Some of our top pool service professionals offer advice for opening your pool and maintaining it.
Alan Butters, Watersaver Leak Protection
Stuart, Florida
The best tip for opening the pool is closing it properly. A clean, balanced pool that uses the best available winter cover opens up very easily in the spring. If you haven’t done that then you may have issues to deal with in the spring.
The three main problems that people deal with in the spring are algae, organic debris and water balance. The key to success is dealing with these in the correct order.
Don’t let your pool opening company dump in a bunch of chemicals before you’ve had a chance to test your water. Balance the water first. This is necessary regardless if the water is clear or green. If the water clarity allows, remove all debris by vacuuming to waste.
If the water is green, treat for the algae after you have balanced the water. Once the algae has been killed and filters out/settles to the bottom, vacuum the pool to waste. Refill, balance and start your weekly regime.
Frank Disher, Alpha Pool Service
Frank Disher, North Richland Hills, Texas
In our area of north central Texas, we do not “close” our pools like they do in many areas of the country. We run our pools year round and just filter less hours daily and lower our sanitizer levels.
We do remove slide and feature pumps and winterize our systems. It is extremely important to keep a proper water balance during the off-season to protect pool surfaces and equipment. Typically, at least one month prior to opening for the season, we check the filtration and sanitizer systems for proper operation and slowly raise our sanitizer levels to safe levels for swimmers. If stabilizer or calcium levels are high we will drain the pool and perform a light acid wash or chlorine scrub.
With Clear Comfort this is much easier and less frequent because our chlorine levels are kept much lower and we do not have to fear the sudden demand for sanitizer at opening.
With that in mind, here are my tips.
1) Maintain proper water balance through the winter.
2) Check all systems for proper operation in time to make any needed repairs or adjustments for pool opening.
3) Slowly raise sanitizer to levels that ensure swimmer safety during the initial high bather load.
Jordan Theissen, Poolworks
Nashville, Tennessee
Below are some of the main points for pool opening that all pool owners should follow.
1) Adjust alkalinity to 60-120 ppm
2) Adjust pH to 7.2 as a lower pH allows chlorine to be more effective.
3) Measure cyanuric acid levels and refer to chart to see how much chlorine to add.
4) Use liquid chlorine to raise chlorine to the shock level that corresponds to your cyanuric acid level.
5) Test every 30 minutes at first and maintain your shock level until your water is clear.
Ryan Carlson, Skyblue Pool Supply
Los Gatos, California
Being in California we do not winterize pools. They operate year round. We perform annual inspections on all our weekly service customers.
This includes, but is not limited to:
1) Chemical soaking of all filters
2) Inspect lube/replace backwash o-rings
3) Inspect/clean sanitizer equipment
4) Check light operation
5) Test GFCI test trip operation for lights
6) Inspect/check heater operation (signs of rodents?)
7) Inspect/check all pump operation, lid o-rings, baskets
8) Inspect/check pool cleaner operation
9) Run automation diagnostics (if applicable)
10) Replace backup batteries on automation
11) Check/adjust scheduling
12) Inspect integrity of surface, deck, tile, coping
13) Notify customer of any issues/recommendations
Do you have any additional tips to share? Comment below.
Lauren McNitt
Lauren loves swimming during the summer and relaxing in a hot tub after skiing, but the harsh chemicals limit the time she can spend in a pool. She's excited to bring Clear Comfort to others who share her enjoyment of swimming. Lauren is the Director of Marketing for Clear Comfort.
