How to Clean and Maintain an Above Ground Pool

Here is how to clean an above ground pool and keep it that way: run the filter pump every day, skim the surface, check chlorine and pH often, and rinse the filter cartridge on the schedule your pump maker gives; once a week, brush the liner, wipe the waterline, and vacuum the floor; and at the start and end of each season, look over the frame, liner, and pump. Many frame and soft-sided pools hold far less water than an inground pool and run on a small cartridge pump, so small problems show up fast. A short routine done often beats a big cleanup after the water turns.

Safety note: this guide covers general upkeep, not chemical dosing. CDC’s pool safety guidelines warn that mishandling pool chemicals can cause serious injuries and say to read and follow all directions on product labels. Wear gloves and eye protection when you handle any pool chemical. Unplug the filter pump before you open it, and call a licensed electrician for any outlet or wiring problem.

Why an Above Ground Pool Needs Its Own Routine

Learning how to maintain an above ground pool starts with three ways it differs from an inground pool.

• Less water. A 15 ft frame pool holds a fraction of what an inground pool holds, so a hot week, a pool party, or a rainstorm can change the water quickly.
• A small cartridge filter. Cartridge pumps trap fine dirt well but can clog quickly, and they have no backwash setting. The cartridge needs frequent rinsing and regular replacement.
• A vinyl liner that reacts to chemicals. Bestway’s owner’s manual for its Steel Pro and Power Steel frame pools warns that over usage of chemicals can discolor the printing and the pool material and can damage the structure of the liner.

Daily: A Few Minutes

Run the Filter Pump Every Day

The pump moves water through the filter, but it does not sanitize anything on its own. Bestway’s frame pool manual says that during the swimming season the filtration system must run every day, long enough to renew the full volume of water at least once, and that you must also add chemicals to keep the water clean and hygienic. A built-in timer makes this easier. Intex’s 1,500 GPH Krystal Clear cartridge pump page, for example, lists an auto timer with preset 2 to 12 hour cycles. The right run time depends on your pool’s volume and your pump, so check both manuals.

Your pump maker’s manual may require the pump to be off while anyone is in the pool. Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual, for example, warns of a risk of electric shock and says the pump cannot be used while people are inside the pool, so schedule the run time for when the pool is empty. The same manual says to make sure your hands are completely dry when plugging in the filter pump, to keep the ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) dry and off the ground, and not to use an extension cord to connect the pump. Bestway’s frame pool manual also says not to use extension power cords to power your pump.

Skim the Surface

Leaves, bugs, and grass clippings are easy to net while they float and much harder to remove once they sink. Bestway’s frame pool manual lists skimming the pool regularly to avoid settled dirt as part of keeping it clean. If your pool has a wall-mounted skimmer, empty its basket at the same time so it keeps pulling surface water. The safety section of that manual says to be aware of overhead power lines when vacuuming your pool or using a telescoping pole, which applies to a skimmer net on a long pole.

Check Chlorine and pH

CDC’s guidelines for keeping your pool safe and healthy say to check the disinfectant (chlorine or bromine) level and pH at least twice per day, and more often when the pool is in heavy use. Strips are quick for the daily checks. The weekly section below covers a fuller reading.

Keep Dirt Out Before It Gets In

Most of what ends up on the floor comes in on people, pets, and the wind. Bestway’s frame pool manual suggests keeping a bucket of water next to the pool so swimmers can rinse their feet, and covering the pool when it is not in use. CDC’s pool guidelines add a shower for at least 1 minute before getting in, which removes dirt and anything else on the body.

How to Clean an Above Ground Pool Each Week

Brush the Walls and Wipe the Waterline

Brush the liner walls and floor toward the middle of the pool so loose dirt settles where you can vacuum it. Use a soft brush made for vinyl. Sunscreen and body oils can leave a ring at the waterline, and Bestway’s frame pool manual says to gently clean any scum from below the top ring with a clean cloth. Abrasive pads and household cleaners may scratch or discolor vinyl, so a soft cloth is the gentler choice.

Vacuum the Floor

Vacuum the floor after brushing. Check your pump manual first to see whether your pump can run a vacuum hose and how to connect it. Vacuum from outside the pool if your pump manual, like the Flowclear manual above, says the pump cannot be used while people are inside the pool, and watch for overhead power lines as you move the pole. On a small cartridge pump, fill the vacuum hose under water so it holds no air, move the head slowly over the vinyl, and rinse the cartridge when you finish, following the cleaning steps in that manual. If your pump is too small to pull a vacuum hose, a battery vacuum does the job without it. If you are shopping, look for a vacuum sized for an above ground pool and matched to your pump’s flow rate.

Do a Full Water Reading

Once a week, check free chlorine, pH, and the other values your pool’s manual lists with a DPD kit or another water analysis kit. CDC’s Home Pool and Hot Tub Water Treatment page recommends a DPD kit, notes that strips are less accurate, and says to follow the kit maker’s directions. The same page gives CDC’s targets for pools: pH 7.0 to 7.8 and a chlorine concentration of at least 1 ppm, or at least 2 ppm when cyanuric acid is used. It also notes that as pH goes up, chlorine becomes less able to kill germs, especially above 8.0.

Your pool’s manual may list its own target values. Bestway’s frame pool manual lists pH 7.4 to 7.6, free chlorine 2 to 4 ppm, and cyanuric acid 30 to 50 ppm for its pools. That pH range is narrower than the CDC’s, so check your own pool’s manual as well as the product label. Many pool supply stores will run a water analysis for you. When the numbers are off, adjust with products made for pools and dose only by the product label. Do not calculate your own doses from general charts.

If a reading looks off, or falls outside the range on your product label or pool manual, keep everyone out of the water, measure again, and treat the water only as the product label directs. A low or 0 ppm chlorine reading right after a strong dose may be false: CDC’s home pool guidance notes that when the chlorine concentration of the water sample is more than 10 ppm, the reading can partially or totally bleach out and give a false low or 0 ppm result. Do not add chemicals on the strength of a single reading. Measure again, follow the product label, and do not swim until you have a valid reading.

Add Chemicals the Way a Vinyl Pool Needs

How you add a chemical matters as much as which one you add. Bestway’s frame pool manual says pool chemicals are potentially toxic and should be handled with care, warns of serious health risks from chemical vapors and from incorrect labeling and storage of chemical containers, and gives these rules for its pools:

• Tablets go in a chemical floater or dispenser. Do not throw tablets directly in the water, because the chemicals can deposit on the bottom, damage the material, and discolor the PVC.
• Add liquid chemicals in small doses in the center of the pool, so they do not contact the PVC surface directly.
• Remove the chemical dispenser from the pool while people are using it.

Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual adds a note: do not add chemicals in the filter pump. For storage, CDC’s Pool Chemical Safety page, written for pool operators, says to keep chemicals in their original, manufacturer-labeled containers, to store each pool chemical separately in a dedicated location, to protect stored chemicals from mixing together or with other substances, and to protect stored pool chemicals from getting wet. At home, keep each product in its own container, and never combine two pool products in one bucket: a CDC report on pool chemical injuries says never to mix different pool chemicals with each other or with any other substance.

Do not swim right after adding a chemical. Wait the time the product label gives, then measure the water again. Bestway’s frame pool manual says that after performing chemical maintenance and before using the pool, you should check the water chemistry with a test kit. If the reading falls outside your product label’s range, do not swim.

Look Over the Pool

• Water level after rain. Bestway’s frame pool manual says to check after rain that the water is not above the specified level, and to drain the pool down to that level if it is. Its drain valve takes a hose adaptor, as the draining steps describe; those steps, written for taking the pool down, also say to check local regulations for drainage by-laws. The manual’s safety section warns that a pool presents a drowning hazard even during filling and draining, and says to maintain constant supervision of children. An EPA stormwater fact sheet, written for municipalities, says that water treated with chemicals such as chlorine harms local water quality and is toxic to wildlife and fish when it enters surface waters, and that many communities have laws or ordinances that prohibit certain discharges, including chlorinated pool water. Check local regulations before you drain.
• Frame and liner. Look for wet spots under the pool, drips at the fittings, or a level that drops faster than evaporation explains. Bestway’s frame pool manual says to patch a leak with the underwater adhesive repair patch provided with the pool.
• Hoses and cord. Check the hose clamps and look along the pump’s power cord for damage. Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual says to inspect the cord before using and not to use the pump if the cord is damaged, and that if the power cord becomes damaged in any way, the pump must be discarded.

On Your Pump Maker’s Schedule: The Filter Cartridge

The cartridge does most of the cleaning, and on an above ground pool it needs more attention than many owners expect. Its schedule comes from your pump maker, not from a weekly checklist, and makers set their own:

• Bestway’s Flowclear filter pump owner’s manual says to clean the filter cartridge every day to keep the water clean and suggests replacing it with a new one every two weeks. It says to clean the cartridge with a garden hose and to replace it if it stays soiled or discolored, and that the pump must be unplugged before any maintenance begins.
• Intex’s Type A filter cartridge page says to replace cartridges every two weeks for maximum efficiency.

Check your own pump manual for its cleaning steps before you start, and unplug the pump first. Bestway’s frame pool manual says that when you touch the filter, pump, or electrical parts, the ground under your feet should be “bone dry.” A spare cartridge makes the routine easier: swap in the clean one, then rinse the dirty one with a garden hose and let it dry. Rinsing from the top down and between the pleats can help wash trapped dirt out rather than push it deeper in.

Through the Season and at Season’s End

Through the Season

• Check the GFCI. Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual says the GFCI plug must be checked before each use, following the steps it gives, and warns not to use the pump if that check fails.
• Replace worn parts. Cracked hose clamps, flattened O-rings, and a torn skimmer basket can all cost suction. Use the maker’s replacement parts.
• Keep the area around the pool clean. Trim plants that drop leaves into the water and keep the ground around the pump dry and clear.

End of the Season

Many frame pools are designed to come down for winter. Bestway’s frame pool manual strongly recommends taking the pool down during the off season and storing the liner completely dry, because a damp liner can grow mold. Its storage and winterization steps warn that improper draining of the pool might cause serious personal injury or damage to personal property, and say to store the liner and accessories in a dry place between 41°F and 100°F. Keep children supervised while the pool drains, as the manual’s drowning warning above directs, and check local regulations before you drain. Its Flowclear pump manual says to unplug the pump, remove and discard the cartridge, detach the hoses, dry all parts, and store the pump in a dry place out of the reach of children. If your pool’s manual allows it to stay up through winter, follow its winterizing steps instead.

Above Ground Pool Maintenance at a Glance

• Every day: run the filter pump, skim the surface, empty the skimmer basket, check chlorine and pH, rinse the cartridge if your pump maker says to, cover the pool when no one is using it.
• Every week: brush the liner, wipe the waterline, vacuum, do a full water reading, adjust chemicals by the label, look over the frame, liner, hoses, and cord.
• On the maker’s schedule: rinse and replace the cartridge, check the GFCI before use.
• End of season: take down and dry the pool, or winterize it if the manual allows it to stay up; store the pump dry.

Safety Around a Backyard Above Ground Pool

Upkeep includes keeping children out of the water when no adult is watching. CPSC’s Pool Safely barrier checklist says to secure, lock, or remove an above ground pool’s ladder when the pool is not in use, to surround the pool with a fence at least 4 feet high with self-closing and self-latching gates, and to keep pool covers in good working order. Bestway’s frame pool manual adds that the swimming pool cover is not designated as a safety barrier. A cover does not replace a fence or supervision. CDC’s pool guidelines say to prevent children from getting in your backyard pool unsupervised. Store chemicals and cleaning gear where children cannot reach them.

Browse more guides for your pool in our above ground pools section.

When to Call a Pro

• The water stays cloudy or green after a week of filtering, cartridge changes, and label-directed treatment. A pool supply store can run a full water analysis and suggest next steps.
• A strong chemical smell, or eye and skin irritation that does not go away. Stop using the pool until the water is corrected. If someone swallows a pool chemical or gets it in the eyes, call a poison center at 1-800-222-1222, the number listed on Poison Control’s website.
• Fumes make you cough or struggle to breathe. Move to fresh air, follow the first aid directions on the product label, and call 911 in an emergency.
• The GFCI trips on its own. Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual says this means a ground current is flowing, indicating the possibility of an electric shock: do not use the pump, disconnect it, and have the problem corrected by a qualified service representative. If the pump hums, overheats, or gives any kind of shock, stop using it and contact the pump maker or a licensed electrician.
• The level keeps dropping and you cannot find the leak, or a tear runs along a seam.

FAQ

How Do I Keep My Above Ground Pool Clean With Less Work?

Prevention does most of the work: cover the pool when no one is using it, have swimmers rinse their feet and shower first, skim daily, and keep the cartridge clean. A battery vacuum or an automatic cleaner that matches your pump cuts the weekly floor cleaning.

How Often Should I Clean an Above Ground Pool Filter Cartridge?

Follow your pump maker’s schedule. Bestway’s Flowclear pump manual calls for cleaning the cartridge every day and replacing it every two weeks. Rinse it sooner whenever flow from the return drops.

Do I Need to Drain an Above Ground Pool to Clean It?

Not for routine cleaning. Skimming, brushing, vacuuming, filtering, and label-directed chemical care keep the water usable through the season. Drain only to bring the level down after heavy rain or when you take the pool down, following your pool’s manual, and check local regulations before you drain.

How Do I Remove the Scum Line on a Vinyl Liner?

Wipe it with a clean, soft cloth or sponge while it is still light, and do it weekly so it does not build up. Abrasive pads, household cleaners, and anything with a sharp edge may scratch or discolor the vinyl, so they are best left out.

Can I Use Pool Chemicals in an Above Ground Pool the Same Way as an Inground Pool?

The chemistry is the same, but the delivery is different. Follow the product label for every dose, use a floater or dispenser for tablets instead of dropping them on the liner, add liquids in the center of the pool, and never add chemicals into the filter pump.

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