As the weather warms up, there’s nothing better than jumping in your pool — but you have to open it first.
When the heat starts showing up, that means it’s time to start opening up your pool and preparing for the summer months. Luckily, there are several pool opening tips you can employ to help ensure that you get your pool opened quickly and smoothly.
Organize Your Plan
Before beginning any pool opening jobs, the first thing you need to do is organize your plan of action. First, you need to check all of your pool gear from tools to chemicals to ensure that you have everything you will need to open up and run your pool during the summer season. Second, you should be checking for any damage in the pool liner or pool surface. If there are leaks and you try to put water inside, it will end up simply wasting your time and your water.
Some people choose to have a professional open their pools. With the help of a professional swimming pool construction company, they can check for visual damage, and ensure all the equipment is working as it should.
Clean Away
Before ripping away that pool cover, the first thing you need to do to officially open up your pool is clean off the cover. Remove leaves and debris that have accumulated on top of your pool cover over the winter season. You can use a water hose to effectively spray off some of the light debris and grime from the cover.
Next, you’ll want to drain your cover using a pump. Some owners have a separate pump while others just rent one. Remove any dirty water that you can’t get to with a pump by using a pail. You want to avoid mixing any dirty water with your clean pool water! Roll back the water bags, remove the cover and clean it with a pool cover cleaner.
Be sure to spray everything clean with water and let your cover completely dry before folding it and storing it. This will prevent any mould or mildew from growing, which can break down the cover material. Clean the vinyl liner (or tiles) above the water line before filling the pool.
Filling up your Pool
Before filling up your pool, you’ll need to do the following:
- Remove winterizing plugs and foam rope from the circulation system
- Reinstall all inlet directional fittings, skimmer baskets, and any other accessories, ladders, lights, etc
As you begin filling up your pool, prepare the pump, filter heater, and chemical feeders by re-installing all drain plugs and components. When the pool water has reached the middle of the skimmer faceplates, you have enough water to begin circulation.
Place the sand filter dial valve handle on the backwash position, fill the pump with water, and turn the power on. Backwash the system to flush out the plumbing and equipment of antifreeze for about 5 minutes.
After backwashing the system, turn the power off and move the valve handle to filter position. Turn the power back on, and voila, you now have water circulation and filtration!
Test the Waters
You might be tempted to jump in right away, but first, you need to let the water circulate for at least 24 hours. Bring us a water sample in a clean container to be professionally tested. A professional water analysis will enable you to properly balance your water chemistry.
We can also provide you with a program specifically designed for your pool needs. We have everything you need product-wise to keep your pool clean and ready to swim all times of the year. Our retail store for swimming pool equipment makes it easy to find everything you are looking for in pool care.
Be Safe
As always, you should consider the safety of your pool by checking for the barriers around the pool like fencing or gates. This can prevent children or even pets from getting into the pool area unsupervised.For more tips, give us a call at 289-201-2487 or contact us here today.