Spring Pool Opening Tips
Spring Pool Opening Tips
Spring pool opening tips from Aqua Pros. We believe that the best way to grow our business is to help our customers have the best possible results with our products and their pools. The following tips have proven very helpful to our clients and have come from Aqua Pro’s 40 plus years opening pools and we share them in order to help you.
Aqua Pros’ Spring and Summer Savings Suggestions
Springtime is a time that your swimming pool may not get lots of bather load. The sun is not real intense in the spring and early summer, so if your pool is only getting limited use, think of running your pool’s pump fewer hours a day. We’re told that electricity is lower in price in the evening, so it may be a good idea to run the pump in the evening/nighttime hours. Less intense sunlight and lighter bather load means less Chlorine/Sanitizer consumption in your pool. So open early and have the peace of mind that saving money brings!
CAUTION: Those of you on skimmer chlorination (chlorine sticks or tablets in the skimmer) should be using BioGuard SilkGuard Complete Sticks or Tablets if you’re turning your pump off for extended periods of time because they only dissolve when water is moving over them. Ordinary sticks and tablets dissolve in the presence of water and strong concentrations of chlorine can build up to dangerous levels inside your pool’s skimmer(s) if the pump is not running. It’s possible someone could get a severe burn when they reach into the skimmer at the right time. Also, the high chlorine concentration will migrate out into the area surrounding the skimmer and bleach our vinyl liners. BioGuard SilkGuard Complete Sticks and Tablets have an erosion control chemical blended into them and will not dissolve if water is NOT moving over them. Thus, they also dissolve much slower and last longer in your skimmer(s).
Spring Pool Opening Tips for Mesh Covered Pools
For best results, open your pool before pollen hits, since algae will begin blooming in uncovered or mesh covered pools at that time. Folks who wait until after the heavy pollen may suffer a Chlorine Demand from so much organic contaminant in the water. If you’re concerned about pollen creating extra work in your pool, use Skim Mors to capture pollen (in the skimmer(s)) before it hits the filter. Yes, it’s a nuisance to have to clean the Skim Mors daily (in some cases), but a Chlorine Demand or algae bloom is far worse!
Mesh covers intensify the sun’s light and encourage algae growth. When it’s been a mild or unseasonably warm winter, bad things could be happening in your pool’s water right now!
Opening earlier this spring may be critical to saving money since we can more likely prevent algae growth while the pump and filter are pumping filtered, chemically treated water through the pool after it is started up.
Opening early is also good because pools require less chemical maintenance when sunlight is not so intense, and the pool is getting less use than in the hotter months of the season. Once your pool’s water is clear and balanced, you may run the pump on a 12-hour schedule, or perhaps even less, and you’ll use very little electricity. We recommend opening by April 15th
Your pool should be an attractive, relaxing focal point of your backyard environment, so ENJOY IT!!
WATER LEVEL
Spring Pool Opening hack: Since the pool will need vacuuming to waste on initial opening, let your pool fill up over the winter! Do not lower the water before opening it! Also, it’s possible to have a pool or liner flotation at times when ground water levels are so high. So, in case of heavy or extensive rainfall, do not lower your water level, even if it looks like it is about to overflow!
Spring Pool Opening Tips for Solid Covered Pools
Solid covers do not allow sunlight to penetrate, so they DON’T need to be opened as early as a mesh covered pool. We recommend opening soon enough to get all the “bugs” worked out, so there’s no last-minute hitches prior to a special event such as Mother’s Day or Memorial Day.
FAQ: “I’m on a well, have a solid covered pool and will have to add water to bring the level up at opening”: If the water on the cover is clean enough (earlier in the spring), remove any excess debris (leaves, tree limbs, etc) and allow the water atop the cover to fill your pool. This would need to be done early in the year to prevent an algae infestation or chlorine demand from too much pollen or organic contaminants, but I’ve done this when I had a solid cover on my pool.
FAQ: “How soon after opening my pool should I bring in a water sample for analysis”? Fill your pool, allow the water to circulate for 24 hours, and bring a sample of your pool water to your nearest Aqua Pros where we’ll test it and give you a printed report detailing how to properly treat it for the best opening outcome.
CHLORINE DEMANDS
An incomplete oxidation from an inadequate amount of shock added to your pool at opening can cause a Chlorine Demand. NEVER shock your pool at spring opening until a water sample has been analyzed by us. At Aqua Pros, we see chlorine demands from pools loaded with organic contaminant from pollen or dirt and debris, or perhaps problems left ignored at closing in the fall. Something new may in fact be from municipal drinking water, and that is the introduction of chloramines to your pool from public water. In reality, public water supplies may be causing costly Chlorine Demands in swimming pools!
That’s why we find that it is best to add nothing until you bring us a water sample.
Some have created a Chlorine Demand by shocking before bringing a sample into us, and if the shock treatment is inadequate, a Chlorine Demand may develop. So, DON’T SHOCK until you see us.
Our owner Bob has found a way to go from “green to clean’ in 30 minutes!
If you open your pool yourself: before you add anything, let us know the water condition. Is it green, extremely green, cloudy, murky, etc…? Aqua Pros has the right BioGuard pool care products and direction to clear that pool up. You’ll save too, because Aqua Pros is the area’s largest BioGuard Platinum retailer. Our volume of products and our trained, knowledgeable staff will save you valuable time and money!
SAVE Water, Chemicals, and Money! Extend Your Pool Season!
Use a Solar/thermal blanket to warm your pool’s water, to keep it warm for more year ’round enjoyment and to save money on water, heat, and chemicals! As nighttime temperatures fall, evaporative loss occurs when pool water temperature is higher than the ambient air temperature. Lost water must be replaced and whenever enough water is added, it’s necessary to rebalance. Bottom line: Swim longer, pay less, and enjoy your pool more. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to monitor your pool’s chlorine level closely when using a Solar/thermal Blanket to prevent a high buildup of chlorine in the water. Remember, when Chlorine in your pool water is at levels of 3ppm or greater, harm can happen to a vinyl liner. Also, it’s a waste of money keeping chlorine levels that high.
A solar blanket or SmartShield – a solar blanket in a bottle – on/in your pool will not only heat your pool water (as long as the sun’s shining), but it also increases the efficiency of a heater, saving you money!
SmartShield
BioGuard Smart Shield works up to 30 days on a single dose to reduce evaporative water loss and preserve heat in your swimming pool’s water. Once nighttime temperatures rise above 60 degrees, add BioGuard Smart Shield to your swimming pool water to keep heat in and save handling a solar blanket!
FAQ: “Will a solar blanket keep my pool cleaner”? Air borne debris such as pollen will land and lay on a solar blanket, so if care is taken removing the blanket, the debris could be washed off in the yard, thus keeping debris out of the pool water. When the summer is in full swing, put your solar blanket away, but not before treating it with BioGuard Stow Away. A treatment with Stow Away will keep that solar blanket looking new and help it last longer until it’s needed in the fall.
AUTO-COVERS:
Watch chlorine levels in these pools also as chlorine will build to harmful levels if neglected.
Pool Complete
Pool Complete Weekly is a great product to use weekly to prevent that ugly waterline ring from building up on your pool’s surface. The enzymes in Pool Complete breakdown and destroy byproducts of lotions and oils, including body oils that cause the ugly waterline ring and clog up filters. Oil buildup inside a filter reduces filter efficiency and effectiveness and increases the frequency of filter cleaning. For better results at springtime opening, use Pool Complete 911 as shown on the bottle.
Cut Chlorine Consumption in Half with Optimizer
Optimizer makes pool water feel softer, improves water clarity, and reduces Chlorine consumption by as much as 50% by preventing algae growth. Optimizer also helps to keep your pool’s water balanced and saves on operating costs. Optimizer is such a great product, BioGuard blends it into Mineral Springs, BioGuard’s enhanced saltwater system.
For all your pool needs, come in and see the experts at Aqua Pros and take the costly guesswork out of pool opening. We even have pool opening instructions!
Learn the differences in Saltwater pool care/Chlorine/Chlorine Free SoftSwim
Learn how to open your pool from the experts at Aqua Pros and when to open.
Lynchburg – 434-237-5913 option 1 for Sales, option 2 for Service
Bedford – 540-586-8364
Salem – 540-389-1387