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5 Tips to Conserve Pool Water

Unfortunately, droughts are happening more often than ever due to climate change. Conserving water is a necessity to protect our environment. Swimming pools are a wonderful place to relax and have fun, but they do come with environmental impacts. Keeping your pool well-maintained is the first step in conserving pool water. If you're wondering how else to conserve pool water, we have five easy tips you can try while enjoying your pool:

maintain your pool to conserve pool water

Maintain clean and healthy water.

clean the pool to conserve water

Clean the pool to remove debris.

keep water temps low to conserve pool water

Keep water temperatures low.

don't overfill your pool

Don't overfill the pool.

conserve pool water by installing a solar cover

Install a solar cover.

1. Pool Water Maintenance

Maintaining your pool and keeping water chemistry balanced are the two most important aspects of pool maintenance. A dirty pool can become a breeding ground of algae and other contaminants. And if pool water chemicals are not regularly tested and balanced, they can cause a host of other problems.

Keeping tabs on your pool water balance and sanitizer levels will reduce or eliminate the need to drain your pool, which will conserve pool water.

2. Clean Your Pool to Conserve Water

A clean pool with little debris won't dirty up the filter as quickly. And a clean filter won't have to be backwashed or cleaned as often, which will conserve pool water. The average backwash uses between 250–1,000 gallons of water, so it's best to limit this as much as possible. Use a fine mesh skimmer net or leaf rake to remove large and small debris from the pool, and regularly clean out your pump and skimmer baskets.

If you do have to run a backwash cycle, recycle your pool water by running the backwash output onto your lawn or landscaping. Ensure that water is absorbed before it leaves your property, and avoid allowing runoff to enter adjacent properties. Always backwash according to the filter manufacturer's instructions.

3. Keep Your Pool Temperature Low

Warmer water evaporates much faster than cooler water. Keeping the water temperature low will help your pool conserve as much water as possible. Additionally, cooler water can prevent the growth of organic contaminants like algae. Installing a pool cooling pump or chiller is a great way to keep water temperatures low. Another tip is to run the pool pump at night while the ambient air temperature is lower. You can maximize the nighttime cool-off if you have solar panels for the pool.

4. Don't Overfill Your Pool

When filling up your pool, make sure the water level goes no higher than halfway up the pool skimmer. Overfilling your pool can lead to water loss from pool activities like splashing, kicking, and anything that causes water movement.

5. Install a Solar Cover

Perhaps the best and easiest way to conserve pool water is to put a solar cover on your pool. The average uncovered pool loses about 1.5" of water per week from evaporation, and pools in hot, dry climates can lose even more. Covering your pool with a solar cover can reduce evaporative water loss by as much as 90–95%. Liquid solar covers are slightly less effective at reducing evaporation, but still work while the pool is in use.

Just remember that solar covers are primarily used to increase water temperatures and boost heat retention during the cooler spring and fall months. During the summer, these increased water temperatures can speed up evaporation and increase chlorine consumption, which will ultimately cost you money.


Have more questions on conserving water? We’ve got a helpful FAQ article about how to conserve pool water that you might want to check out! In the meantime, keep having fun in the pool, and try implementing some of these tips into your pool care routine. If you have any other questions, stop by your local Leslie's and speak to one of our pool experts.

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Solar Pool Covers

Solar Covers

Variable Speed Pool Pumps

VS Pumps

Cartridge Filters

Cartridge Filters



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Leslie’s makes every effort to provide accurate recommendations based upon current ANSI/APSP/ICC-5 2011 (R2022) standards, but codes and regulations change, and Leslie’s assumes no liability for any omissions or errors in this article or the outcome of any project. You must always exercise reasonable caution, carefully read the label on all products, follow all product directions, follow any current codes and regulations that may apply, and consult with a licensed professional if in doubt about any procedures. Leslie’s assumes no legal responsibility for your reliance or interpretation of the data contained herein, and makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning the quality, safety, or suitability of the information, whether express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.