Steps to Preparing your Pool for the Summer Season

With the warmer weather now here, you’ll be turning your thoughts to enjoying long relaxing days of summer around the pool. Unfortunately, you must also turn your mind to the various steps required to getting your pool ready, including checking the water quality, cleaning the pool and ensuring everything is operational.  Even if the water is still clear, you’ll need to ensure that the chemical balance is correct to prevent any illness from the water.
 
The proper preparation of your pool is probably not your favourite thing to do, and it can take a lot of time to get the job done. Hiring a professional pool service is a great idea, however, if you would rather save that money and get the job done yourself, it is something that you can do and here are some pointers.
 
Before you get to the swimming pool itself, inspect the area that surrounds your pool. Prune any plants, rake up leaves, clean up the debris surrounding the pool and on the deck or patio – there is no point cleaning the pool out only to have this debris blow in with the next gust of wind. Once this has been completed, you can start to look at the pool itself. The work for an in ground pool and an above ground pool are similar in nature, so follow the steps below with either type of pool.

Survey and clean the Pool

Walk all the way around the pool and visually survey the condition of the pool. You are looking for any cracks (cement or fiberglass pool) or tears in the lining (pool with liner).  If you see any, then get a damage inspection done by a professional; you don’t want to make this damage worse by using the pool.
 
Obviously clear out the skimmer baskets removing any debris or leaves that have collected inside. The skimmer basket should be examined and replaced if damaged. Use a brush to remove sediment and dirt from the sides and the bottom of the pool. If you see any stains or calcium scale on the pool, tiles or equipment then you can remove calcium by using Lo Chlor Stain Eraser for Calcium on the pool tiles or cell cleaner for calcium build up on the chlorinator cell.
 
Clean out the large debris that has collected at the bottom of your pool using a leaf scoop. Top up the water; your pool needs to be filled to the middle of the skimmer opening. Then either manually vacuum the pool surface or you can use a automatic pool cleaner.

 
Check the Filter and Start the Pump
 
Before you engage the filter system, you should check the key parts of the pool pump. Importantly, if you haven’t operated the pump for a while, examine the O-ring that is contained inside of the pump lid to check its condition. It should not contain any cracks, you can check for those by bending it between your fingers. If the O-ring looks okay, then apply a lubricant to the ring and replace it. Check the pump basket for damage this is very important to prevent debris getting into the internal parts of your pump.
 
Once you are satisfied that everything is in place, start your filtration system up. The pump may need priming if water is not moving through it. If you need to prime the pump, you simply remove the lid and then fill the housing with water using a bucket of water scooped from the pool. Put the pump lid back on and the pump should be primed and ready to start.

Check your chemicals and add what is needed
 
Examine all of the pool chemicals for expiry dates. If any of them are expired dispose of them in the correct manner. Test the water by taking a sample of water from the pool and bring it in for testing. The test shows the amount of chlorine contained in the water, the ph level, the alkalinity and the hardness of the water (amount of calcium it contains). Your ideal ph range should be in the range of 7.4 to 7.6. We’ll let you know what you need and if you need to apply a shock treatment using chlorine or salt to the pool to kill any algae or micro organisms. Once you have added all of the necessary chemicals wait a week and then re-test the water.
 
Check your pool equipment
 
If you removed any items for storage over the winter, now is the time to check them for damage and to do some maintenance. Check you have the current CRP sign (resuscitation sign) and it is fitted in the correct location also check the correct operation of your pool gate – it should swing freely and lock itself.
 
Your pool should now be ready for use. Remember to check the chlorine level daily and test the chemical levels every week during the warmer weather.

Do you have any questions about how to prepare your swimming pool for summer”?