Spring is here - getting the pool ready
If you have not opened up your own pool before, and you are in any doubt as what to do, our advice is to call in your local pool centre/service engineer to do the job for you. Ask him what he or she is doing and why. Then you might learn how to do it for yourself next year and save some money
Opening a pool is not difficult, however, and if you want to Do-It-Yourself, this is how you do it
- Remove surface water and debris from the Winter Cover before taking it off and cleaning it thoroughly
- Using a leaf net or rake, remove as much rubbish and debris from the pool as possible and clean any tide marks on the pool walls
- Make sure all electrical connections are free of damp or condensation - call in an electrician if you are in any doubt about what you are doing
- Re-set the breakers, or replace the fuses, and set the timer clock to the right time of day and correct operating period of 4 hours twice a day
- Check there are no obstructions to drains, outlets and the pump strainer basket
- Top up the water to 100mm / 4") above the normal level
- Set the Rotary Valve to ‘Recirculate’ and then turn on the pump and check that the skimmers and drains are all working - don’t worry if the water from the circulation is discoloured initially
- Set the Rotary Valve to 'Waste' and vacuum the bottom of the pool, then backwash and rinse the filter
- Now run the pump on ‘Recirculate’ for a couple of hours; this will collect any remaining debris in a few spots on the floor of the pool
- Vacuum the collected debris to ‘Waste’
- Superchlorinate to 10 ppm, with unstabilized Chlorine (Sodium Hypochlorite), to kill any algae that may be present and to react out the ammonia from the winteriser fluid
- Remember to remove the pool-cover until Chlorine levels have returned to normal
- Check and adjust the pH; get it as near as possible to 7.4
- Place 1 crushed and 1 whole Tricloro tablet per 50m³ (13,000 US Gallons) of pool water in the skimmer basket or chlorine feeder
- Place one cube of Jolly Gel
per 60m³ of pool volume in the pump basket - not in the skimmer basket. (Using Jolly Gel may seem an unnecessary expense but it more than pays for itself and will clean the water 5 times faster - and keep it that way!)
- Set all valves and switches to ‘Filtration’ and run the pump for 24 hours
- Backwash the filter and then return to your normal filtration timings - 2 x 4 hours daily.
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Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: -
Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain
Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price
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Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©