Finally, you walked outside and the cold winter air is no longer hitting you in the face. The sun is out and a smile comes over your face. You start to think about all the fun you will have this summer enjoying your inground pool. But wait… THE POOL! Your smile fades a little as you think about all the work that will go into opening your pool. No worries! We have some simple tips for opening your pool that will make the process so much easier. Your pool will be dive-in ready in no time.

1. Close the pool properly

Okay, this isn’t exactly a tip for opening your pool, but it is one of the most important things that you can to do to make opening your pool a breeze. We can guarantee you that your pool water is not going to improve over the winter. If you had iffy water quality when you closed your pool in the fall, you are going to open up to frustration. Closing your pool with the cleanest, clearest water possible will make opening it a breeze.

2. Clear the cover first

The very first thing that you will want to do in the spring is clear the cover. It may seem easier to carefully slide the debris filled cover off the pool, rolling it back so you keep all of the ick out of the pool, but let’s face it that is rarely the way things turn out. In reality, you start sliding the cover and before you know it your pool is filled with murky water and leaves. Don’t risk it! Sweep away all the debris that has accumulated on your pool cover. If there is water on your cover, pump it off. Taking time to clear things first will protect the water underneath. Once you take off your cover clean it and let it dry. You don’t want to pull out a moldy, mildew infested cover come next fall.

3. Check Everything

We know, everything was working just fine when you closed the pool, but old man winter isn’t always kind to your pool components. Once you have removed all the plugs, hooked up the pumps and cleaned out the filters and skimmers, check everything.  Make sure everything is tight and nothing has started leaking. Reinstall your ladders, slides, diving boards and lights, then check everything. Make sure no cracks or mildew has developed. Don’t just assume that things were good last year so they will be good this year.

4. Don’t skip the skimmer

No matter how careful you were or how much you cleaned your cover and pool deck some larger particles will inevitably end up in the pool. So, while you are topping off the pool with water, get out the skimmer and do a little cleaning. Your filter is going to be working overtime for the next few days to get all of the little things that you can’t see. Help it out a little by taking care of the big stuff.

5. Keep an eye on it

Once you’ve turned on the power, primed up your pumps, added your shock, and made sure everything is running smoothly, you might think it is time to walk away. You might be able to for a bit, but you are going to have to keep an eye on things.  You are going to be running your pumps twenty-four hours a day to keep the chemicals moving around the pool. But, you will need to go out and vacuum the bottom to remove any sediment that has settled and to again stir up your chemicals. Let things run for a while longer, then check again. You may need to backwash your pump or even vacuum again. Keeping a close eye on things will get your pool off on the right foot so you have a summer of easy maintenance.

These 5 tips will make your pool opening easy. Don’t worry, if you are still feeling like it is a daunting task, we would be happy to take care of your pool opening for you. Head on over to our services page and schedule your pool opening now!