Ideally, you should open a pool in spring and close it in fall. But what happens if you skip a season? Is it still possible to bring your pool back?
Maybe you recently purchased a home with a neglected swimming pool. Or circumstances left you unable to properly care for your pool last summer. Either way, it's entirely possible to bring yours back, provided you follow these steps.
#1. Change the Filter Sand
You'll be doing lots of filtering, so you will need fresh, clean sand to start with. Open your filter, remove the multiport valve, and loosen the drain plug. Once all the water has drained, you can remove all the old sand and then replace it.
#2. Scoop Everything
Scoop out at least 95% of all leaves and debris. This can definitely take a while if your pool hasn't been maintained regularly. Even so, it's important not to cut this step short. Leaves will absorb any chemicals you add later, making your efforts essentially worthless. So keep scooping until your net comes up clean.
#3. Turn on the Filter
Turn on your filter and allow it to run continuously until the water clears. This could be several days or even a couple of weeks, depending on the condition of your swimming pool.
#4. Add a Heavy Shock
Shock your pool using between five and ten pounds of shock for every 10,000 gallons of water. You'll want a reading of at least 30 ppm in order to kill any bacteria or algae. If your water turns a blue or light gray color, you are headed in the right direction.
Your water is not safe to swim in yet just because you have added shock. In fact, swimming in water that has been heavily shocked can actually be very dangerous. You're not ready yet, but you are getting closer!
#5. Balance your Chemicals
Balance your pH, hardness, and alkalinity. Continue to monitor your shock and add more as needed. With all your chemicals balanced, you are now ready to add a clarifying agent. A clarifying agent clumps smaller particles together so they are easier to scoop. By now you should notice your water beginning to clear up, and you may even be able to see the bottom in some areas.
#6. Stay with It
Continue scooping leaves and checking your water levels on a daily basis until your pool is back to normal again. After all, you don't want to undo any of your hard work, do you?
Let Us Help you Open a Pool
It's hard work to open a pool, particularly when it hasn't been kept up with. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of bringing an old pool back to life, you can always let us handle the job for you. No swimming pool is too big of a challenge for Everclear Pools and Spas, so contact us today if you need assistance.
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