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Previous I
1 I 2
Spring
Pool Openings
(cont.)
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Equipment inspection, Safety inspection
Spring
opening time is ideal for annual
preventative maintenance steps such
as cleaning, lubricating, inspecting
and replacing components in all of
your system equipment. Consult your
owner's manual and give everything a
good inspection. Look for and
correct hazardous electrical
conditions, such as broken conduit
or connectors, lack of proper
grounding or bonding, wires exposed
to weather, etc. Inspect pool for
tripping and slipping hazards. Check
again for pressure leaks which may
result in pipes or equipment blowing
apart. Note water level and watch
the pool for leakage during the
following few days.
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Clean pool
Skim
pool, vacuum pool, brush pool. Leaf
rake (bag) types skim nets are best,
also useful for scooping large
amounts of leaves/debris from pool
floor. If pool is especially silty or has lots of algae, Vacuum
Pool to Waste. This means to bypass the filter, and vacuum dirt from floors/walls out the
backwash line. This prevents constant clogging/cleaning of filter. To do this, you may
need to fill pool to the very top, so you can waste 1-3". Place the multiport
filter valve on drain to waste position
(usually 2pm, if viewed as a clock face)
If you have a push-pull filter valve, or
a cartridge type filter there is no easy
way to vacuum to waste, except for
cutting the pipe coming out of the pump
and then reconnecting afterwards. Brush
the pool thoroughly.
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Check and Balance Chemistry
Use a
good quality pool water test kit.
Replace test kit reagents every
spring (annually). Follow pool water
test instructions carefully to
obtain accurate results.
Alkalinity first. If below the
range of 80 - 120 ppm, add Total Alkalinity Increaser (Sodium Bicarbonate or baking soda) at
a rate of 1 lb per 10,000 gals to raise Alkalinity levels 10 ppm. Calcium level should be
180 - 220 ppm. Add Calcium Hardness Increaser (Calcium Chloride) at a rate of 1 lb per
10,000 gals to raise Calcium levels 5 ppm. Test pH level after water has circulated 8 hrs.
pH level should be 7.4 - 7.6, add pH Increaser (soda ash or sodium carbonate) if the water
is acidic/ corrosive (below 7.4). Add pH Decreaser (muriatic acid or sodium bisulfate) if
water is basic/ scaling (above 7.6). A good test kit will allow you
to perform an acid demand or base
demand test to determine exact
amounts of acid or base needed
(demanded). A clarifier may be used
to help filter efficacy. After
balanced chemicals have been
circulated for 8 hrs, shock or super-chlorinate the pool. Add granular Shock Treatment
(Calcium Hypochorite) to pool at a rate of 1 lb per 10,000 gallons, or use Clorox Bleach
(Sodium Hypochlorite) at a rate of 5 gals per 10,000 gallons/pool water. Cyanuric Acid
levels should be tested if chlorine is used (outdoor pools only). Add CYA (Conditioner or
Stabilizer) to raise if Cyanuric Acid levels are below 30 - 50 ppm.
Always read instructions on
packaging for proper handling, treatments and application of the pool chemicals.
Distribute them broadly and never mix chemicals. Brushing pool after adding chemicals is
helpful to distribution. Re-test water daily and readjust if needed. Backwash filter after
24 hrs. If algae is still present, re-shock pool, or add "kill" dosage of
quality algaecide. Your pool is ready for use when chlorine level drops below 3.0 ppm, and
water is clear. It may be a good move to have an annual check-up to your pool by a pool
professional, which is why many people use pool companies to open the pool. If there is a
pool store nearby, you should at least take a water sample in to be tested by another test
kit.
Sunbelt
If you didn't really winterize the pool,
but rather reduced the amount of filter time and attention you gave the pool, then you can
probably skip items 1-3 above. But follow 4-7 to keep things sanitary and working safe and
properly. Again, consider hiring a professional pool company, at least once annually to
double check your work and spot problems or maintenance items you may have missed. |
