With Memorial Day just around the corner, pool owners have the perfect opportunity to plan their first pool party of the summer.
If you closed your pool for winter, opening your pool can seem like an overwhelming process and many pool owners don’t know where to start. If your pool has been winterized or hasn’t been used for a while, follow these steps to get your pool ready for swimmers.
- Clean off any debris before removing your winter pool cover off.
- Wash and dry off your winter pool cover and store it in a dry place.
- If necessary, remove winter plugs and skimmer ice compensators.
- If you drained your pool for winter, fill it up. Even if you didn’t drain your pool, the water level is likely a bit low.
- Set up your filter and pump. Replace drain plugs and the pressure gauge. Read your pump and filter user manuals for specific instructions.
- Turn on the power to the pump and filter. Check to make sure pump is pulling water and that there aren’t any leaks.
- Clean your pool by scooping out debris with the leaf net and scrubbing the sides and bottom of the pool with a pool brush.
- Check the water chemistry to make sure that your pool water is balanced.
- Add a non-chlorine, liquid chlorine or unstabilized chlorine stock to eliminate unwanted bacteria growth and cloudiness.
- Let the pump and filter run for 24 hours and then check the water chemistry again. If the pH and alkalinity are in normal ranges and the water is clear, your pool is ready for swimming.
In addition prepping your pool water, it’s important to consider pool safety precautions. Here are some safety preparations you can make before using your pool.
- Sit down with your family and come up with clear pool rules, this might include no running, no pushing, no glassware by the pool, etc. Inform your guests of these rules before they’re in the pool area.
- If children are coming to your pool party, provide life-jackets or floatation devices for children who want to play in and around the pool.
- Designate adult “lifeguards” to watch over the children who are swimming. If you’re hosting a big gathering, you could even hire a professional lifeguard for the day.
- In case of an accident, keep first-aid and safety equipment on hand and near the pool.
After you have a pool party, it’s likely that you’ll need to shock the pool because of high bather load. So remember to keep a non-chlorine shock on hand so you can enjoy clean, clear pool water after the pool party.
