Opening Your Pool

By following a list of startup measures, you’ll be able to make sure your pool is swim ready at the same time you are. Be sure you contact your local pool professional for additional area-specific information about your pool.

• If the pool is covered, remove debris and water from your cover with a quality cover cleaner.  After you've cleaned and deodorized the cover, store it in a dry, cool place.
  
• Use your leaf-cleaner to remove leaves and other types of debris from the bottom of your pool. Then empty your skimmer and pump strainer baskets.
  
• Fill your pool to the recommended level, which is usually about halfway up a skimmer.
  
• Inspect all of your equipment before use. This may include pumps, filters, heaters, diving boards, ladders, and chlorinators.
  
• Take a sample of your pool's water to an authorized dealer, and he/she will give you a complete analysis of it. Then follow that dealer's instructions and balance your pool water.
  
• Remove waste by shocking your pool.
  
• Keep algae out of your pool by adding in an dose of an algaecide.
  
• Use a stabilizer to sanitize your pool. You could use something like chlorinated tablets in a floater, skimmer or automatic chlorinator.
  
• Run your filter system for a minimum of at least two hours. Also, brush the walls and vacuum the bottom of your pool while it runs.

(Note: Let the surface of any newly plastered pool harden before you brush or vacuum it. It usually takes several weeks.)