This just isn’t your day, huh? Maybe it started out calmly, with a cup of coffee and a plan to take a quick dip later in the afternoon. Or maybe you were in a rush to finish your weekly maintenance routine and get out of the house. But at one point or another, you got all set up to give your pool a quick vacuum, just to find that the task wasn’t actually going to be so quick after all. Whether it was the presence of air bubbles or the weak suction that gave you the hint, it’s clear that your vacuum hose is just not going to cut it.
Thankfully, repairing a leaking vacuum hose isn’t a difficult or time-consuming job—unlike using a manual vacuum in the first place. I’ll explain why vacuuming is important, how it fits in to the greater cleaning routine for your pool, and how to fix your manual vacuum hose fast—as well as the reasons why this might be the perfect chance to change your equipment and make your life a whole lot easier.
But I Don’t Really Have to Vacuum That Often, Right?
I get it—your hose has gone kaput and you’re not in the mood to drop everything you had planned today to stay home and fix it. Well, that’s fair, and actually totally okay. It’s only recommended that you vacuum your pool once every week. So if you’ve just run into a serious leakage problem, you can order what you need—we’ll get to that shortly—and still be in the clear for a few more days.
If you’re really in a pinch, you can use a bit of duct tape. That’s if you’re really in a pinch, because the last thing you want is for your circulation system to go in overdrive trying to push water through a leaky hose. It’s just not worth the monthly energy costs to treat duct tape as a long term solution. Let’s face it: those numbers don’t add up.
Vacuuming Your Pool: An Essential for Swimmer Safety
That weekly vacuum has got to happen, or you’ll be spending a lot more money and time on the other parts of your circulation system that depend on it—especially your sanitizer. As you probably know, the job of sanitizers like chlorine and bromine is to attack microscopic contaminants and neutralize them. It’s one of the factors that keep your swim safe, since it’s a possibility that some of the bacteria sanitizer kills could make you sick.
But unfortunately, sanitizers have no way of prioritizing their work: if there are large pieces of debris such as leaves and twigs sitting at the bottom of your pool, your sanitizer will use its energy trying to attack it—and trying, and trying. Unlike microscopic contaminants, the debris that we can see in our pools is no match for our sanitizer. There’s no way the chemicals we balance in our pool every week will dissolve, for instance, an entire leaf. You can expect your sanitizer to exhaust itself trying to do the impossible—and let all that nasty microscopic bacteria slide right by.
It goes beyond not having to step on any sharp twigs during your swim. By allowing your sanitizer to work unhindered, vacuuming your pool keeps you and yours safe from nasty bacteria—and it keeps your pool water clean, clear, and from clouding up the color of milk.
In order to keep your sanitizer working at optimal levels, it’s also important to shock your pool about once a week with tried and true shock like the Super Premium Sanitizing and Fast-Acting Pool Shock. Not only does it work fast in your water, but its conveniently packaged in one-pound bags, so you never have to worry about measuring yours out again. As customer W Graves says, “Perfectly good shock at a third of the regular brick-and-mortar stores’ price. What’s not to like?”
Pool Cleaning 101: The Overview
Before we get to fixing that vacuum hose, let’s get on the same page about how vacuuming works in the greater scheme of how your pool gets and stays clean. If you already have a routine pool maintenance schedule, you know that each of the steps of cleaning your pool require a different frequency. It’s not like you have to do these in order, or repeat them all at once.
Here are the basics: First, and most frequently, you need to clean of the surface of your water with a net on a skimmer pole. All that floating debris, like leaves and bugs, can be lifted right out of there. This should be done once a day, along with checking your skimmer basket for any debris that might’ve come through your skimmer.
Then, you’ll want to brush off all the dirt and microscopic debris that clings to your pool walls and floor with a pool brush—I recommend the patented BLACK+DECKER 360-Degree Bristles Pool Brush, which will make reaching all those tough corners a lot easier on your body (and your time). This should be done three times a week.
Finally, there’s vacuuming your pool, which should usually directly follow a good brushing. This will pick up all the microscopic and visible gunk that your brush dislodged from your walls and floor. Again, the target time for this one is once a week.
There’s a Better Way: Get a Robotic Cleaner
Once a week might seem like no big deal, but let’s face it: it’s a pain to manually vacuum to your pool. Not only does it take some time to set up and take down, as well as add strain to your circulation system. But it also takes a lot of elbow grease to even push the vacuum up and down the length of your pool—and considering your pool is full of tens of thousands of gallons, that’s no small task. Chances are, you’ve tried to run in a pool at some point and felt just how much resistance that water holds against you. No wonder your arms are sore.
But there’s a better way. A robotic vacuum puts no strain on your circulation system, requires no fancy setting up and taking down, and works on its own to keep your pool floors clean. In models like the Blue Torrent MyBot In Ground Robotic Pool Cleaner, you can also expect computer-controlled cleaning, wall climbing ability, and various different climbing cycles—all which whisper-quiet operation. All you need to do to start this particular model up is to plug it into an outlet and drop it right into your pool.
If you have an above-ground pool, make sure that you get an automatic cleaner that is specifically for your pool type. Above-ground cleaners are a notorious hassle, most of the time, due to bad craftmanship. Thankfully, the Blue Torrent Stinger Automatic Cleaner is the most advanced above-ground cleaner on the market. It cleans a massive 85 gallons per minute, eliminates messy bags, and features bottom scrubbers for maximum cleaning—and again, just needs to be plugged into an outlet and dropped right into your pool.
Not ready to make the leap and your life a lot easier with a robotic cleaner—even though these two models come with a lifetime warranty? You do you. Let’s replace that pool vacuum hose so you can get right back to your weekly workout.
Do you have a variable-speed pool pump yet—and the lower monthly energy bills to show for it? The Blue Torrent 2 HP Variable-Speed Pump is the one to try—it’s ultra-powerful, allows for more thorough circulation, is eligible for rebates, and pays itself off in under a year in energy saved. As customer Dave Schmidt says, “My pool has never looked cleaner. I am pleased with my new pump!”
Tied to Your Manual Vacuum? Might Need to Totally Replace That Hose
Here’s the bottom line: if you’re looking for a permanent solution for your leaky manual vacuum hose, you’re going to need to just replace it. You can probably find a replacement hose for under fifty bucks, and the replacement itself is a no brainer. You’ll want to follow your manufacturer’s instructions and maybe use some epoxy glue to seal up where it connects to your vacuum, but usually you just need to twist the hose right on. If you’d rather fix the hose, make a mental notes of these replacement tips.
How to Fix a Leaking Pool Vacuum Hose—In Three Quick Steps
Alright, let’s get that pool vacuum hose fixed as fast as possible. For a solution more robust than a super-temporary duct tape fix but one phase short of replacing the hose entirely, you’re going to need just one tool on hand: waterproof hose repair spray that can be used on both wet and dry hoses. I think you can see where this one is going, so let’s get right to it.
Step 1: Identify the Leak
You can skip this step if you already know where the leak is—but in order to fix it, we have to see exactly where to aim that repair spray. To identify the leak, pull the hose completely underwater and keep an eye out for where air bubbles are coming out. You’ll see the leak in no time.
Step 2:
Once you pinpoint exactly where that leak is, spray on the rubberized coating to fill it in. Be sure to follow your manufacturer’s instructions on this one—and it’s probably best if you don’t choose this day to wear your favorite T-shirt.
Step 3:
After giving the repair spray the sufficient amount of time to set and dry, go ahead and give it a test—and your pool the weekly cleaning it needs. If the leak is still present, repeat these steps—or you’ll need to give in and just replace the hose. Or, better yet, get an automatic cleaner!
Are you ready to make the switch over to saltwater, so that your chlorine is operating at the lowest, safest, and most consistent levels possible? Make a smooth transition with the Salt Ways Eco Friendly Salt Chlorine Generator. It’s ultra-reliable, eco-friendly, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
That Problem Got Hosed!
Well, there you have it. Whether you fixed your pool vacuum hose or replaced the hose, you’re back to maintenance as usual. And if you took the dive and ordered a robotic vacuum or automatic cleaner, your maintenance schedule is going to be totally new—but in the best way. Either way, you’re keeping your pool clean and safe, and that’s all well worth it. So take a dip in that sparkling clean pool, and enjoy. You earned it.
How long should you run your pool pump? Learn about it here. Is your pool pump emitting noise? This article provides solutions on how to fix it.
