Time To Open The Pool
Wouldn’t it be nice to have the pool open year round? Depending on where you live this is an option, but for the rest of us, unless your pool is indoor, you’re going to have to close it in the fall. That’s okay though, because that just means that you get to reopen it again come late Spring early summer of the next year. All is not lost! Depending on how you closed the pool the previous fall, opening the pool should be a piece of cake.
The first thing you need to do when opening a pool is to take the cover off. Now if you live in an area with lots of blowing leaves in the fall, you’ll likely have some leaves and other debris on the cover. If you can get this off before you take the cover off you’ve won the battle, otherwise the debris will get into the water and you’ll just have to vacuum it up after.
Once the cover is off, wash and dry it thoroughly so that it can be safely stored for next fall. Now you can go ahead and reconnect all the hoses and equipment and refill the pool. Hopefully you stored all the hoses and their assorted connectors together which will make opening the pool run all the more smoothly. Once the winterizing plugs are out, and the hoses are all securely fastened, grab the hose and refill the pool!
When you have a nice full pool again it’s time to prime the pump and get it working once again. Here’s where you can fix anything that is leaking or replace parts that were either lost or are on their last legs. Once everything is working in prime order it’s time to test the water and add the necessary chemicals to get it clean and optimum for swimming. pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6 and chlorine levels should be between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm.
Now is the time to vacuum the bottom of the pool and clean the sides, making it as clean as can be after it’s winter rest. Put the ladders back on, the diving board and slide back in place if they have been taken off through the winter and give the water a shock treatment to get rid of bacteria and viola, you’re ready to enjoy that backyard pool once again!
