Have you opened your swimming pool yet? No? Well you better get going! Typically March is the best time to open an above ground swimming pool, and if you haven’t checked the calendar in a while, it’s May!!
Don’t panic! This spring has been quite cold when compared to past springs. The danger lies in the temperature of the pool water. If the temperature rises higher than 65 degrees it creates the perfect environment for natural organics such as bacteria and algae to thrive. So you still have time, but you need to hurry!
How do you open a swimming pool with a typical chlorine system? Here are the steps:
1. Set up the filter system and pump.
2. Increase water levels to above the second screw in the Skimmer Gasket.
3. Start the Pool Filter System and start the circulation of the water.
4. Look at your water. Is it clear or green? (If green skip to step #8)
5. Is the water clear? Now you can test the water for pH and alkalinity with swimming pool test strips.
6. Add chemicals to gain the pH and alkalinity levels needed – consider a Spring Start Up Kit.
7. The water will need to be “shocked” to ensure the chlorine is working properly with Pool Shock; with Dy Chlor II Chlorine Pool Shock.
8. Is there green water in your pool? Chlorine tablets will kill off the green, which is actually algae;
9. With the increase in chlorine, you will need to increase the amount of Chlorine Shock; view Blast Chlorine Shock here. Most pools require a pound o fDy Chlor II for every 10,000 gallons of pool water. This will help keep the chlorine active, killing algae and bacteria.
10. Now it’s time to Vacuum out the algae that has fallen to the bottom.
11. With a Sand Filter, you could set your pump to “pump to waste”, and vacuum the waste to the pump.
12. If you use this technique with an “element filter system”, you will need to clean out your filter right away.
