Starting or opening up a swimming pool for the season is pretty simple, but we recommend beginning your pool opening process at least a week before you plan to swim, as it can take a few days to restore a pool after winter, depending on how the pool was kept in the cooler months. Follow these easy steps to get your pool swim-ready!
Remove them from the pool skimmer basket and pool pump basket(s). The less debris in the water, the more effective your initial shocking and chemical treatment will be. Be sure to vacuum & brush the sidewalls of the pool to remove any build-up of bio-films there as well. Have the pump running when you are cleaning, so that the debris will be pulled into the filter and removed from the water. Clean the liner or tile line with a good quality pool surface cleaner. Do not use household cleaners as they can affect the pH and add phosphates to the water which will contribute to algae growth later on.
To the middle of the skimmer mouth is a good indicator. At this time it’s a really good idea to add either an algaecide to the water or a natural pool clarifier to start cleaning up the water and prepping it for the initial shock. Always use an algaecide that has at least 30% active ingredients. Zodiac Pool Algaecide (400 Performance) contains 40% active ingredients and is a non-copper based, heavy-duty algaecide.
The amount of chemicals you need to add to your pool for the initial summer shock will depend on how clean your pool is. We recommend using unstabilised sanitiser, (AKA) Cal-Hypo such as the Zodiac Pool Chlorine Premium or Blended Trichlor/Tetraborate such as the Zodiac Pool EZY Sanitiser as the preferred products as a chlorine shock. Do not use a non-chlorine shock with the initial start-up. You need to have a good chlorine residual. After adding the initial shock and algaecide, be sure to run the filter for 48 to 72 hours continually. DO NOT backwash the filter during this time. Let the filter and the chemicals do the work.
Run the pump for at least 10 minutes. Be sure to ‘prime’ the pump with water. Don’t start it dry, not only can it harm the pump, extra stress and strain are placed on the entire system.
Remember to filter for 24 hours before testing water: You can use a test strips/test kit or take it to your pool professional. Adjust pH, Total Alkalinity & Calcium Hardness as needed. These are the recommended pool water balance parameters:
1. pH 7.2 – 7.8 (Ideal 7.4)
2. Total Alkalinity (TA) 100 – 200ppm (Ideal 120)
3. Calcium Hardness (CH) 200 – 300ppm (Ideal 250)
4. Free Chlorine 2 – 3ppm
5. Cyanuric Acid (CYA) 30 – 50ppm