As autumn arrives, the vibrant fall leaves create a beautiful backdrop, but they can also cause headaches for pool owners. Whether your pool remains open through the fall season or you're preparing to close it, falling leaves can quickly clog skimmers, disrupt your water chemistry, and create extra pool maintenance work.

Here are 8 practical tips to keep your swimming pool clean and well-maintained during the fall months, along with product suggestions from API Water to help simplify the process.

As leaves fall, they often collect on the surface of your pool, potentially clogging skimmers and reducing the efficiency of your filtration system. Regular skimming helps prevent these issues from escalating.

• Tip: Skim your pool once or twice daily during peak leaf fall. A quick skim each morning can prevent larger clogs and more extensive cleanups later.
• Prevention: For easier maintenance, consider using a leaf net cover to catch falling debris before it reaches the water.

Product Recommendation:

REVIVE® is a great addition to your fall maintenance routine. REVIVE® removes organic debris, metals, and phosphates (which feed algae) from the water, making it perfect for cleaning up after heavy leaf fall. It clarifies your pool water quickly, ensuring leaves and other contaminants don't cloud your pool​.

With more debris falling into your pool, it’s essential to keep an eye on the skimmer and pump baskets. Leaves, twigs, and other organic matter can block water flow, putting additional strain on your equipment.

Pro Tip: Empty the skimmer and pump baskets at least twice a week, or more often if you have a lot of trees nearby. Regularly cleaning these components will ensure your water circulates freely, keeping your filtration system running efficiently.

While skimming helps with surface debris, some leaves inevitably sink to the bottom. Using a pool vacuum or robotic cleaner will make it easier to clean the pool floor and maintain good water quality.

• Robotic Cleaners: These automated devices can take care of debris on the pool floor and walls while you focus on other tasks.
• Manual Vacuums: A budget-friendly alternative for fall pool cleaning, allowing you to remove settled leaves and dirt before they decompose.

Product Recommendation:

For a comprehensive maintenance solution, consider using E-Z POOL®. This all-in-one product is designed to keep your water chemistry balanced and clear, even as organic debris, like leaves, breaks down in the pool. Using E-Z POOL® just once a week simplifies your entire maintenance routine by controlling pH, alkalinity, and even chlorine levels, making fall pool care more manageable

Fall brings more organic matter into your pool, affecting its pH and chemical levels. As leaves decompose, they can disrupt the balance of your water chemistry, causing fluctuations in pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels. If left unchecked, this can lead to algae growth and cloudy water.

• Test Weekly: Be sure to test your water chemistry regularly, paying attention to chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity levels. Maintaining a balanced pH (between 7.2 and 7.6) prevents scaling and ensures that your sanitizer remains effective.
• Adjust pH: Use pH increasers or reducers as necessary to keep your water’s pH in the ideal range, ensuring the effectiveness of other pool chemicals.

Product Recommendation:

ENZymePRO® is a great solution for breaking down organic contaminants such as leaves, sunscreen, and oils that enter the pool during fall. Its enzyme formula helps reduce the need for additional pool chemicals by breaking down waste, making your sanitizer more efficient and maintaining balanced water chemistry as the season changes.

One of the easiest ways to reduce leaf debris in your pool is by trimming back nearby trees and plants. Not only will this minimize the number of leaves falling into your pool, but it will also reduce the need for constant skimming and vacuuming.

Pro Tip: Trim overhanging branches early in the fall to limit how much debris reaches the water. If trimming isn’t possible, consider adding a windbreak or barrier to reduce the amount of debris blowing into your pool.

If you’re not swimming as often, keeping your pool covered is a great way to keep leaves and debris out of the water. For pools that remain open throughout the fall, a pool cover can also help retain heat while reducing maintenance.

• Solid Pool Covers: Ideal for pools that are closed during the fall, these prevent debris from entering the pool entirely.
• Solar Pool Covers: If your pool is still open, a solar cover will help retain warmth while keeping leaves out.

With the additional debris in the pool, your filter will work harder during the fall. It’s essential to check and clean your filter regularly to ensure it’s working efficiently and not getting clogged with leaves and other materials.

Pro Tip: Backwash or clean your filter every two to three weeks during the fall to prevent clogs. For cartridge filters, remove the cartridge and hose it down to clear out debris.

Using specialized pool care products can significantly reduce the time and effort needed to keep your pool clean and clear throughout the fall.

Product Recommendations:

• REVIVE®: Perfect for clearing up water after heavy leaf fall. REVIVE® removes metals, phosphates, and organic debris, helping to maintain crystal-clear water.
• E-Z POOL®: An all-in-one solution that balances your water chemistry with weekly treatments. It helps prevent algae, scaling, and chemical imbalances as the seasons change.
• ENZymePRO®: A natural enzyme-based solution that breaks down organic contaminants introduced by falling leaves and oils. ENZymePRO® keeps your pool water clear and reduces the need for frequent cleanings.