Opening Your Pool for Summer

Posted on: May 26th, 2016 by Allen Pool Company

It is officially pool opening season here in the Atlanta area, and your friends at Allen Pool Services could not be more excited. We will be here for you all summer should you need maintenance, repair, or renovation services, but before that we want to assist you with your pool opening. Opening your swimming pool properly helps ensure the safety of your swimmers and also saves you a lot of time and money in the long run. Follow these steps below to ensure a successful pool opening!

Opening Pool Checklist

1. Check your supplies. Before you begin the process of opening your pool, you will want to make sure that you have the necessary chemicals and equipment on hand. Check the expiration dates of your chemicals and replace anything that has expired or that you have run out of. Doing this beforehand will save you a lot of hassle!
2. Clean the surrounding area and the cover. Taking a few minutes to sweep your deck will be a huge help in making your pool-opening process easier. This way any scattered debris will not end up in your pool! If you do not cover your pool, you can skip to the next step from here. If you do, it is important to clean off your cover before putting it away for the summer. Remove the cover, and then sweep or rake off dirt and debris. From here you can use cleaner specifically made for pool covers or a mild detergent to remove any excess dirt. Spray the cover with a hose and let it air dry completely before storing it.

If you did not winterize your pool, you can skip ahead to Step 5.

3. If you did winterize your pool, your first step will be to remove all of the plugs. If you used antifreeze to winterize your equipment, make sure you drain it into a bucket or container.
4. Reconnect and reinstall any equipment necessary. This includes your skimmer, filters, pumps, and heaters. Make sure you reconnect all hoses and that they are connected tightly. As you are going through this process, this is a great time to inspect your equipment for cracks, rust, and general wear. It is never fun to discover that your heater is broken right before your midnight pool party starts!
5. Adjust the pool’s water level. It is likely that your water level has dropped below where it should be—your pool should be filled up to the middle of the skimmer opening. Top off the water level using a hose, and use the time it takes to fill up to clean out any debris that has snuck into the water.
6. Run your filtration system and vacuum. You are almost done! Turn on the filtration system and let it run until your water is clean. Depending on the quality of the water, this may take a couple of days. Vacuum the pool and scrub the walls to give your pool extra shine.
7. Test your chemicals once your water is clear. You can bring a sample to a pool supplier and they can professionally test it for you, or you can test and add chemicals yourself if you are confident in your chemical analysis abilities! This step is key to making sure your pool is safe and ready for swimmers.
8. Invite all your friends over for a pool party! Congratulations. You have successfully opened your pool! Happy summer from all of us at Allen Pool Service!

How to Use This Information

Here at Allen Pool Service, we want to make sure your pool is summer-ready, safe, and fun. We offer customer-focused repair, maintenance, and renovation services at affordable prices in order to make your pool owning dreams come true. Essentially, we can take care of everything you need to keep you pool going, so the only thing you have to think about is how to enjoying it! For any of our services, call APS today at (770) 451-1621 or contact us online!