Ten tips to keep pool season safe and clean

The summer solstice, the first official day of summer, has arrived – which means it's also the start of summer swimming pool season. So it's time to make sure the pool is kept safe and clean.

Safe, because even though pools are fun, they can be dangerous places too. And clean, so that none of the summer swimmers gets sick.

San Diego County's Department of Environmental Health has a few tips to help homeowners keep things safe and clean this summer.

DEH doesn't inspect homeowners' private swimming pools, but it does inspect about 7,000 public pools and spas every year to make sure they're safe and clean.

So here are 10 tips to help make sure the swimming season goes, well, swimmingly.

First, stay safe.

Watch the kids. It is rule number one. Every year children get seriously hurt or even drown in residential pools all across the U.S. Whenever children are around the pool, or in it, always watch them. Remember that water wings, Styrofoam "noodles" and other toys are not safety devices and children wearing them should not be left unattended.

Teach kids how to swim and learn personally as well. If the house opens directly into a pool area, install a door alarm to sound the alert when a child opens it. If there isn't already a fence between the house and the pool, consider putting one up. Be sure to check local and state pool safety laws which may require certain features depending on when a pool is built or renovated. Kids wander around a lot and can find their way into the pool even if they're out of sight for only a minute.

Next, check the Fences. If there is a fence and self-closing gate around the pool, make sure they're safe. Check the fencing to make sure the spaces between each of its pickets and between the bottom rail and the ground are no more than 4 inches apart and that the fence is at least 5 feet tall, so children and animals can't squeeze through or climb over to get into an unattended pool. Keep bushes and outdoor furniture away from the gate to keep children or unwanted visitors from climbing on them to hop over the fence and into the pool.

Also, make sure pool drain covers are visible and intact. Let's face it, if it's not possible to get a clear look at the pool's drain covers, it won't be possible to see a distressed swimmer under the water or a person entrapped on a drain – and the pool water needs cleaning. If the drain covers are visible, make sure they're not broken or chipped and remind children not to play near them so they won't get sucked in and trapped.

Have two pieces of safety equipment. Every pool should have two essential pieces of safety equipment: a life ring or life preserver with a diameter of at least 17 inches that can be thrown to help struggling swimmers stay afloat, and a safety hook to pull people to safety. Also, consider keeping a phone at the pool while swimming so if an emergency call needs to be made, they can call quickly.

Repair any damage to decking, equipment or the pool area. Make sure pool ladders and pool railings are secure, so people aren't hurt when they rely on them to get in and out of the pool. Repair damage to decking to prevent people from tripping.

Next, keep it clean.

Test the pool water routinely. Keeping the pool safe is more than protecting against drowning and physical accidents. Homeowners need to keep their pool water clean, too, so people don't get sick swimming in dirty water.

Testing the chemical balance of the water in the pool is one of the most important things to do to make sure it's up to par. That's because that balance – which keeps the water disinfected, clean and safe – can be easily thrown out of whack by heavy use, hot weather, rain and lots of other things. To keep the pool clean, test the chlorine and pH levels at least twice a week and daily if possible.

Also, don't swim when sick. Chlorinating the pool only does so much. Homeowners need to keep germs out of the pool. Practice good hygiene. Don't swim with diarrhea, which can introduce cryptosporidium, E.coli, norovirus and other germs into the water and make other people sick for weeks. If there is an accident in the pool, be sure to clear the pool and follow guidelines for proper cleaning of the water. In the case of cryptosporidium, that typically requires hypochlorination – using extremely high levels of chlorine.

Remember to skim, brush and vacuum the pool regularly. There's a lot of stuff out there that can get into the pool. It will not only make the pool look like a mess, it could make it tougher for the chemicals to keep the water clean. Swimmers can carry in sunblock, oils and other items. There's dust, sediment and leaves blowing in the air that can all make it a lot harder for the filtration system to keep things clean. So use a hand skimmer to clean the pool's surface, brush the walls and vacuum its floor often. Don't forget to remove any leaves and debris in the skimmer baskets.

Keep the deck clean as well. It only stands to reason – the less mess there is on the deck surrounding the pool, the less stuff that can be blown or carried into it. A good sweeping will go a long way to keeping the pool looking pristine.

Lastly, keep the pool filter clean. With a cartridge-based filter, make sure to check, clean or replace the filter when they're dirty. With a sand filter, make sure to backwash and clean the filter screens when they need it.

For more information about keeping a pool safe and clean, check out the Environmental Health Department's Swimming Pool Inspection walk-through video.