Supplies for Opening Your Above Ground Pool

It's late January and you look longingly out your window at your pool, hidden away under its winter cover and maybe even a layer of snow, as you dream of the warmer weather. Thankfully Spring will be here before we know it and as pool owners, that one of the most exciting times of the year. We want to help you be properly prepared ahead of time for the pool opening season so you can get to enjoying your pool as quick as possible! So, we've compiled a list of all the supplies you'll need for opening your above ground pool and a comprehensive step-by-step guide for the process.

What You'll Need

• Submersible Pump/ Sump Pump
• Pool Brush
• PH Plus
• PH Minus
• Metal Free
• Calcium Hardness Booster
• Test Kit
• Pool Shock

*NOTE: A cost-effective kit containing all these necessary chemicals can be found here!

Steps for Opening the Pool

1. Use the Submersible Pump to remove any water that may have accumulated on top of your winter cover.
2. Lay your winter cover flat, brush off any remaining dirt or water, and allow to dry fully before folding it and storing in a cool, dry space.
3. You'll want to reconnect any equipment that you disconnected while winterizing your pool. This usually includes your filter, pump, heater, ladders, handrails, etc.
4. If you live in a state where the temperatures remain below freezing for most the year, you may have replaced your drain plugs with winterizing plugs. Once you've reconnected your equipment (step 3) replace these winterizing plugs for your drain plugs.
5. Over the winter, metals like copper and iron tend to build up in your pool, which can cause stains which are hard to remove once they've built up. A bit of Metal Free will neutralize any metals in the pool.
6. Use your test kit to test your pool water's chemistry. Once you've read the results it's time to balance the water accordingly with your chemicals.
7. Begin with adjusting your total alkalinity levels. PH minus, multi-purposeful for both PH and alkalinity, will lower the alkalinity, while Alkalinity Up, as the name implies, will raise the alkalinity.
8. Once Alkalinity is adjusted, it's now time to adjust the PH levels accordingly. The names here make this fairly self-explanatory; you will use PH Plus and PH Minus to adjust the PH level properly.
9. Lastly, if your Calcium Hardness is too low add some Calcium Booster! Keep in mind, it's very difficult to lower Calcium Hardness, so increase your levels slowly and carefully.
10. Give your pool a thorough brushing or vacuuming.
11. Add the correct Shock for your pool. (2lbs of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water)

Follow these steps, and your pool will be properly cleaned and ready for swimming all summer long! Still have some questions? Leave a comment below and we'll get back to you quickly with an answer from one of our technical consultants.