Fool Proof Pool Opening Procedures

The pool opening after a long blustery winter is one of the most anticipated days of the year!  To make sure you keep yourself and your guests safe and happy, several steps are vital to securing success!   

Nothing cures the winter blues better than the anticipation of summer and preparing the pool for a long hot summer of enjoyment.  To ensure safety, there are some critical steps to take, so your pool is sufficiently ready for a summer of fun!  

As we start to shed our layers of bulky sweaters and winter coats, our pools need to go through that same process, so the first and most obvious step is to remove the pool cover.  While your excitement might get the better of you, you must take care when removing the cover after the long winter.  It most likely is host to various amounts of debris. Hence, it's essential to be patient and drain excess water and remove any of nature's odd's and ends.  This is a crucial step in avoiding the muck getting into the water.  If debris does get into the water clarity will be affected and will prolong the pool opening process.  Once removed, make sure you give the cover a good scrub down, fold neatly, and tuck away!

Once the pool has shed its layer, it's gotta get moving!  You'll need to get the filter system and plumbing all back up to speed.  Re-attach all the plugs to the filter system and pool pumps.  This is usually about 3 necessary plugins between the pump, which typically has two plugs and a filter tank that has one!  You're not entirely done yet with plugs as you need to remove the cap in the pool's returns and replace them with the "eyeballs"!  Last and not least, you'll want to remove the skimmer's plug or gizmo!  Once you've got all that complete, you're ready to turn on your filter!  Make sure you pay close attention to the water flow to make sure there aren't any leaks and that everything is running correctly.  This most likely will also require consistent backwashing or cleaning of the filter to assist with clarity!

The final steps are all about getting clean!  It's imperative that you give your pool a good vacuuming allowing at least 24 hours after the scrub down and filtering before assessing the clarity of your water and whether to do more!  Once done, you'll shock the pool to get rid of algae and administer the necessary maintenance chemicals. If you're using salt chlorine generators, it's a great time to give your salt cell a good cleaning and an excellent habit to get into.

Most of your pool opening process is a DIY project, however, don't ever hesitate to contact Texas Cool Pools if you are uncertain about any part of getting your pool summer-ready!