Opening up your pool for the summer

The summer has started to finally arrive and this guide will help you open your swimming up correctly so you can start using it again. When your pool was closed just before the winter, the pool would have been effectively shut down i.e. all the pipework and equipment drained and plugged, the pool would have been shocked with chlorine and algaecide added to help prevent your pool going green over the winter and then a winter cover would have been added to protect your pool from debris such as leaves.

The procedure of opening your pool again is to first remove the winter cover off your pool, if there is any water on the cover than a cover submersible pump will help you drain this off and try and brush off any debris like leaves off the cover as you dont want these to fall into the pool when you remove the cover. On the winter cover you will need to remove the anchor springs and unhook the cover around the edge of the pool and then you are ready to lift the cover from the pool. Once the cover is removed carefully clean and leave the winter cover to dry so it can be stored ready for the next winter.

If any leaves did fall into the pool use a deep leaf net to remove the debris and have a look at the tile line if it looks dirty then a special liner cleaner can remove this. Once you have a pool clear of any debris you will need to start replacing and removing any drain plugs.

Start by removing the drain plugs in the inlets and skimmers if you see bubbles released when you pull the plugs out it means the pool line was drained correctly and has been air tight. Once you have done this the next step is to add the plugs to the pool pump and pool filter, when the pool was closed the plugs are normally stored in the pump strainer basket. There are normally two plugs you need to fit on the pool pump and check your o-ring on the pump to make sure its in good condition. There will be a plug for the filter as well and you need to insert this before doing a filter backwash.

Before the backwash can start the pool water level needs to be at least 2/3 up from the skimmer so the system can draw water in. The multiport valve should be set to backwash and once this has been done you can turn on your pump and perform the backwash to clean your filter media. Do this for approximately 3-5 minutes and also check the filter system and pipework for any leaks and make sure the pump is priming. If the pump is not priming then there is probably an air leak in front of the pump. It could be that the top of the coarse strainer is not sealed correctly, or the socket union between the pump and the valves not fully tightened or that the rubber gasket has not been replaced in the socket union.

Once the backwash has finished vacuum the pool to remove any remaining debris/dirt you can use a automatic pool cleaner or connect your vaccum hose up and switch off your sump valve, make sure you have the multiport valve set to either filter or waste if there is alot of debris still left in the pool and check the strainer basket to make sure it doesnt fill up. Any debris/dirt not removed from the backwash should be vacuumed by selecting the pool filter to waste and vacuuming the pool.

Once this has been complete the water needs to be cleaned and brought to the correct balance, first of all use a test kit to check the ph level otherwise when you shock the pool the chlorine will not work effectively. If the pH level is below 7.2 add Ph Plus of if its higher than 7.6 use ph minus. Once you have the correct balance shock chlorine should be added to the pool and the system ran for at least 24 hours. To ensure your pool doesnt go green straight away in the bright sunshine add long life algaecide. Check the ph, Total Alkalinity and Chlorine of the water to ensure they are at the correct levels before you use the pool.

Ensure you have enough pool chemicals ready for the summer so you can treat your pool whenever it needs it and use a test kit to accurately check chemical levels.