Starting up your pool for spring? Here's how to do it
Winter has lasted long enough, it's time for sunshine, warmer temperatures and ... swimming! And thus also time to bring your pool out of hibernation. If you roll up your sleeves at the beginning of spring to restart your pool , you are guaranteed a whole summer of carefree swimming fun. Ready for the new swimming season? Get started!
A successful startup does not just consist of putting away the winter equipment. The pool itself, the water and the techniques must also be thoroughly examined, cleaned and brought up to standard. We take you through the process step by step.
Away with winter
The first step is to remove and store the winter equipment. Remove the winter cover and attachments, clean them and store them carefully. Then also take away all winter plugs, gizzmos and ice breakers. We won't see those again until after summer!
Major cleaning
And then it's time to scrub. Remove all leaves and coarse debris from the water with a scoop net, then clean the waterline with a cleaner. Rinse thoroughly. Then it's the shutter's turn. Clean that too, as well as the shutter box. You can clean the coping stone and attached terraces with a pressure washer.
A manual vacuuming will also remove the rest of the visible dirt from the bathtub.
Note: Do not use the automatic vacuum cleaner in when the temperature of your water is still below 15 °C!
Time for engineering
Once everything is clean, it's time to restart the techniques.
Start with the filter system. Start with rinsing and then also rinse the filter medium, this way the dirt is optimally collected.
Check thoroughly that everything is still working properly:
- Is the filter media still usable or is it too old and needs to be replaced?
- Is the filter pump working properly? Tighten all couplings by hand so there are no leaks.
- Is the automatic refill working correctly?
Now you can also start the heating system. Again, depending on the type of heating, there are points of interest:
- Heat exchanger connected to the boiler: check that the circulation pump is not stuck
- Solar collectors: open the pipes correctly and check for leaks
- Heat pump: clean the pump before you start it up
Water Quality
Water quality must be checked and adjusted based on 3 parameters. Always do this in the correct order, otherwise the measurements may be incorrect!
Step 1: alkaline
First, test the alkalinity of your water. This ensures that the acidity in your pool remains as stable as possible. The alkalinity should be at least 80. Is it lower? Then adjust it with AlkaPlus.
Step 2: acidity
Then you can test the acidity or pH level of your water and correct it with pH minus or pH plus. An ideal pH level is between 7.0 and 7.2.
Step 3: chlorine
Once the acidity is okay, you can start working with chlorine. Chlorine disinfects your water and kills algae. Perform a chlorine shock to kill all organic debris (algae, for example).
Step 4: flocculant
When the algae have turned brown, they die and, with the help of flocculant, can be vacuumed up with the vacuum cleaner.
Note: also check regularly that there is not too high a level of stabilizers in your water. You do this with a test strip. If the value becomes too high, the chlorine cannot work. In that case, we recommend that you empty, clean and refill your pool.
Your pool is spring-ready!
Voilà, your pool is now ready for a whole season of swimming fun. Just check the pantry to make sure you have the necessary maintenance products on hand, regularly check the water quality and make sure you handle the products correctly at all times. And then the summer can begin!
Have fun swimming!
If you don't know what to do, be sure to let us know and we'll be happy to help! You can also come to us if your techniques or other pool parts need replacing.
