What to Expect For Your Spring Opening

After a long winter, many pool owners are quick to open their water feature as soon as warm weather hits. April may seem early for an opening but it is not unheard of. Whether you are hoping to open early or are waiting until June, it is always a good idea to prepare yourself for what you might find when you pull that pool cover back. 

Seasonal Care : What Has Built Up In Your System 

There are plenty of great aspects of owning a pool or hot tub, and it is easy to focus on these instead of the maintenance that goes into keeping them clean. Everyone loves fun but this is only possible with regular care and this means keeping water balanced, using sanitizers and collecting organic debris that might have collected.  Regular maintenance is so important but so is seasonal care. 

If you have chosen to close your pool throughout the winter months, your system has been sitting dormant anywhere from 7-8 months on average. During this time, there are some obvious issues which would have happened and some lesser known problems that you will be left to contend with. 

Algae & Bacteria: Without regular upkeep chlorine and sanitizers will have become imbalanced. Whether you have performed a shock treatment right before closing or chose not to add any pool chemicals before closing, you should expect some degree of algae and bacteria when opening. Algae is slimy and unappealing but the real issues with this invasive growth stem from the bacteria that feeds on it. This bacteria is known to cause stomach illness, rashes and skin irritations, ear infections and other irritants. 

Discolourations: It is not uncommon to pull back a pool cover to discover discolouration. Compromised water chemistry can take your water from crystal clear to a murky teal colour. This looks terrible but it is also a signal that you are dealing with bacteria. If you are dealing with discoloured water, you will have to drain and refill your system, which takes time, effort and a growing financial investment. 

Debris From Pool Covers: Pool covers are designed to keep debris and sunlight from reaching  water. Debris can clog up filters while sunlight can encourage the growth and spread of algae. Over the course of winter, organic clutter and debris will add up on the surface of your pool cover. Just pulling these covers back can release all of this buildup right into your pool. This means added time and energy to sweep, skim and collect floating and sunken materials. 

Trusting An Expert With Your Opening 

In an ideal world, pool owners would be able to just pull back a pool cover and dive on into their water features – but this just isn’t the case. A proper opening can open the door for a safe and inviting water feature but this comes with a lot of work. Luckily, Puddle Pool specialists are able to handle these seasonal chores for you.