Top Ten Spring Start-Up Tips for Pool Owners

Spring is coming and it is time to start thinking about opening your pool!  Especially if the weather is going to co-operate!  Will we have nice warm swimable spring or are we going to get a chilly spring that will keep the swimmers inside until June?  It is hard to tell right now, but it is always a good idea to be prepared to open your pool at a moments notice if the weather decides to suprise us with some nice 80 degree temperatures and the pool is calling out to you.  Be ready!

Here is the top ten list of things you need to do to get your pool in swimming shape.

1. Check and Clean the Cover.

Brush off any leaves or dirt before you open the pool, that way it won't get into the water.

Inspect your safety cover for rips or tears and check the seams.  If it is an automatic cover, check the ropes and motor and make sure they are working properly.  This is a good time to decide if you will need work on your cover and get it done before the season starts and the pool repair people get too busy.  If your cover is having problems call us at 435-703-8709

If you have a bubble cover or another type of removable cover, clean it and fold it for storage.

2. Clean any large debris out of the pool with a net.  Use a skimmer net to get whatever you can out of the pool.

3. Hook up the Pool Equipment.

If you unhooked the pool equipment, re-connect it.  Lubricate all of the o-rings. Check your automatic chlorinator or automatic salt sytem and inspect the cell.  Check your filters.  If you shut the pool down properly the fall before they should be ready to go, but inspect them anyway. If you put anti-freeze in for winterizing make sure you get rid of it. Remove freeze plugs if you put them in and remember to replace all drain plugs if you need to. Make sure your pump basket is in and doesn't have cracks.  Check your skimmer basket too and make sure that it is in good condition.

If you didn't unook the pool equipment but ran the pool during the coldest part of the night make sure you check you filters and lube your o-rings for start-up of the season.

4. Inspect the Pool Equpiment

Once you have everything on and running check for leaks.  This is where you can tell if o-rings need to be replaced or if you need something else.  Check your pressure guage on the filter.  Is it too high?  Maybe you need a new cartridge filter or you need to clean it.  If something seems to wrong call us and we'll come check it out for you and find out what is wrong.  435-703-0437

5. Prime your pump and refer to your owners manual for start-up.

If you can't find your owners manual many of them can now be found online.

6. Circulate the water and start cleaning!

Brush the sides down and vacuum any smaller waste, such as dirt and dust.  Check to see how your vacuum parts are holding up.  After a few years vacuum hoses can collapse and breakdown.  We sell replacement hoses in 25, 30, 35, and 40 foot lengths.  We also sell additional lengths for automatic vacuums such as the Hayward Navigator, Pool Shark, Sand Shark, Zodiac MX8 and the Baracuda T5.

7. Check Water Chemistry!  DO NOT THROW CHEMICALS IN IT YET!  Throwing chlorine into a pool without testing it can cause problems (like a green water if their is copper in the water!)

Bring your water in to us to have a FREE WATER ANALYSIS for the most comprehensive test results. We have professional grade test equipment that can accurately test salt content, total dissolved solids, pH, alkalinity, chlorine, copper, iron, cyanuric acid, and calcium hardness: all important factors in keeping your water in balance.  Home tests generally only allow you to test chlorine, pH and occasionally alkalinity. Our computer generated printout will let you know precise measurements of the chemicals you will need in order to balance your water.

8. Add Chemicals to Water.

After you have a complete water analysis then add chemicals as directed by your pool professionals. If you can't get to a pool professional, you should adjust pH first and then add the other chemicals as directed on the manufacturers label. Besides adjusting the water you should be adding conditioner (or stabilizer) to help the chlorine from evaporating.  This is usually done at the start of the season, but make sure you check the level in your pool before you add any new amount.  Too much in your pool makes your chlorine ineffective and the only way to get it out is to drain some of the water.  So add with caution!

9. Let it Circulate for a While and Heat it Up if you have a heater

10. SWIM! HAVE FUN! ENJOY YOUR POOL!