How to successfully reopen your pool in Spring!

As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.”

If you followed our guide on winterizing your pool, you should be greeted with a relatively clean pool this spring. While you may spot some dust or a few leaves, with a little TLC, your pool will be back in pristine condition in no time.

For a “Clean-ish” Pool (with a few leaves and debris):

1. Remove debris: Start by fishing out any leaves and vacuuming the dust from the pool floor.
2. Backwash and rinse the filter: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper backwashing and rinsing, then reset the filter to filtration mode.
3. Adjust the timer: Reset the timer to summer mode. Typically, this means running your filter longer than the winter, ensuring that at least twice the pool volume of water passes through in 24 hours. For an 8x4m pool, this usually translates to around 8 hours per day. Consult a pool professional for specific calculations.
4. Shock the pool: You can use either a chlorine-based shock or “Aquality Shock N Swim.”
   • If using Aquality Shock N Swim, wait 30 minutes, then add enough chlorine to reach 2ppm. This zero-chlorine shock treatment neutralizes bacteria in 15-30 minutes, removes chloramines, leaving any free chlorine in the pool to do it’s job
   • If using a Chlorine Shock Treatment, wait until chlorine levels drop to 2ppm (usually a day or so) before checking and rebalancing your pool’s parameters: pH 7.2-7.6, Cyanuric Acid (stabilizer) 30-50ppm, and Total Alkalinity 80-150ppm.
5. Enhance water clarity: To give your pool that extra sparkle, use Aquality products like Wondergel, WonderClear, or California Clear. If algae is present (or as a preventative measure), choose a NON-copper algaecide such as Triple Action, Algaecide Pro, Algaecide 600, or Power Plus — options to suit every budget.

For a Green, Murky Pool:

If your pool looks more like a swamp this spring, don’t worry! Follow these steps to transform it in just a few days:

1. Shock the pool with chlorine: Then add a strong algaecide, such as Copper Plus or a strong non-copper option like Triple Action, and run your filtration system overnight.
2. Assess the water clarity: If relatively clear continue to step 3.  However,  if the pool remains cloudy, add a flocculant like Pro Floc or Pool Rescue. Follow the instructions carefully.
3. Vacuum to waste: Remove dead algae by vacuuming to waste, then backwash and rinse your filter. By now, your pool should look clearer and cleaner. For that extra shine, add a clarifier.  Wondergel is a very easy option.
4. Rebalance the pool: Ensure all your parameters are in check: Chlorine 1-2ppm, Cyanuric Acid 30-80ppm, pH 7.2-7.6, and Total Alkalinity 80-150ppm.

Patience is key: Sometimes, clearing a pool can take a few days. If your filter is in good condition, the process should be swift. However, if your pool isn’t clear after 5 days, despite following all the chemical instructions and checking water balance, it might be time to call a pool technician to inspect your filter. In most cases, though, the steps above should work wonders!