Any advice for new house with a pool and hot tub?

the people showed my mom how to maintain it, but she didnt remember anything, and I want to know how to do the shock treatment, what good alkaline and ph levels are and how to set up the vaccuum pump and anything I may have missed but would be usefulAny advice for new house with a pool and hot tub?
First question... is the pool a plastered, in-ground pool or a vinyl liner pool (above ground or in-ground)? There are several things that you *should not* do with vinyl liner pools. If you do have a vinyl liner pool, be careful with taking advice from others who don't have experience with vinyl liner pools.





1. BUY A WATER TEST KIT (it doesn't have to be fancy). For a pool, all you really need is an OTO test kit that will test your chlorine and pH levels. Contrary to some people's opinions, it is most important to maintain good pH level for the pool (after that, then comes the chlorine level). pH levels should be around 7.6 (and this will be noted in the test kit). As for the spa, I'm still learning a bit myself (only had mine for 2 months now). You may want to get an OTO kit that can test for alkalinity as well. I've played around with the test strips and though they are quicker, it's more difficult to accurately read the results.





2. If you have a plastered pool, visit some local pool shops and ask for some tips on basic care. Don't jump in and start buying products until you know you need them. It's a good idea to consult with several stores so that you know that someone isn't out to sell you something you don't need.





3. Run your pool pump for at least 8 hours a day. Mine, I have setup two time periods: one at night for 6 hours and one for late morning for 4 hours. If you only run for one 8 hour block, the water sits still for the other 16 hours. Helps reduce chances of algae growth. Check your skimmer basket once a day, as well as your pool pump basket. Depending on your filtering system (sand, DE, cartridge), there will be various levels of maintenance there.





4. Drain and clean out your spa approx. every 3 months. Depending on your spa material (acrylic, etc.), you may need to consult with the manual to find out what cleaners to use (or not use) with it. For acrylic spas, you should be able to use Simple Green or Lysol tub %26amp; basin cleaner. Changing the water regularly will help keep the water fresher and should reduce the amount of chemical treatment it needs. Also, consult with your spa manual to find if it recommends chlorine or bromine.





Hope this helps. If I think of anything else, I'll drop another line.Any advice for new house with a pool and hot tub?
party
Youre best bet, if you want to do it right every time, is to call in a pool specialist, someone who sells and installs pools and hot tubs.





Tell them you're looking for a maintenance call, and ask them to please walk you through he care and upkeep of your units.





You can also contact a pool cleaning company, but a dealer can usually refer you to one.





It will be worth the money to have a professional teach you the first time around.