For many of us, the warm weather is finally here! It’s time to open your pool!
In today’s blog post, let’s go over some basic safety and preparation tips to help you open your pool.
Is It Too Early to Open Your Pool?
How early is too early to open your pool? Frankly, that all depends on the temperature where you live. For one, you don’t need to wait for summer. In fact, the ideal temperature to start thinking about opening up the pool is when the weather hits a consistent 70 degrees.
It can be beneficial for your health to open sooner than later. You see,
during the colder weather, algae and debris can collect in your pool. When these build to an unsafe level, it can be risky to open your pool. In fact, the longer you wait during warm temperatures, the more algae may form. Make sure you’re properly prepared!
How to Prepare to Open Your Pool
So how do you actually prepare your pool for opening? As you probably expect, there are some key areas to focus on. If you do this, you can be sure that your pool debut is safe and secure:
Make Sure Your Pool Cover Is Fully Cleared
This one is common sense, but it is important. Before attempting to remove your protective pool cover, be sure to drain any water and remove any trapped leaves from the top of it. Removing these elements will help the cover weigh less… and prevent and debris from landing in the water.
Refill and Rejuvenate
Before you take a swim, you should replace any water that may have evaporated during the colder months. Additionally, this should go without saying, but clean up that pool. Skim the surface and vacuum out any leaves or debris. Don’t forget to clean the pool’s filtration system to remove any remaining bacteria. To truly clean the pool, be sure to run the filter until the water is clear.
Balance Your Water and Chemicals
Before you start, take a sample of your pool water to a professional. With this, you’ll learn what chemical levels need adjustment. After the pool is open, be sure to continue testing your pool water for pH, total alkalinity, and chlorine levels. You can do this using a simple testing kit. Dip the included test strip into the water. After this, compare the test strip’s coloration to the color chart in order on the bottle to determine current chemical levels.
Add Layers of Protection
At
Pool Fence DIY, we are obviously big fans of pool safety fences. It’s no secret that these protective barriers can save lives. By installing a fence, you help to block off the pool area from wandering and curious children. It even helps to keep
pets safe from drowning.
Above all, make sure that the fence you install is at least four feet tall. For added safety, it should also include a self-closing, self-latching gate. When combined with active supervision, pool alarms and other layers of protection, a fence can greatly improve the total safety of a home swimming pool. Together, these tools will help you and your family to open your pool with total peace of mind.
