Opening the swimming pool is an exciting time of year – especially for Canadians. It means the weather is getting warmer and soon you’ll be using the pool to cool off and have some fun. And while many people opt to bring in a professional to open their pool, it’s entirely possible to do it yourself. All it takes is some time and effort. Of course, you want to get it right as you’ll be literally bathing in your results but following a few simple steps will get your pool ready for another summer season. Read on to learn for an opening pool what chemicals are needed.
Stain and Scale Remover
The first step to opening a pool is to use a stain and scale remover to get rid of and prevent any rust, mineral staining and scaling on the pool surfaces such as the liner or tiles. For areas that have hard water, stain and scale remover is likely part of the regular pool water maintenance routine. But it’s also a good practice to add this to the water when you’re opening the pool to save your liner from discolouration and buildup no matter the water types your area experiences.
Algaecide
As the water has sat unmoved over the winter, there’s a good chance that algae have started to grow. And although the algae that ends up growing in swimming pools isn’t harmful to swimmers, it can cause your water to become murky and unappealing. Algae can grow very quickly and if you let it get out of control you could find yourself spending the rest of the swimming season trying to get your water back in balance. Opening your pool with a healthy dose of high concentration algaecide will bring down oxygen levels in the water to the point that algae is unable to survive. This will not only kill any existing algae, but it will also make sure the conditions don’t exist for new algae to thrive.
Chlorine
You’ll use chlorine throughout the swimming season to keep the pool water clean, but you’ll need a double dose when you’re about to open your pool. Chlorine will kill bacteria, algae and other microorganisms that have established themselves over the winter. Granular chlorine needs to be dissolved before you apply it to the swimming, especially when it’s still cold outside. Once you’ve made a liquid chlorine solution, pour it around the edges of the entire pool while emptying the last bit in front of the water return.
Test the Water
Give your swimming pool about 48 hours to circulate the water and allow the chemicals to thoroughly mix. From there you can use test strips to make sure that the chlorine levels have dropped to an acceptable level so you’re able to correctly test and balance the water.