With there being a “shelter in place” order in every state in the country, it’s likely you’re feeling antsy. As a remedy to that, you might be wanting to open your pool a little earlier in the season than you usually would. Well, we’re here to give you a handy guide to opening your pool.

We should mention that we have a pool start up kit that you can conveniently pick up at our store!

Step 1: Time to remove your winter cover

Get out you’re a pool pump! You’ll want to run it to get your winter cover as dry as possible. Once dry, sweep as much debris as possible from the cover. This will help prevent it accidentally dumping out into your pool when you go to remove the cover. Begin taking the cover off, folding it into sections as you go, until it is completely folded to one side. This will further help minimize getting any gunk into your pool.

Step 2: Clean and store your cover

Lay your cover out somewhere flat in your yard and use your hose to remove any remaining debris. Allow it to dry, and then store it until next winter!

Step 3: Refill, remove, reinstall

If the water level of your pool dropped while it was closed for winter, add more water to the pool. Next ensure that all your winter plugs have been removed. Then reinstall you’re the skimmer baskets and jet fittings.

Step 4: Re-attach your deck equipment

Oil up your bolts and re-attach your deck equipment such as diving boards, rails and ladders.

Step 5: Get your filter and pump going!

Hook up your pool pump, pool heater (if you have one) and filter. When you turn on the power, make sure there are no leaks or loose attachments, and everything seems to work properly (i.e. your pump is pulling water properly).

Step 6: Backwash your filter

Make sure to backwash your filter when you start your filter system up. If you’re using a DE filter, it’s important to add DE after you use backwash filters that you it. Be sure you are following your manufacturer’s instruction when backwashing.

Step 7: Clean and Shock your Pool

Skim the pool and scrub its sides with a pool broom. Vacuum up any debris that might have sunk to the bottom of the pool.

Now you’re ready to shock that sucker! You’ll want to add enough shock to raise the chlorine level to 3.0 ppm. Make sure you’re testing the water because it may require more than one treatment to get it to the correct level.

Step 8: Get your water chemistry in check

Test your water chemistry for alkalinity, pH, calcium hardness and chlorine levels. This is where having a starter kit would probably be handy—it’ll include all the chemicals you need to adjust levels. Most starter kits include shock too!

After this, you’ll want to let the water sit undisturbed with the pool pump running for at least 24 hours. Test the water chemistry again. If the chlorine level is now under 2.0 ppm and the levels are balanced, give it one last vacuum and you’re ready to jump in!

Riddle me this: what has the atomic number of 17 and name comes from the Greek work meaning “greenish-yellow”?

If you guessed chlorine, kudos for you—you got it!

These days, people are far more cautious about chemicals and their safety. We don’t want to do anything that might potentially put ourselves in harm’s way!

So, chlorine—what’s the skinny? What is it is? Is it safe?

What is chlorine?

Believe it or not, but chlorine is actually made from salt. It was first discovered in Sweden in 1744. Chlorine has been around for a long time! But it wasn’t until the 1890s that it was discovered to be an amazing tool to help disinfect and treat water.

Chlorine has since saved countless lives from waterborne diseases like as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery and hepatitis. Even today, it is among the most popular methods of water treatment in the world!

But is it safe?

The short answer is chlorine treated pool water isn’t much to worry about, nor is the drinking water treated with chlorine-based disinfectants coming from your local water treatment centers. The chlorine developed for water treatment has been specially tested to make sure it isn’t harmful. In fact, it is because of chlorine that many of us no longer have to worry about getting sick when we go to the faucet for a drink or take a dip in the pool!

But that doesn’t mean all chlorine is the same! Don’t think you can just grab any ol’ bottle of the stuff, or use household, chlorine-based cleaner and dump it in your pool! Some forms of chlorine in high doses can be harmful. For instance, the bleach you use to clean your kitchen counter contains chlorine, as it is a powerful disinfectant, but consuming it or putting it in your pool could result in making you very sick. In fact, most chlorine-related poisonings are the result of household cleaning products!

So, it’s important when you’re treating your pool water, you make sure you’re using the chlorine that was formulated for pools!

Oh, by the way, if you’re on your way to dive into your pool and you smell chlorine, don’t be too concerned there’s too much in there! A lot of the time, that smell is actually an indication your pool might need more chlorine. The odor is oftentimes the byproduct of chlorine doing what it does best—killing off bacteria! Always keep pool test strips handy so you can make sure your pool is in tip-top shape.

If you still have some chlorine-related questions you’re dying to have answered, we recommend heading over to your neighborhood pool specialists and picking their brain!