Alas, my most favorite time of year in Atlanta; a chill in the air, beautiful autumn colors, and a toasty fire outdoors at night. But, when your an Atlanta swimming pool owner, you may be getting annoyed with the falling leaves in your swimming pool. The leaves, if not tended to, can cause staining and upset the water balance in your swimming pool. Here are some tips on what you can do to minimize the effect of falling leaves.

Skimmer Weir: Make sure your skimmer weir is in place. Skimmer weirs are the plastic flap at the opening of the skimmer. When installed properly, they speed up the water flowing into the skimmer, thus creating a waterfall effect into the skimmer basket. When the pump is off, the skimmer weir floats to a position where it does not allow debris to leave the basket.

Return Fittings: Aim your return fittings so that it creates a slight ripple effect on the water surface to keep the debris moving toward the skimmer. Make sure all the inlets are facing the same direction, creating a ripple pattern around the swimming pool in a circular pattern. As the water moves toward the skimmer, reduce the amount of ripple so that the debris goes in the skimmer, rather than passing it by. You may have to adjust them a few times before getting it just right.

Water level: Keep your water level in the middle of the waterline tile. Having the water too low prevents the skimmer from sucking air and could cause damage to the pool equipment. While having it too high, just pushes the debris against the skimmer without it being sucked in and trapped by the weir.

I hope that these ideas help alleviate some of the hassles of falling leaves and debris. The best solution, of course, is a swimming pool cover, but these are simple solutions to lighten your workload if you don’t have a swimming pool cover. For more fall pool care tips, click here. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.