How to Open a Pool for the Summer
If you closed your pool over the winter or haven’t used your pool for a few seasons, you’ll need to complete a few steps before opening your pool for swim season. We’ve compiled a short checklist to make opening a pool for summertime a simple process. By preparing your pool for use, you can smoothly transition into summer without any unexpected issues.
Clean Your Winter Cover and Remove Debris
If you used a winter cover, remove debris from it first so that the debris does not enter the water when you remove the cover. Once uncovered, use a skimmer to remove leaves and larger debris from the pool. Other smaller debris, silt or sludge can be vacuumed or removed by a pool cleaner.
Check the Pool Chemicals First
Even if your water is visually clear, you’ll still need to restore the balance of your pool and ensure the chemical levels are correct since this measurement is one of the most important parts of opening a pool for the summer. To determine if your pool is ready for use, review its chlorine and pH levels, alkalinity and calcium hardness.
If a chemical needs to be adjusted, you’ll have to examine each level more closely to determine the amount of chemicals to add to your water.
Top Off Your Water
If your pool doesn’t appear as full as it should be, it’s completely normal. Typically, pools lose water during the winter, so you may have to add new water to return it to its optimal water levels. Before you add in the new water, make sure you clean your filter thoroughly.
Giving your filter an extra wash before turning it on will ensure you don’t mix dirty water with clean water. After this step, your water should be back at its ideal level.
Avoid Draining It
Completely draining your pool is never a good idea. If your pool sits on a high water table, removing the water could cause it to lift completely out of the ground. Even in a colder climate, draining your pool could cause significant issues, making a complete pool replacement your only solution.
Instead of draining your pool, you can inspect its pump and filter, enabling you to clean the water while it’s still in your pool. Eventually, your water will clear, and your pool will be ready for use.
If the water is beyond being able to be filtered easily, then you can do multiple partial drains and refills to replace the water. Drain from the bottom and refill from the top to make the replacement more efficient.
Inspect Your Pump
Before opening a pool for the summer, you’ll need to make sure it’s functioning properly. Your pump is one of the most important parts of your pool, as it distributes chemicals evenly throughout the water. Without an effective pump, your pool won’t be ready for the summer.
Inspecting and cleaning it will check its functionality and give you time to address any potential issues that may arise if your pump isn’t running at maximum efficiency.
Make Your Pool Opening Easier With WaterGuru SENSE
At WaterGuru, our goal is to make pool preparation as simple and straightforward as possible. Because one of the most important steps to opening a pool is checking its chemicals, we’ve designed the WaterGuru SENSE — a device that measures the exact chemical levels in your pool.
For an exceptionally convenient experience, the WaterGuru SENSE can pair with your mobile phone or another smart device to give you step-by-step instructions explaining how to balance your pool’s chemicals, making opening a pool for the summer effortless.
When you use our device, you ensure your water is balanced and ready for swim season! Purchase your own WaterGuru SENSE today and subscribe to our emails to stay updated!
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