Opening Your Pool           (check back for seasonal information)

Winter is over and the days are getting warmer. The kids are talking about going swimming, but the pool is not ready – what do you do?

Before hot weather gets here, take the cover off the pool. Removing the cover is a "team" effort. One person cannot remove the cover without dumping the cover and any trash on the cover into the pool. Dragging the cover through the pool defeats the entire purpose of having a cover.

Once the cover is off, put the plugs (if you followed the winterizing instructions, the plugs are in the pump strainer basket) back into the pump pot, pump housing, and the filter drain.
Raise the water level in the pool back to the proper level – mid way the skimmer opening. While this is happening, remove any leaves or other trash that may have fallen into the pool when the cover was removed.

Note: We get calls each year that someone’s pool is "half empty." If you did not keep the cover clear of debris and water during the winter, the pressure from the trash on the cover displaced water from the pool and the removed plugs allowed water to escape (just like it was supposed to do.)  Fill the pool to the right level. Watch it for a few days. You may not have that leak after all.

Prime the pump. You must fill the pump strainer pot with water (you may have to do this several times) before the pump will prime. Even though the pump is self-priming, water cools the pump seal and internal parts of the pump. Run the pump no more than five minutes without obtaining prime. If you don't get the pump to prime, allow the pump to cool, add more water to the pump pot and try again. The pump must circulate water before you add any chemicals.

Reinstall any ladder, handrail, etc. that you removed for the winter. Check the ladder for two rubber "bumpers" that are on the ladder rails where the ladder rests against the pool wall. These bumpers protect the pool finish from damage when the ladder is in the pool and if yours are worn or missing, replace them. The bumpers are inexpensive, but the damage that can be done to the pool without ladder bumpers in place is not.

Test the water in the pool. We strongly recommend taking a small sample (pint) of water to a professional lab before adding any chemicals. You will need to use a clean glass or plastic container. Throwing the same "stuff" in your pool that your neighbor uses may not be the correct thing to do. Professional analysis helps you get off to the right start and makes operating your pool so much easier than the "guess" method.
If you are not going to have the water professionally tested, and after you have the pool circulating properly, adjust the Total Alkalinity and pH first. Take care of the pool before adding your sanitizer. If you immediately start dumping sanitizer in the pool, especially chlorine, you may cause stains and will make it impossible to get accurate readings on pH and the other water balance variables when you are using the normal home pool water test kit.

Hopefully the water has remained clear over the winter and you don’t have to contend with algae. However, if you have algae, you will need to use a concentrated algaecide to aid in clearing the pool. Using the "big jug" of algaecide probably won’t help since the highest concentration of this type of algaecide is usually around 10%. We recommend bringing in a water sample to the store – it is quick, accurate, and best of all, a free service.

You do not want to add an algaecide containing copper to the pool except under the direction of a pool professional. Certain copper compounds in conjunction with large doses of other chemicals can create a huge staining problem. Some stains can be removed if treated within 24 hours of occurrence, but it is a slow and expensive process. It is easier to avoid the stains than to remove them.

If you are battling a "swamp" you must continue to brush and dip the trash,  run the pump continuously, and add chemicals every day until you satisfy the chlorine demand and clear the water. The chlorine demand usually results from improper "shocking" the pool during the winter or allowing dead leaves and other trash to accumulate in the pool. Again, the professional lab visit will aid you in solving this problem.

There are several ways to attack the "swamp," but you need to follow the advice of only one person. That individual may be your neighbor, but it should be someone with experience handling the problem. Taking advice from one person and then after talking to a different individual trying his advice and so on tends to prolong the clean up process.  Chose only one advisor!

Once you have the water chemically balanced, clear, and everything working properly, all you are waiting for is Mother Nature to warm up the pool. 

Enjoy the season!