After a cold winter, opening your pool for the summer is a feeling only a pool owner can truly understand. Many people are unaware that specific steps must be followed to open their pool successfully for the summer. These tips will address any problems you may encounter and prevent any issues before they happen! Let’s face it: the last thing you want is your pool to be unswimmable on the first hot day of the year. Fortunately, opening your pool properly doesn’t have to be difficult. We have everything you need to know about keeping your swimming pool in tip-top shape.
Opening Your Pool for the Season
Opening your pool correctly is crucial because it endures many storms and harsh conditions during the off-season. This can lead to dirt and debris, including rocks, twigs, and leaves, as well as unwanted rodents. Additionally, you may find tears in the pool liner or chips in tiles or paint. To start, set aside a day to properly open your pool so you don’t encounter any errors and have time to do it correctly.
1. Clean the Pool Cover
As mentioned above, the pool cover collects debris, such as leaves and twigs, while your pool remains vacant during the colder months. While the cover is still on, use a cleaning brush to remove as much debris as possible. This will help the cover stay clean over the summer months and limit any odours from leaves baking in the summer heat. In addition, this will limit what enters your pool when you remove it.
2. Remove the Pool Cover
Opening your pool is not possible if the cover is still on. This one seems easy, but it can be tricky without another person to help. You can start by unclipping the cover at one end of the pool. From there, two people should stand on either side of the pool. Slowly unclip the pool cover clips as you make your way across the entire pool. Once you reach the final side, slowly lift the cover and drag it onto the surrounding grass or cement. If you’ve cleaned your pool cover properly, minimal debris should fall into the pool when you remove it. If some did, don’t fret! We cover that step later.
3. Thoroughly Clean the Pool Cover Once It’s Off
After removing the pool cover, please take it to your driveway or another cemented area. Thoroughly brush and hose off the cover. You may need to use a cleaning product, specifically if the cover manufacturer recommends it. Allow it to dry completely before you store it! From there, wait for the cover to dry while you continue to follow the steps below.
Once the cover is fully dry, store it indoors in a shed or garage until it’s needed again. This will keep it away from insects, rodents, and moisture!
4. Set Up Your Ladder and Equipment
Now it’s time to install all the equipment your pool uses. This can include ladders, slides, safety rails, or diving boards. Make sure you spray any metal objects, bolts, or fasteners with a metal lubricant to ensure they attach securely and correctly. It is essential to make sure that no objects have rusted. If you find an object that is rusted and may be dangerous, it is recommended that you replace it to avoid injury. Before you store any chrome pieces, clean them with a chrome cleaner. This is much more difficult if you’ve installed them, so doing it beforehand is recommended.
5. Fill and Clean Your Pool
Now it’s time for the exciting part: filling your pool! Grab a garden hose and fill your pool to the top of the skimmer’s mouth. Once it’s at your desired level, use a net to scoop out any debris or dirt from the bottom of the pool.
Once you’re finished, could you get your algae brush and pool vacuum and use them? Scrub the walls and surfaces to remove algae and other growth that may have occurred while the pool was closed. While you vacuum your pool, continue to fill it with water and set your filter to the waste option. This means that once the water bypasses the filter, it will flow directly to the backwash line, reducing water use during cleaning.
6. Turn Your Pool On
Now, for the exciting part, turning your pool on! Before you do so, ensure all of the pool’s valves are open, and your pump is filled with water. When filling the pool with water, prime the system correctly and purge any air from the plumbing. Once you’ve completed this, you can turn your power on.
While the power is running, inspect your pool for leaks, cracks, or splits in the hoses. If you do discover damage, shut off the power immediately and contact your local pool service.
7. Test and Treat Your Pool Water
Once your pool is clean and operational, it is time to test and treat the water. With the results, you’ll either shock the pool or over-chlorinate it to destroy any pesky algae or microorganisms that have grown while it was closed. Depending on the results of your pool test kit, you might want to add other treatments to your water, such as stabilizers, conditioners, or algicides. Make sure you let your pool’s filter run for another 24 hours before testing again or entering the pool.
You can swim once the 24-hour period is up and your pool is clear.
Maintaining Your Pool Throughout the Season
Maintaining your pool throughout the season is easy, but it’s also essential to keep it clean and safe for swimming. The most important aspects of maintaining your pool are regularly testing and vacuuming it throughout the season. Please ensure all chemical components are ready if your pool requires them. A good list of pool chemicals to have on hand includes:
- Chlorine tablets
- pH increasers
- alkalinity increasers
- chlorine flakes
- Algicide and clarifier in case your pool turns green
Closing Your Pool for the Season
Like summer, all good things must come to an end. Once you’re done using the pool and the cold weather inevitably returns, you must properly close your pool for the season. This will ensure your pool remains healthy while closed and make it much easier to open when warm weather returns.
When closing your pool, ensure it is drained below the skimmers. Many people believe a pool should be completely drained when winterizing. This is not the best idea. When the water table rises, an empty pool can form in the ground. As you can imagine, this can ruin the pool’s structural integrity. Removing all the water from liner pools can damage the liner and require replacement in the future.
What to Do After Lowering the Water Level
Once your pool has been emptied, it must be winterized chemically. This involves adding an algaecide and enzymes to the water to help maintain its health throughout the off-season. While you can do this yourself, balancing a pool’s chemistry can be complex. So, it’s recommended that you hire a professional.
From there, it is essential to remove all pool accessories. This may include toys, thermometers, diving boards, ladders, and safety rails, and storing them in a safe location. This can be a shed or a storage box. Last but certainly not least, could you make sure your pool is covered for the off-season?
Opening Your Pool and Closing Your Pool: Conclusion
Proper pool care is critical to its longevity, whether you’re opening, maintaining, or closing it. Just as your pool should be protected, your home should be protected with proper home insurance. Please make sure your home and pool are adequately covered by contacting us or requesting a quote today.
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