Spring is around the corner, and you may already have been daydreaming about hot summer days next to your pool, drink and book in hand. Before that, though, you should start getting your pool ready so you can maximize your time when summer arrives. So, what are the most important things to look for and start doing now that the weather has started to warm up? Here are five items to check off your spring pool maintenance list.
1. Landscaping
Though the leaves fell off your trees months ago, some of them might have made it onto your pool cover during the winter. There might also be some new spring growth hanging over the water. You can save yourself a lot of trouble later by doing clean up, yard work, and trimming before you uncover your pool.
Prune back your trees or shrubs that might shed leaves into the water while your pool is still covered, and you won’t have to spend time scooping foliage out it. Sweep all the debris out from around the pool landscaping (because that’s no fun to fish out of the pool either) and use a leaf blower or a broom to get the last of the detritus off your pool cover before you take it off. If you want to put down bark dust on your landscaping, it might be a good idea to do that before you take up the cover as well.
A pool cover is essential, especially in regions where cold, rainy, or snowy weather means pools remain dormant for part of the year. They are specifically designed to protect your pool in the winter months and can be custom made for any pool size or shape.
2. Structure
Now that your cover is off, you can give your in-ground pool a good once-over to see if there are any new cracks or rust stains in the walls or bottom of the structure. There are two types of pool cracks: surface and structural.
Surface cracks are cosmetic and won’t affect the operation of your pool. They appear like hairline fractures that expand horizontally or vertically along the pool walls. You might also see shallow chipping of the concrete. While these surface cracks aren’t an emergency, you can’t ignore them entirely. Continue to monitor them as the swimming season progresses so you can spring into action and call a professional if the cracks get worse.
Structural cracks are more serious and require repairs immediately. They are prominent cracks that penetrate the foundation of your pool. While the surface cracks typically only appear along the pool walls, structural cracks most usually show along the walls or bottom of the pool. They may also have rust coming out of them. Structural cracks run through concrete, plaster, and tile and require a professional’s experience and skill to repair.
3. Safety Features
Every pool, even a residential one, has safety features and accessories. Take all your pool accessories out of storage and give them a good cleaning—not just pool toys and floaties, but also big items such as ladders and diving boards. There has recently been a bigger push for technology safety in swimming pools, so make sure that your swimming pool lighting and pool fence alarms are working properly as well. And if you don’t have lighting or a pool fence alarm, this is a good time to consider upgrades.
Having a fence around your pool is an excellent safety feature, and almost all states require fencing around pools. They can also give you better peace of mind knowing that your pool is secure from animals or children who might be drawn to the water.
4. The Internal Workings
You’ve already cleaned off the pool cover, either by sweeping or by using a leaf blower. Now you should give it a good hose-down. Try to do it away from your pool so none of that leftover dirt and grime ends up at the bottom of your pool. Then let it dry out (there’s nothing worse than unfolding a moldy or mildew-y pool cover in the fall) and store it for the summer.
Your filters and pumps will need a little attention at this point as well. If you emptied your pool or lowered the water during the winter, you’ll need to top it off so there’s enough water to run through the pump, but you should check a couple of things first.
Take a look at the pump seals and make sure everything is operating as it should. Depending on what type of filter you have (or how old it is), you can either backwash the filter or replace it. This will keep your equipment operating at peak levels all season long. You may need to backwash another time or two throughout the season, depending on how much use your pool gets, but it’s always good to start with a clean slate. Also, clean out the skimmer basket, filter, and pump basket.
5. Water Chemistry
Throughout the season, you want to maintain an alkalinity of 80 to 120 ppm and pH levels between 7.2 and 7.8. It might feel like a complicated process, but you can learn how to balance the water chemistry in your pool. The first thing you can do to get the water cleaned in the spring is to shock it. In this process, extra chlorine is added so it will kill excess algae and bacteria. Then you need to let it sit so that the extra chlorine will evaporate—make sure no one enters the pool while you’re waiting.
You might want to hire a professional to help get the water chemistry under control at the very beginning of the season if you don’t feel comfortable doing it. The pros at Strong Refuge Pool service pools across the Pacific Northwest and are a great resource.
Once these first steps are taken, the swimming season pool maintenance is much easier. Throughout the summer, keep to a regular cleaning schedule, including skimming debris off the water before each use, checking the filter weekly, scrubbing the walls of the pool once a week, and vacuuming the pool floor weekly or after heavy use. Start the spring out right, and you’ll be enjoying pristine pool water all summer long.
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