Swimming Pool Opening

After you schedule your pool-opening appointment, we’ll provide detailed instructions to help minimize costs and make sure the appointment runs smoothly and on schedule.

Things we request you do to avoid extra labor charges before your opening appointment.

• Have gate unlocked.
• Remove all water from the top of autocover or tarp cover.
• Raise water to the top of the skimmer faceplate for vacuuming purposes.
• Have a garden hose hooked up and the water turned on to the spigot.
• Have the breaker turned on inside the house for the equipment.
• Have any chemicals from last year out by the swimming pool (Chlorine Tablets, Algaecide, Clarifier, Metal Free, Bags of Salt, etc.).
• Have your skimmer baskets, backwash hose, handrails, bag for winter cover, and ladders out by the swimming pool.

After your swimming pool opening you should complete the following.

• Raise water level and vacuum swimming pool to waste to remove heavy debris, or vacuum to filter if there is light debris, backwashing afterwards.
• Brush the swimming pool frequently toward the bottom main drain, to keep smaller debris suspended, which allows the filter to remove the debris.
• Backwash the filter once you see an 8-10 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch) increase on the pressure gauge, which is located on the filter. Do not backwash before the pressure raises 8-10 PSI. A partially dirty filter will help to remove fine particles in the water that cause cloudiness.
• When backwashing continue until the water in the sight glass or at the end of the backwash hose is clear and not cloudy (2 min).
• The swimming pool pump should run 24 hours a day, at the highest speed setting that the circulation pump offers, this will speed up the cleaning process. Continue this process until the swimming pool water is clear enough to see the face on a quarter, on the bottom of the pool. Once the water is clear the motor can be ramped down and the timers/automation turned on.
• If the water in the swimming pool does not start to clear up in a couple of days, schedule a sand change, the sand in the filter will need to be replaced (Recommended every 3 years).
• For swimming pools with cartridge filters, inspect/clean or replace the cartridge(s) if the water remains cloudy. • It is important to brush the swimming pool and keep a minimum free Chlorine level of 1 PPM (Parts per Million) to stop algae growth.
• Once the swimming pool is clean, and the free Chlorine level is adjusted to 1-2 PPM, then start adjusting the Total Alkalinity and pH levels. Starting with the Total Alkalinity, then adjusting the pH. Check the stabilizer (CYA) levels and add as needed. Chlorine generated pools (salt) are recommended to have a higher Stabilizer PPM level, see manufacturer’s instruction book for recommendations.
• Salt should not be added to the pool until the water temperature is above 65 degrees. The controller will give a false low salt reading until the water reaches 65 degrees.
• Automatic swimming pool cleaners should not be used for the initial cleaning of the swimming pool, and should not be used in water below 65 degrees. The hoses are not as flexible in cold water, which will cause the cleaner to malfunction.
• If you have an autocover it is important to leave the cover open for 1 or 2 hours after adding chemicals to the swimming pool.
• If you have an autocover you must keep the autocover pump on the autocover at all times to prevent a DROWNING HAZARD, when the pool is not in use. The autocover pump removes water and relieves stress on the autocover material and tracks. If you fail to do so, the manufacturer’s warranty may be voided.
• If you have a mesh winter cover, leave it outside in the storage bag to dry for at least 2 days. Then store the mesh winter cover in a dry place. We recommend putting winter plugs inside the storage bag with the cover.