#opening pool

With temperatures as hot as they are, we can imagine that you’re on the ends of toes, eager to bring your pool out of hibernation. But in order for your pool to be the reprieve you know it to be, you’ll need to give it some good ole’ TLC because it’s probably just a tub of green, murky water peppered with twigs and branches and other debris.

We’re sorry to say that you can’t simply fill your pool and cannon ball in; it’ll take some work but you’ll find it all worth it in the end. After all, a swimming isn’t just a pit filled with water straight from the hose; it requires balanced chemicals and some maintenance.

How to Prep Your Pool For Summer

1.  Though it might be tempting to empty your pool, we must warn you that you should never, under any circumstances do this. Draining a pool can cause serious problems, for it is the water that keeps your pool grounded. An empty pool can actually lift your pool out of the ground since there is not weight to keep it down. You’d be looking at an entire pool replacement.

2.  Begin the cleaning process with a “chemical open.” With the pool cover still on, put the filtration system together, clean out the baskets, and remove any pugs that were placed in your pool when you winterized it.

3.  With all the recent rainfall, there isn’t much concern about topping it off. However, in the case that your water levels are low, go ahead and top it off. Clean the filter before turning it on. In order to clean the cartridge filter, remove the cartridge and wash it with a hose. If your pool uses a D.E. filter, you may be required to take it apart in order to give it a good clean. If you have a sand filter, adjust the setting to backwash; this will clean the sand. Then readjust the setting to normal.

4.  To ensure that your pool is ready for the summer, have the water tested by a professional. Simply take a water sample to a swimming pool store and they’ll test it for you. This includes testing or mineral content, total alkalinity, and the pH and chlorine levels.

5.  Based on the test, you may have to adjust the chemicals, which will require some chemistry. 

pH levels should be between 7.2 and 7.4

Total alkalinity should be between 80 and 120

Calcium hardness should be between 150 ppm and 250 ppm (parts per million)

Chlorine should be between 1 ppm and 3 ppm

6.  You’re almost there, but don’t cannon ball in just yet! You must clean the filter every day until the water is clear. You can expect the process to reach completion in about a week. Chlorine levels may have to be adjusted as the process goes on, meaning that you may have to add more. When the water is completely clear, you can remove the cover.

7.  Finish the cleaning process by vacuuming all the leaves and debris.

8.  Now, at last, here is what you’ve all been waiting to read during this entire article. CANNON BALL!

Swimming Pool Maintenance

In order to really get the most out of your pool, it’s important that you maintain your pool for the entire season. This means keeping the filter clean, vacuuming the pool once a week, and testing the chemical levels every day. To ensure maximum efficiency, have your water tested monthly by a professional.

If at all during the pool prepping process you need the help of a professional, don’t hesitate to give the experts at Texan Blue Pool Service a call. We’re here to ensure that you enjoy your pool all summer long.

After a long, hard winter, you would love to be able to hop in your pool with no problems. Unfortunately, opening a pool is rarely as easy as taking the cover off.

Although we recommend not covering your pool for the winter (at least for Texas pool owners), instead having it serviced regularly by a professional during the off season, if you did use a pool cover, it’s not the end of the world. Usually the worst case scenario is a green, algae-filled pool when you lift the cover. A covered pool during warm temperatures creates the perfect environment for algae growth.

Last week, we explained all the steps necessary for opening your pool after a long winter, including:

Cleaning the Pool

Filling Water to Correct Level

Chemical Testing

Instead of going over How to Open Your Swimming Pool, which we already covered, we are going to teach you how to clean a dirty, algae-ridden pool. The key is to have consistently good filtration, chemistry, and circulation. 

How to Remove Green Algae from Your Pool:

It takes about 4-5 days and some materials: pool skimmer, pool brush (steel brush for concrete), pool vacuum, pH test strips, pool shock, and algaecide.

Although there are many different kinds of algae, by far the most common kind is green algae. Therefore, we will focus on green algae, although these steps will likely get rid of your pink and yellow algae as well. If you have black algae, you may need to find an algaecide specifically formulated for this type of algae. 

Here is a good how-to from swimuniversity.com for How to Kill Black Algae in Your Swimming Pool.

If your algae is pink, yellow, blue, or black, read this article about the differences between the individual algaes.

The first thing you should do is a general skimming and cleaning in and around the pool. Use your skimmer to get rid of any debris floating in the water.

Vacuum your pool directly out, using its “waste” setting. Do NOT use the regular “filter” setting. Yes, this will waste a lot of water, but is the only way to prevent the algae from reentering your pool through the returns in the pool wall.

Use your pool brush to brush the walls, steps, and ladders in your pool. This will make it easier for your pool shock and algaecide to take effect.

This is when you should use your pH test strips to test if the water has a pH range between 7.2 - 7.8. You want the pH level to be in this range so that the algaecide and pool shock will work most effectively.

Once all the conditions are right, you can now use your algaecide. We recommend using the algaecide before the shock treatment. 

Once the algeacide has finished working (about 36 hours), vacuum your pool one more time.

After vacuuming up the dead algae, you are ready to Shock! But, for best results wait until the sun has gone down. Read our blog for How to Shock Your Swimming Pool.

After vacuuming, brushing, and shocking your swimming pool, run your filtration system for at least 24 hours before shocking your pool again (if necessary) or cleaning your pool filter. 

After shocking your pool, you will want to get rid of all the collected algae in your filter. Otherwise, the algae may return, so don’t put this off. Read our blog for How to Clean Your Cartridge Pool Filter.

Watch SwimUniversity’s video for a recap of How to Get Rid of Pool Algae:

You may also be interested in:

2015 Pool Design Trends

Top 3 Swimming Pool Myths

Your Pool Needs Some Love Too: 5 Maintenance Tips

To keep your pool from turning green in the first place, we recommend professional weekly pool cleaning. We also do one-time pool cleanings as well as filter cleaning. We will do a full system inspection, ensuring the most efficient and longest life possible out of your system.

For your convenience, Texan Blue Pool Service offers three pool cleaning maintenance plans. Our packages are: The Signature, The Platinum, and The Partial.

Whatever your pool and filtration system, Texan Blue Pool Service is the trusted choice for repairs, installations, service, or maintenance of any pool you may have. We stay up-to-date on all the newest technologies and industry trends.

It’s the time of year again! Don’t wait until its 100 degrees outside to prep your pool for summer. Houlihan Lawrence provides you with seven steps to achieve perfect pool preparation.

Clear debris surrounding pool. Clear away plant debris from your pool’s deck or patio. Clip hedges, plants or trees that hang near or over your pool.

Remove and clean pool cover. You never know when you’ll need a cover, so it’s important to give it a good clean the first time you remove it from your pool. For solid pool covers, use a small cover pump or leaf blower to remove rain and snow melt. For mesh pool covers, use a broom or brush to remove winter’s debris.

Remove freeze plugs and reassemble/reinstall equipment. Remove expansion or freeze plugs and put them in a small Ziploc baggie to store with your pool cover. Examine the pump, filter and heater before re-installation—if you observe no cracks or problems, proceed with reassembling any safety rails, diving boards and pool ladders (and spray bolts with a metal lubricant.) Now you can pump it up!

Clean pool walls and bottom. Once it’s filled with water, take a garden hose and bring your pool’s water level to the middle of its waterline tiles. Now you can skim the surface, clean the bottom and walls with a long-handled brush, and run a pool vacuum to decrease the load of your filter. Clean regularly to avoid algae and debris build up.

Power on. Now that you’ve cleaned and inspected your pool, power it on. This will be a tell-tale sign of whether or not you missed any cracks, leaks or split hoses that you may not have seen upon first inspection.

Let the filter run and preform a water chemistry test. Run the filter for at least 12 hours to mix up new and old water. Afterward, use a pool testing kit to check the water’s pH level, alkalinity, calcium hardiness and chlorine content. Add chlorine or shock treatment and let the pool run for another 24 hours. Check the chemistry again before anyone enters the pool.