11 Common Pool Opening Mistakes

Trying to cut corners and save time when cleaning, balancing pool water chemicals, and preparing equipment will cost you down the road

Not Cleaning Your Pool Deck First
Take time to clean off the months of dirt and grime that has built up on and around your deck. Cleaning your deck will keep debris from getting into your pool. And it won’t dirty up the pool cover you are about to clean.

Not Cleaning Your Pool Cover
Take a few minutes to remove as much debris as possible before attempting to take off the cover. Use a leaf blower to clear off the top layer of rubble, and scoop the remainders away with a leaf rake.

Not Cleaning Water Tubes or Bags
If you use water tubes on your pool cover, they are usually pretty dirty and gross after the long off-season. To get a few more seasons out of them, lay them all out on a flat surface, such as a driveway, then hose them off and scrub them clean.

Forgetting to Remove All the Pool Plugs
Make sure you retrieved all plugs from your pool skimmer, returns, spa jets, cleaner line, or any other plumbing lines you plugged in the fall.

Not Opening All the Valves
Make sure all the valves are open, so your pump doesn’t break the plumbing.

Not Adjusting the Total Alkalinity and pH First
pH levels should be 7.4–7.6, and Total Alkalinity is best in the 80–120 ppm range for most pools. Having your pH a little on the low side of this range will help your chlorine shock work more effectively.

Adding Multiple Chemicals at the Same Time
Don’t add all the needed chemicals at the same time when opening your pool. Start with water balance, with correct pH, Alkalinity, Calcium and Cyanuric levels, pause. It can be tempting to add shock, algaecide, clarifier and a stain & scale treatment, or an entire Spring Start-Up Kit, all at once. But that is not beneficial to your pool.

Not Vacuuming Muck and Debris to “Waste”
You may need to vacuum out the algae and debris. With the use of a filter multiport valve, which lets you backwash a sand filter. Set your filter valve to “Bypass to Waste” or “Drain”, and vacuum any algae or debris from your pool floor. This setting sends the material through the backwash line, and not into the pool filter. If you don’t have a multiport valve, call us for other ways to clean the pool floor.

Not Brushing the Pool
After vacuuming the pool, give your tile, walls, floors and steps a good brush.

Forgetting to Add Chlorine Tablets to Your Chlorinator
After you shock the pool initially, chlorine levels will be sky-high, but they can quickly deplete, giving algae the chance to bloom again. Fill the Feeder or floater now. If you have a Salt Generator, install the salt cell after water is mostly clean and clear.

Forgetting to Set the Time Clock
Don’t forget to adjust your timer at pool opening, the electricity has been off and the Daylight Savings may have changed.