It’s been a long and cold winter here in Sydney, and while the warm weather is still on its way, we should all be thinking about how this change will affect our pools. Your pool may have been covered or neglected all winter, and now is the time to shake off the dust and bring you pool back to life. We have come up with a list of a few simple tasks that will keep your pool looking healthy and clean all summer long.

As always, checking your pool, equipment and water chemistry are an important first step. If you see anything unusual, you should bring it to the attention of a pool servicemen to correctly and safely diagnose the situation. After checking the general health of your pool, you can start preparing your pool to be open!

First, we should check the safety of the pool chemical levels. Just like you would check the expiration on an old can in the back of your cupboard, make sure to check the expiration date on the pool chemicals. If any pool chemicals are expired, throw it away to avoid confusion later on. For the chemicals you are keeping, make sure the lids and containers are all closed tightly. During this step, make sure your chemicals are not stored or placed near your children, and that they are stored in a dry and well ventilated place. For extra safety, don’t store liquid chemicals above powder/solid chemicals and don’t store oxidizers next to acids. This is the first step to ensuring your chemicals are safe to reopen your pool.

The next step is to check your equipment. If you see anything unusual or out of place, it is best and safest to contact a pool expert to address the issue to avoid further problems. To do this, you can visually inspect the pool pumps and filters for cracks and breaks. You can check the drainage area near the equipment and the pressure gauge found on the filter. You should also check the electrical wiring with the equipment for fraying. Again, if you see anything broken, cracked, frayed or burnt, please contact a pool technician for the best and most efficient diagnosis and results.

After we check the pool equipment and deem it all safe to continue, we can get to opening our pool! To clean up the areas outside the pool to prevent any unnecessary debris, we can trim the trees and bushes around the swimming pool area. If you have a pool cover protecting your pool over the winter, which is highly recommended, the next step would be to clean off the water and debris from the top of the pool cover. Once the top is cleaned, we can remove the pool cover and allow the pool cover to dry. After the pool cover is thoroughly dry, we can roll up the cover and store in a dry place to make sure the pool cover is well-maintained for many winter seasons to come. Finally, we will inspect the pool for any abnormalities or cracks, fill the pool up with water and clean any debris from the pool.

The final step to properly opening up your pool is to test the pool water and chemical balance. It’s recommended to have a pool serviceman perform a complete check and chemical balance to ensure your pool’s chemicals are up to date and at the appropriate levels. But if you’d like to do it yourself, we recommend testing the pool water for pH, Metals, Chlorine, Calcium Hardness and Total Alkalinity. Pour necessary chemicals at a short distance from the pool water, and after pouring, you can test the pool water for a balanced water chemistry. After this, you can turn your pool on, and wait 24-48 hours before entering the pool.

Once all of the above steps and precautions are taken, you are now ready to open your swimming pool! Make sure to call a pool expert if you have any problems or difficulties. Your local pool technician will be able to answer your questions and recommend the best next steps. Now it’s time to enjoy the sun and enjoy your swimming pool.