Bolton Pool Opening

Spring Pool Care: The Best Way to Open Your Pool 

Swimming pools are complicated structures and depend on many moving parts. As much as you might focus on water chemistry, pool chemicals won’t cut it if your circulation system is failing or your filters are clogged. If internal water systems aren’t working, you can clean your pool every day and still not get the desired results. When opening your pool for the season it is important to dig deep into systems for an in-depth cleaning of surfaces as well as internal components and lines. 

Prep Pools For Spring: The first step to opening your swimming pool up for spring is to undo everything that you did to close it down. On closing, dropping water levels and winterizing plugs is common practice. In order to open up again it is important to refill water levels so it reaches the skimmer line. This is as simple as grabbing a garden hose but it is key to a functional circulation system. 

Water Chemistry: After months of sitting untreated, pool water will, more often than not, be green, smell terrible, be cloudy and will be full of unwanted items. You can’t remove debris if you can’t see what you are doing so it is always best to start with an initial shock treatment. Shocking a pool will clear away some cloudiness so you can have a better idea of what you are working with. Maintaining proper water chemistry means balancing chlorine levels, pH levels, total alkalinity and calcium. 

Debris Removal: Getting rid of months of built up debris isn’t easy. Flipping the switch on a pool vacuum might help to get rid of unwanted items from flat surfaces in the middle of the pool but these won’t do much for corners, hard angles or stairs. Manual vacuums are necessary to dig into hard to reach areas and speciality brushes can scrub away any residue that has built up around water lines. It is also important to empty skimmer baskets, getting rid of any sitting debris inside. 

Managing Pool Equipment: It is common practice to remove detachable components, accessories and equipment on closing. It is important to reinstall each of these, as well as inspecting accessories to make sure that no damage occurred over the winter. For example, if a diving board has algae growth on it, it will be slippery and that is a safety hazard. When going into spring it is a good idea to remove your winter cover and swap it out for a mesh one. A mesh pool cover allows sunlight to reach water surfaces, helping to heat pool water and reducing the cost of heating. Puddle technicians can provide tips on storing your pool cover properly.