Wouldn’t it be nice to have the pool open all year? Depending on where you live, this is an option, but for the rest of us, unless your pool is indoor, you’ll have to close it in the fall. That’s okay though, because that just means you can reopen it in the late spring, early summer of next year. Not everything is lost! Depending on how the pool closed the previous fall, opening the pool should be a piece of cake.

The first thing to do when opening a pool is to remove the cover. Now if you live in an area with a lot of blowing leaves in the fall, chances are you have some leaves and other debris on your deck. If you can remove this before removing the cover, you’ve won the battle; Otherwise, the debris will fall into the water and you’ll just have to vacuum it up afterwards.

Once you’ve removed the cover, wash and dry it thoroughly so it can be safely stored for next fall. Now you can go ahead and reconnect all the hoses and equipment and refill the pool. Hopefully you’ve stored all the hoses and their assorted connectors together, which will make your pool opening run smoothly. Once the winterizing plugs have been removed and the hoses are securely attached, take the hose and refill the pool.

When you have a full pool again, it’s time to prime the pump and get it running again. This is where you can repair any leaks or replace parts that are missing or on their last legs. Once everything is working in order, it’s time to test the water and add the necessary chemicals to make it clean and optimal for swimming. The pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6 and the chlorine levels between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm.

Now is the time to vacuum the bottom of the pool and clean the sides, leaving it as clean as possible after the winter break. Put the stairs, diving board and slide back into place if they have been removed over the winter and give the water a shock treatment to get rid of bacteria and viola, you are ready to enjoy that backyard pool once again! once again!