the good news: you have a pool! Mix up your new schedule with one of these ideas:

• Take a break. Give your brain a rest and take a quick dip to recharge mid-workday.
• Get some exercise. While gyms are closed, it’s too easy to sit around the house and forget to follow through with your healthy routine. Swimming is great cardio exercise with low resistance, so it’s easy on your joints. 
• Get the kids outside. After a long day of homework and Zoom classes, kids need a break too! Hold a family-wide diving contest, or use some of these fun pool game ideas as a starting point.
• Blow off some steam. A lot of people feel like waking up screaming nowadays. Take advantage of your pool as your own private sanctuary for a healthy psychological release.
• Soak up the sun. Just because you’re quarantined doesn’t mean you can’t go outside (as long as you’re properly social distancing). Stretching out in your favorite pool chair and grabbing some much-needed Vitamin D is the perfect way to beat cabin fever. 

Now more than ever, your pool is a valued part of your house and a much-needed break from the craziness of the world. With proper maintenance, there’s no reason you can’t get the maximum benefit from your pool.