Trying to swim earlier in the year? Want to have your pool ready for summer ahead of time?
Keep reading
If you’re reading this post, you’re probably in one of two scenarios:
You closed your pool for the winter and want to get it ready for reopening
You kept your pool open, but want to make sure it’s swimmable in time for swim season
If you relate to the first scenario, then you probably know what to expect when you lift up that winter cover. If you gave your pool the right chemical treatment beforehand, you may reveal crystal clear water.
But you could also be welcomed by a sea of green, algae-infested water or even murky white clouds. Whichever the case, it’s something that needs fixing before you get your pool ready for summer.
Now if you relate more to the second scenario, then half your work is already done. You don’t have to “open” your pool since you never closed it. But that doesn’t mean ALL your work is done. Unless you’ve been managing pool chemicals and running your pump/filter for at least 8 hours daily, you have a few items on your checklist as well.
Regardless of your situation, reading this post and applying what you learn will give you a huge advantage when swim season comes around. While everyone else is hustling and bustling to open their pool in the blazing summer heat, you’ll be drifting on your floaties, sipping a pina colada.
Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it? Of course, so let’s explore what you can do to get your pool ready for summer.
7 Ways To Get Your Pool Ready For Summer
Run down the pool equipment checklist
You may be eager to prep your pool, but are you, yourself, prepared?
Do you have all of the tools and equipment you need to restore, clean, and get your pool ready for summer?
It’s likely that you’ll have to fish out some leaves and bugs, so you’ll need your skimmer, vacuum, and telescopic pole at the ready. And if your water has been sitting stagnant for awhile, then brushing the pool’s walls is a must.
After you finish cleaning up, test your water and add the necessary chemicals to restore balance.
Chances are, you already have almost everything you need. But just to be safe, take a quick run down this pool equipment checklist:
- Water Test Kit
- Pool opening chemicals
- Skimmer
- Pool brush
- Pool vacuum (head + hose)
- Telescopic pole
Consider opening your pool early
Maybe you closed your pool for the winter, or maybe you left it “open” but didn’t really maintain it. Either way, if you’re reading this at a warmer time of the year, then consider these questions:
Would you rather go through the whole pool opening process in the heat of the summer, after pool water has been sitting for months?
Or, would you rather open your pool early while it’s comfortable outside, tending to simple maintenance in preparation for the swim season?
With an early start, even if you lack half the necessary pool equipment, you’ll still have plenty of time to gather it. Stress-free, and at your own pace.
The opposite of what you’d experience scrubbing the pool walls in 100-degree weather: endless beads of sweat drip down your neck as you hastily skim the pool surface, panicking about whether or not you remembered to buy the right chemicals. Okay, we exaggerate, but you get the idea.
Here are some helpful resources:
How To Open Your Swimming Pool
How To Open Your Above Ground Pool
Inspect and run your pump
Imagine this:
The warm weather has finally arrived, and it’s time to get your pool ready for summer.
You sweep the deck, take off the pool cover, skim out all the leaves, add the chemicals, and turn on your pump.
Except it doesn’t turn on. It makes a strange noise for a little while, then shut offs.
What could it be?
Is the motor burnt out? Or maybe the filter is clogged?
Either way, this inconvenience is stopping you from opening your pool. And it’s not something you know how to fix right away. Which means that on top of having to bare the heat, it’s going to take even longer to enjoy the soothing, warm water you’ve been longing to get in.
A situation like that would be nothing short of unfortunate. That’s why it’s best to inspect your pump and run it well before you plan to open your pool. Doing so gives you plenty of time to address any problems that may come up, which ensures that your pool is running at maximum efficiency come swim season.
This should help:
How To Troubleshoot Your Pool Pump
Inspect and clean your filter
Even if your pool pump works as it should, your filter might still be dirty. Especially if you haven’t cleaned it in a while.
So start by opening up the filter. From there, remove the inner filter media and rinse it off. That’s filter cleaning in a nutshell. But based on what kind of filter you have, the process may be a little different.
Here are some helpful resources for that:
How To Clean/Replace Your Cartridge Pool Filter
Clean/Replace Your Sand Pool Filter
How To Clean/Replace Your DE Pool Filter
Inspect and service your pool heater
Remember, if you plan on opening your pool early, then heated water is 100% essential. And if you live in colder areas, it’s the only way to get your pool ready for summer. On top of maintaining your water at a steady temperature, a pool heater can keep your water from freezing.
But even if your pool is open come spring time, you may still deal with the occasional chilly day. But that’s no reason to stay out of the water. And it won’t be, as long as your pool heater is working when the time comes.
Hence why it’s wise to inspect and service your pool heater ahead of time. It ensures the availability of heated water while helping to keep your pool heat pump in tip top shape — the key to consistent, optimal performance.
These links should help with all of that:
Professional Pool Heater Service and Repair
Shock your pool
Shocking your pool is typically the first step in solving the majority of water-related problems. From algae infestations to cloudy water, pool shock is the super-powered dose of sanitizer you need to get things started.
Here’s a post on how to shock your pool.
Test and balance your water
Assuming your water is looking visually clean, it’s time finish the job on a chemical level.
Before you begin restoring balance to your water, grab your test kit and check your:
- pH
- Total Chlorine
- Alkalinity
- Calcium Hardness
Once you’ve measured each of the levels, it’s easy to determine what chemicals are needed to achieve balance.
For a list of all the proper chemical levels, and what chemicals to add, check out Pool Chemistry 101
Closing thoughts
If you went through this post from top to bottom, then you’re going to be in for quite a treat come swim season. You’ve knocked out all the heavy lifting — all that’s left to do is keep things tidy. So now when the heat rolls around, you can hop right in without lifting a finger — a worthwhile reward for your efforts. And it’s all because you made the decision to get your pool ready for summer.
