Opening Your Pool for Swim Season
A joyous time is upon us – the spring season! That means more fishing trips, outdoor sports, hiking, biking, and swimming!
While we can expect to have a lot of rainy days this season, on those warm, sunny days when it isn’t dreary, you may want to enjoy a reprieve by hopping into the pool. Even if the temperatures aren’t quite sultry enough for you to take a dip in the pool, now is a great time to prepare it for the summer season.
Your pool has been in hibernation mode since winter, so it’s not going to be a pretty sight at first. More than likely your pool is a greenish color, filled with leaves, branches or twigs, and possibly other debris depending on how well you winterized it. But don’t let this ghastly sight keep you from enjoying a fun, relaxing time in your pool. With a little bit of TLC and some magic, you can restore your pool to a sparkling blue utopia.
1. Do NOT Empty the Pool
First things first, don’t empty it! This may seem like the obvious answer to making the gunk in your pool disappear, but doing so in a high water table can lift your pool out of the ground without the weight of water keeping it down. Clearly, this is a serious issue! A pool that has been lifted out of the ground could mean a complete pool replacement.
2. Clean the Pool
Cleaning a pool may seem like a daunting task, but it’s totally doable. Commence the process by putting the filtration system together. Clean out the baskets and remove any plugs that were placed in the pool when you winterized it. If you covered your pool over the winter, leave the cover on while you work on getting the filtration system running again.
There are three main types of filters: DE filters, sand filters, and cartridge filters. DE filters should be backwashed and recharged every 2 weeks, but only need to be cleaned every 6 month. Sand filters are the most expensive, but only need to be cleaned every 4-5 years. The most common type of pool filter, cartridge filters, should be cleaned every 3-4 months.
Visit our website for more information about pool filtration systems.
You most likely need to clean your cartridge filter as part of the pool opening process. Here is a good how-to for removing, cleaning, and maintaining your cartridge filter.
If you have a D.E. filter, there’s a chance you may need to backwash and recharge it, or take it apart in order to clean it. If your pool uses a sand filter, set the filter to backwash. This will clean the sand.
Don’t forget to scrub and skim your pool once you are done with the filtration system. The best way to maintain a clean pool floor is to purchase a robotic vacuum. Here is a list of the top 10 robotic pool cleaners.
After brushing and vacuuming the pool, run the clean filtration system overnight.
The next day, you should shock your swimming pool. Read our blog for how to shock your pool.
Wait 48 hours before going on to step 3.
3. Fill Up Pool to Correct Water Level
If your pool’s water level fell during winter, top it off. After completing steps 1 and 2, inspect your pool’s water level. It should be a little over halfway up your skimmer. Like this:
Source: thepoolfactory
4. Test Your Water
Everything we’ve covered so far are tasks that you can complete on your own. But this next task requires the expertise of a pro. Take a water a sample to your local pool store or call the professionals at Texan Blue Pool Service to properly test your water. The water testing includes checking its mineral content as well as the alkalinity, pH, and chlorine levels.
While testing the water requires a knowledgeable expert, this next part involves some chemistry on your part. Based on your water’s analysis you may need to alter some levels. We recommend the following:
• pH levels between 7.2 and 7.4 The pH level is in indication as to how much chlorine turns hypochlorous acid in the water. If you need to increase pH use soda ash; to decrease use muriatic or sodium bisulfate.
• Total alkalinity from 80 to 120 Note that alkalinity is a pH buffer. pH levels will display consistency if the alkalinity is correct. In order to increase alkalinity, use sodium bicarbonate; to decrease use muriatic acid.
• Calcium hardness rom 150 ppm to 250 ppm (parts per million) Simply put, the softer the water, the more calcium it will absorb. You can adjust the calcium hardness by using calcium chloride.
• Chlorine from 1 ppm to 3 ppm We recommend using cyanuric-based tablets to protect the water. If you have a metal filter system or heater, this could pose as an issue because these have the ability to eat away at metal. To combat this issue, purchase a plastic chlorinator.
Information from PopularMechanics.
Sometimes chemistry is flat out hard and not everyone can do it – and that’s okay. Feel free to call on a professional. They’re trained in pool chemistry and know exactly what to alter and how to alter it. We especially recommend having a professional hook up your plastic chlorinator.
So, now that we’ve got all the chemistry stuff out of the way, there’s just a few more steps to take.
Recheck your filter and clean it again if necessary. Skim, vacuum, and clean your pool again. Wait several days for chemistry levels to get back to normal. If necessary, test your pool water again before diving in. We want you to be able to enjoy your refreshing, cool pool all summer long so make sure to keep it clean and maintain it!
Now, for what you’ve all been waiting for….it’s time dive in!
For more information on chemistry levels, cleaning, filters, and other pool maintenance, see our blog, Your Pool Needs Some Love Too: 5 Maintenance Tips.
For a clean and properly functioning pool, we recommend having professional maintenance. If you still feel as though you can handle all the maintenance yourself, don’t forget to at least have a professional do a full inspection every year to prevent more expensive repairs and breakdowns in the future.
To help your pool remain cleaner and trouble free longer, Texan Blue Pool Service offers filter cleaning. When you call for a filter clean for your pool, our technician will clean and inspect the filter from top to bottom.
Whatever your pool and filtration system, Texan Blue Pool Service is the trusted choice for repairs, installations, service, or maintenance of any filter you may have, including Hawyward, Pentair, Jandy, and Sta-Rite models.
If you have any questions, you can give Texan Blue Pool Service a call at 877-730-7665 or visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+