Pool opening

With the unseasonably warm weather this week, perhaps it time to start thinking about routine Spring maintenance. It never hurts to start early so those inevitable surprises cannot delay planned pool opening.

My initial checks include:

  • inspect pool tiles, surroundings and gutters for signs of ice or freeze damage;
  • check pump room for pipe leaks or leaky valves;
  • open sand filters and check sand quality and level;
  • open DE filters and check integrity of the grids;
  • open cartridge filters and check cartridges for damage or wear;
  • check/ run pool pump to ensure well-lubricated bearings and silent operation;
  • check transformers and power supplies for water damage or corroded terminals;
  • inspect fuse box and ensure operability of trip switches and earth leakage units;
  • make preliminary inspection of pool lights and determine lamps that need replacing;
  • ensure the pool water is still in pristine condition with no trace of algae.

Any major problems discovered now can be comfortably dealt with well in advance of the swimming season, when pool service is both hard to get and rushed.

157 thoughts on “Pool opening”

  3. Glad I came across your post several months ago.

    Your suggestion to check the pool lights came in handy! I checked mine, and found that 4 of 6 were out. I replaced them and all worked well. My brother-in-law recently had an annual summer gathering and he had a number of lights out, which really looked bad.

    Thanks.

  4. Pool season coming to a close. My mom received info on this and is ecstatic! After 25 years of miserable and messy openings. Excited to try.

  5. I have a company that cleans pools – we had problems during summer with one of these pool – it was cloudy and took some time to become cristal clear – clients used it constantly and some went back to UK and now say they have white marks on their skin could it have been due to chemicals in the pool. My company operates in the Algarve and the chemicals we had while swimming is permitted is never in excess – can you help ??
    thanks

  8. We all know that getting the tarp off without letting all the gunk get into the pool is a big challenge. Try this. After pumping off the tarp, put your garden hose BEHIND the tarp and begin filling the pool. You want to fill the pool to the VERY top…..so its starting to overflow! The tarp will float to the top too and you can simply “slide” it off! Don’t worry about the excess water, since you’re gonna be backwashing several times after vacuuming. OR you can vacuum with the pump set to “drain” and pump the dirt directly out the discharge pipe. PLUS, with the water level above the normal “scum line”, you can use this to your advantage by using the water for cleaning/scrubbing the liner that is normally dry and gets pollution baked onto it.

  12. When you open your pool, and you have an iron problem, check out CuLator and the CuLator Rapid Metal Removal product. It works to remove metal within 48 hours and it is non-toxic!

  17. Cool site! Gotta love technology to help lower the maintenance on high maintenance toys!

    I have been having algae issues for some time on openings.
    I once had a clean water opening in a total of 6 years.

    I am using a regular tarp. Is that the problem?
    Do I need to buy a real pool tarp?

    Thanks for any information or moral support!

  18. Don’t forget to give that outdoor furniture a good cleaning and check up. There are a few companies out there can do a really good job refurbishing outdoor furniture.
    That might help you get a few more seasons out of it.

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