Come spring when it is time to open your pool for the late spring and summer season, you have a number of tasks to complete before your family can enjoy the cool water. Hopefully, you covered your pool at the end of the past season. This prevents a lot of time consuming clean up.
Start by sweeping off your pool deck or patio if applicable. This prevents leaves and debris from falling into the water. Pump off the water from your pool cover. Snowy areas will have excess water to handle as it melts. As you pump out the water, try to remove any leaves or even bird seed that may have been dropped or blown onto the cover during the winter months. Once you have the cover cleaned off, get a few people to help you remove it. By having additional hands, you can ensure that the top remains clear of the water.
Before placing the cover on at the end of the fall season, you should have drained down a foot or two of water. At this point, you will need to add water to your pool to bring it back up to the normal level.
If you vacuumed the pool at the end of the season, you probably will have little maintenance to do. Otherwise, you will need to vacuum it before you start adding chemicals. You cannot vacuum it until the filter is running, however. Therefore, the filter becomes your next task. Hook up the filter and turn it on. Run the pump for ten minutes and check for leaks. If there are leaks, you will need to replace the hoses or tighten the hose clamps. If the leak is coming from a crack in the filter, you may need to replace the filter unit. If you have a heater system, have it inspected and allow routine maintenance procedures to be completed.
Once the filter is running properly and the heating system has been inspected, you should install any ladders, diving boards, and slides. If there is algae present, add an algaecide to kill the algae. Wait for the algaecide to kill the algae before the next step. After the waiting period for the algaecide, vacuum the pool and then test the chemical levels. You can purchase the test strips yourself or take it to a local pool supplier to have them run the tests for you.
If you use a pool supplier, they will tell you which chemicals are necessary. Remember that they will often recommend their high priced chemicals. If they recommend sodium bicarbonate avoid purchasing it there. Sodium bicarbonate is simply baking soda and you will save money if you purchase it from a warehouse store like Costco or Sam's. After the winter, your chlorine levels are probably very low. Add some shock and chlorine tablets to the pool to rapidly raise the levels. Use PH and alkalinity chemicals to adjust those levels. Run the filter steadily for twenty-four hours and retest the water's chemical levels.
If your chlorine levels are too high, allow time for the levels to drop to acceptable levels before you use the pool. Sunlight is the only thing that will deplete the chlorine from the water. Once the chemical levels are in the normal ranges, you can allow people to use the pool.
Pool maintenance in the spring can seem tedious, but if you have taken steps to ensure the pool is cleaned before covering it in the fall, your tasks will be far easier.
