Now that the cold season is over, pool owners prepare to open their swimming pools for the warmer seasons. Even though the sun is shining and the water is warm, the pool isn’t quite ready for swimmers yet. Premier Pool Service is here to provide tips, on what to expect when you open your swimming pool, with the following easy-to-read instructions. With a little bit of work, you will be on your way to having a clean pool and a stress-free spring opening! Let us show you how to open a pool with this fail proof list of tips!
If you are a new pool owner or are taking care of your pool for the first time, you may want to call Premier Pool Service and request our Pool Opening Service. Premier Pool Service will be happy to send one of our trained and certified technicians to your house and have them assist you with opening your pool. They will also provide tips on how to easily open your pool in the future.
1. CLEAN THE POOL COVER
If you have a winter cover or a solid safety cover, the first thing you will want to do is sweep or blow all the leaves off of the cover before removal. This will not only lessen the amount of debris in your water, but will make for a happy closing next winter!
2. REMOVE THE POOL COVER
With an extra set of hands, if available, remove the cover from your pool. It is inevitable that a little water and debris will fall into the pool from the cover, and this is OK. You will be shocking and vacuuming the pool, so a small amount of water and debris won’t hurt anything.
3. STORE AWAY THE POOL COVER
After removing the pool cover, you will want to lay it out and brush away the remaining debris. Once the cover has dried, sprinkle both sides with Alkalinity Up or calcium powder to prevent mold and mildew buildup. Fold the cover loosely and store in a cool, dry place.
4. RAISE THE WATER LEVEL BACK TO NORMAL
Use a garden hose to fill the water level in your pool back to its normal level. This is typically around the middle of the skimmer opening or halfway up the tile.
If you didn’t winterize your pool, you can skip down to Step 9.
5. RECONNECT YOUR POOL EQUIPMENT
If you arranged for your pool to be serviced for freezing temperatures over the winter, you will want to reconnect all the pool equipment. This includes reconnecting your filter, pump, heater, and any other disconnected equipment.
6. REMOVE WINTER PLUGS AND RE-ATTACH DRAIN PLUGS
Make sure to take out all the winterizing plugs from your swimming pool equipment. This may include your pump, filter, heater, booster pump, and pool cleaners. Remember to reinstall each regular drain plug.
7. TURN YOUR SYSTEM BACK ON
Now is the moment you’ve been anticipating, you will want to start turning most of your pool equipment back on. This includes priming the pump and turning on the circulation and filtration system. If you have an air relief valve on your filter, make sure to open it to bleed the air from the system.
8. TEST YOUR POOL CHEMISTRY
Once the filtration system has run for multiple hours, you will want to test your pool water for pH, Total Alkalinity, and Chlorine levels using a good test kit. Ideal levels for these chemicals should be:
- pH: 7.4 to 7.6
- Total Alkalinity: 80 to 120 ppm
- Chlorine: 2.0 to 4.0 ppm
9. REGULATE YOUR POOL CHEMISTRY
It is now time to begin regulating your pool chemistry to safe, comfortable swimming levels. You will be able to control the pH and chlorine levels in your water by adjusting the Total Alkalinity.
10. TIME TO ADJUST THE pH BALANCE
When the Total Alkalinity is within its proper range of 80-120 ppm, you can now adjust the pH balance in your pool. Bringing the Total Alkalinity back to a normal range should have pushed the pH level close to normal, as well. If the pH is not between 7.4 and 7.6, not to worry.
11. TEST AND REGULATE CALCIUM HARDNESS
Your pool’s calcium hardness level should always be above 150 ppm. If the calcium hardness is too low, you can bring it up by adding Hardness Plus.
12. BRUSH AND VACUUM THE POOL
After your pool chemistry has been regulated, there will still be some remaining dirt and debris from the colder seasons. Now is the time to thoroughly brush and vacuum your pool, giving special attention to areas near pool steps, ladders, or additional equipment you mat have.
14. SHOCK THE POOL
Shocking the pool will eliminate nearly all the remaining bacteria and contaminants in your water after the winter off season. Shock products will quickly and effectively shock your pool. Be sure to read the instructions to determine how much you should add to your pool.
