APCO Pools Specialties, Inc.

Swimming Pool Maintenance: Opening Your Pool for the Summer

When summer rolls around, there’s nothing more refreshing than taking a dip in the pool. But before you and your family can do that, you’ll need to get the pool ready for all the use it’s going to get over the next few months.

But summerizing your pool isn’t as simple as pulling the cover off and diving in. If you’ve properly winterized your pool, you’ve got a couple of hours of work ahead of you. It’s not a difficult process, but it’s important to take seriously as a pool owner.

Here’s how you do it.

Get the supplies together. You’ll need to restore the chemical levels of your pool to their proper levels before you can begin using it for the summer. Check out our tutorial on adding chemicals to your pool to learn how. You’ll also need a bucket, some test strips, gloves and a set of clothes you don’t mind getting ruined.

Remove the cover. Pull the cover off and lay it out flat in a sunny location. It should be completely dry before you put it away, to prevent mildew from growing on it in storage.

Reassemble the gear. Reinstall the ladders and the diving board if you have them, and tie out any ropes and floats that divide the deep end of your pool from the shallow end.

Refill the pool. The water level will be lower than it was last summer; fill the pool to its usual level.

Turn on the lights. Not just the lights — turn on any electrical devices attached to your pool, like the filter and any timers.

Check the chemical levels. Make sure the pool’s chlorine and pH levels are balanced, as well as the softness of the water.