As the swim season rapidly approaches, here’s a few basic guidelines to follow as you open up your swimming pool. It seems like a pretty hefty process, but when we break things down – there’s a few important steps to follow. If you have any specific questions or if you have a unique situation, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email through support…
I hope you enjoy these basic steps!
Phase 1: remove the cover. If there are leaves or other debris on the cover, use your leaf net to remove them (or use a blower for quick results if you have a lot of debris).
Phase 2: Then pump off any standing water if you have a solid cover. Note: if your cover has a hole in it, you will be pumping water out of the pool. This can lead to draining the pool if you do not watch for this.
Phase 3: After removing the cover, be sure to clean it, place it out in the sun so it can dry and store it.
Phase 4: Bring up the water level up to its normal operating level.
Phase 5: Remove any freeze plugs, gadgets or other items taht you may have used to protect against freezing.
Phase 6: If you didn’t clean your filter when you closed it last year, now is a good time to do so.
Phase 7: Turn on the equipment. The pump may need a “kick start”. If it doesn’t start up right away, remove the pump lid (be careful here…the air is compressed in the lines/equipment) and use a garden hose (or bucket of water) to fill up the pump – then quickly replace lid and turn on the equipment. It’s important to eliminate all the air from the plumbing and equipment. Warning: Air will be compressed during this procedure.
Phase 8: Do a thorough check on the equipment, check for any leaks, filter pressure and check return side water pressure.
Phase 9: Now, let’s go check out the pool itself. Hopefully, you had a solid cover on and the water is as clear and blue as when you closed it. If not, let’s remove any large debris in the water.
Phase 10: Vac to waste any dirt, algae, or other small debris.
Phase 11: Let’s check out the water chemistry and get things dialed in…
* Please don’t start off by throwing a bunch of chlorine or other chemicals into the water. Don’t go crazy here and run the risk of damaging and/or stain your pool surface.
* Allow the water to circulate at least 6 hours, so that the water that was added has time to mix with the water in the pool.
* After 6 hours do a thorough test and adjust accordingly.
Phase 12. Install any ladders and misc items that had been removed.
Phase 13: Do a perimeter check – inspect the ladder (look for any cracks, awkwardness in spring, rust, etc). Check out the tile line for any residue, gunk or calcium – a little bit of Arm And Hammer with a sponge can help eliminate any “scum” line – use a pumice stick if you have some calcium buildup – I know…It’s quite a bit of work, but it works. You can also look into getting a glass bead tile clean (typically runs about $4.00 per linear foot and can vary depending on severity of buildup).
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Terry
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Terry,
I have a pool that is being used as a duck pond! It wasn’t closed properly last year and the cover came off so the ducks think it’s their new home! The water has tons of debris, leaves, you name it in the water and the water itself is black. I have no idea what I should do first but if something isn’t done soon my husband has threatened to have it knocked down. We’ve never owned a pool before. Should I backwash and drain half the water and then circulate it for six hours before doing a chemical test or should I attempt to get some of the debris out? Help!
Hi Tammy,
Darn ducks…
You can try inflatables (owls, snakes, etc) – haven’t found long term results in this area though. Dogs work well to scare them off. Chances are, once you begin the cleanup process, they’ll begin clearing the way. If there’s a lot of debris also at the bottom of the pool, consider draining and doing an acid wash.
If it’s more “surface” stuff, begin adding HTH Super Shock (or something with high hypochlorite), run the equipment 24/7, backwash several times a day (5-7) and begin cleaning the pool and removing the debris.
The key here is circulation and filtration…
1. Run the filter 24/7 during this process.
2. Shock the pool.
3. Clean
4. Backwash frequently
5. Once the pool is a cloudy blue – you can begin administering a clarifying agent to expedite the clear water process.
Hope this helps.
Terry
Hi Terry,
If I decide to go to a salt warte pool should I open and it with shock and clarifier first then change to a salt water system?
Ray
Hi Ray,
Good question…nothing wrong with making the transition prior to startup. The process doesn’t change – it may make your life easier to do it all at the same time.
Best
Terry
We have gunite/plaster pool and 3 years ago we had it painted(epoxy paint) now on the bottom we have several areas where the paint has blistered and pealed off. What can I apply to a dry surface as a primer before I reapply paint? Thanks for your help
Hi awesome Terry – I was not physically able last year to care for my above-ground pool. This year it has a brown stain over the entire liner and a darker brown rim at water level. No I don’t cover it. It runs all year round. I have it on a timer and it runs for 12 hours a day. Have a polaris turtle for debris and the bag mostly floats near the top. Can I weight it down with something or is it internal. I’m near the east coast in good ole South Carolina (humidity and all). Rather the humidity than the cold and snow! I have one of your on-line books but can’t seem to find anything addressing the brown issue. Hope you can help.
Have a great one
Robin Mixson
I’m thinking on going non-clorine this year. Whats your thoughts on products like Baquiclie??
Thanks
Hi Jim,
Big fan of some “non chlorine” products that are effective. Baquacil has been effective throughout most of the country – there are some pros/cons…like any form of sanitizer. I’ll address in more detail during the swim season.
Best,
Terry
Bob,
First thing is to ensure the plaster is sound. Quite a few quality products for this available…stick with a reputable brand like Olympic or Insl-x.
Cheers,
Terry
I have a gunnite pool that was resurfaced with fiber glass. They claimed it would be easier to keep clean, but it has spots that look like mold all over and it is a dingy gray no matter what we do. We are careful to keep the chlorine level below .003 as recommended to avoid leaching. Can you help?!
Thanks
Hi Terry,
I thought I did everything right when the pool was closed. I have a canvas cover that allows water to seep in. The winterizing agents were added. When I took the cover off, there was thick green scum. I even was scooping it out from the skimmer with a cup. The water level was very low. I had drained to below the jets and it had gone down about a foot and a half more than that. It’s been about a week now and the water is nice and blue but I used lots of algicide and other chemicals. I was debating whether to even put the cover on next year if it will be like that. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Above ground pool . Chem test shows hardness very low How do you bring that up?
@ Scott,
Use calcium chloride to elevate hardness levels.
Terry