Your Pool Water

You open your pool each summer and hope to see sparkling clean water under that cover. Wait a sec… that just doesn’t happen. Well, technically if you live somewhere that doesn’t require you to ever close the pool then you’d never have to utilize a cover you may be set, but for the rest of us, what happens to that pool water over the winter isn’t pretty.

Even the best cover taker offers in the word will get some of the debris and dirty water from the cover into the pool water below, it’s just part of the job of opening the pool. You can’t swim with the cover on, so you have to deal with the consequences!

To get that water clean you must start by getting all the leaves, debris and general yuck out of the water. Sadly, most vacuums only work once the water level has been attained for the year as they use the pump but you can still scoop some of the larger stuff out when the level is low. It’s also a good idea at this time (while the water isn’t too deep) to get in and brush down the walls of the pool. It is recommended that you do this as you are closing a pool, but if a lot of stuff has accumulated over the winter you may want to do it again.

Once all the debris and dirt is out of the pool the experts say that a dose of shock is a great way to get the chemical level up and to get rid of any bacteria that may be lingering. The best way to utilize the shock is to use it when the water level is back to normal for the season, so hold off until the hose has gone to work and you can once again connect the skimmer hoses and the pump to the pool.

Water in a pool can look clean and clear but that doesn’t mean that it is healthy to swim in. This is where a pool water testing kit comes in handy. You should test the water weekly (daily if there is an obvious problem) and change the chemical set up when needed. Too much chlorine for example will make skin and eyes irritated when swum in. Too little and you run the risk of bacterial infections and no one wants that to ruin the fun.