All swimming pools work in the same manner – no matter the shape, size or whether it’s a backyard pool or a commercial pool. They all use a combination of pumping, filtration, and chemical treatment to constantly clean a large volume of water.

To maintain clear water, a swimming pool needs the following components:

• A basin
• A motorized pump
• A water filter
• Drains (Skimmers)
• Returns (Jets)
• PVC plastic plumbing connecting all of these elements
• Chemical treatments manually or through a feeder

A pool in good working condition will pull the water from your pool basin through the skimmer and into the pool pump. This is called the suction side of the pool. Once it passes through the pump, it will push the water through your filter and back into the pool through the jets. This is the pressure side of the pool.

During this process, the dirty water in your pool will move through the skimmer and pump so that the debris particles can be intercepted by the filter. After the water goes through the filter it’s clean again and ready to go back in the pool. The pump moves the water, sort of like the “heart” of the pool and the filter removes contaminants, sort of like the “kidney”.

With some help from pool chemicals to balance the water chemistry, and a vacuum or robotic cleaner to take care of debris, your pump and filter system will keep your water moving in a continuous cleaning cycle.