Get Your Swimming Pool Kit Ready for Spring

Opening your swimming pool the right way can alleviate a lot of stress ensure an awesome pool season. To open your pool you will need some supplies. We recommend having these available when you start the process of opening your pool. These supplies include a skimmer, brush, vacuum, water test strips, total alkalinity increaser, pH balancer, chlorine/chlorine stabilizer, calcium hardness increaser, algaecide, scale and stain control.

Once you’ve got your supplies ready, find the right day to get started and follow these steps:

1. Clean Off Your Winter Pool Cover

To remove any standing water, use a pool cover pump (we offer 2: Little Giant Automatic Pool Cover Pump & Ocean Blue Automatic Pool Cover Pump). Use a brush (from our Pool Maintenance Kit) to remove all leaves and debris from your cover. DO NOT use anything sharp or harsh on your cover.

2. Remove Your Winter Pool Cover

We recommend you get help with this step. Carefully remove the cover without getting any debris, that remains on the top of the cover, into the pool. If dirty water and debris fall into the water, you will just have to remove it from the water later.

3. Clean Your Winter Pool Cover and Store Away

Lay the cover out on your lawn or a nearby area. Use water, soap, and a soft brush to wash your cover. Be sure it is thoroughly dry before storing. We recommend investing in a heavy duty plastic container with a lid to store your cover away. This will prevent bugs and rodents from eating or making a nest in your cover.

4. Remove Winter Plugs & Reinstall Deck Equipment

Walk around your pool and make sure all winter plugs are removed from any openings in your pool, including return jets and step jets. Replace your return lines with the proper eyeball or jet fittings. Then, re-install all pool accessories including pool ladders, diving boards, and step rails. Make sure you lubricate all bolts to prevent rusting throughout the summer months.

5. Fill the Swimming Pool

Your pool might have been drained during winterization or lost water over the winter. If the water level in your pool is below the midway point of the skimmer opening, use your garden hose to fill it up to the proper level.

6. Clean the Pool

Using a net attached to your telescopic pole (from our Pool Maintenance Kit), remove any debris from the water. Use the pool brush to clean the walls and floor of the pool liner. This will help get the dirt into suspension and allow your filter to remove it. Use your vacuum to remove any dirt & particles left. Inspect the pool carefully to ensure there is no damage that occurred during the off-season. Especially look for rips and tears in the vinyl liner or cracks and breaks in the plaster or tiles.

7. Circulate the Water

Replace the drain plugs and other parts, including your pool pump’s pressure gauge. Be sure to check the lid o-ring on your pump housing, re-install any additional equipment including booster pump, heater or chlorine dispenser, and make sure all drain plugs are securely in place. Turn on the power to your pump and filter. Make sure the system starts up properly and check for any leaks or drips. Ensure the directional inlets are pointed down at a 45-degree angle to cycle the water evenly throughout the pool.

8. Test the Water

Take a sample of your water from 18-inches below the water line in a clean, 1-pint plastic container to a local pool supply store to get it professionally analyzed. You want to make sure you pH and alkalinity are properly balanced before adding any other pool chemicals. Once your pool water is balanced, add the proper amount of sanitizer to your water (i.e. chlorine, bromine, or Baquacil). We recommend double shocking your pool using 2 lbs. of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water, or 5 gallons of liquid chlorine per 20,000 gallons of water.

9. Start Swimming

Let your pool run at least 24 hours and vacuum out any debris you may have missed your pool vacuum. Using a home test kit or test strips, re-test the pool water. If everything checks out, and the pool is clear or cloudy blue, it’s ready to swim in!

10. Backwash Your Filter

Once you’ve had your pool up and running for a full week, it’s time to start the weekly backwash process. See our How To Backwash a Sand Filter post for instructions on this process.

Get Your Swimming Pool Kit Ready for Spring!

Just give us a call with questions, 800-515-1747

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