When Should I Open My Swimming Pool?

Things to consider before opening your pool

Some of us, unfortunately, have swimming pools in areas of the country that require winterization. We run into freezing temperatures, blustery winds, falling snow, and numb fingers and toes. Until the white stuff melts, we are left dreaming about sunscreen, BBQs, and the summer sun so we can soak, float, and cannonball in the pool once again.

So, when is the best time to open your swimming pool and officially say goodbye to winter? Some people would say… “Hey honey, its swimming weather today! Let’s pull off the cover!” I would say open the pool at that point and you will miss out on prime swimming days.

Here are three things to consider when you are deciding when to open your pool.

1. Algae doesn’t grow when the water is below 50 degrees. If you wait until that first warm week to open, the pool water is likely over 50 degrees and it has been sitting there not circulating. That means the chemicals aren’t balanced, which leads to the perfect environment for an algae bloom. It can take up to 2 weeks to treat a bad algae bloom. Why wait until then? (If you already have algae? That blog post is coming soon, so stay tuned…)
2. The pool doesn’t require as much sanitizer when the water is cold because you aren’t using it everyday. Also, because the water is cold algae can’t grow (see point 1) so you aren’t spending a lot of money on balancing your water. You will still need to keep your chemicals balanced when its cold, it just doesn’t take as much to achieve balance.
3. If you wait until its warm out and you end up with an algae bloom it takes a LOT of chemical to treat the water to get it sparkling clear again. If you open early you will spend less money on algae treatment chemicals so maybe you can get that basketball hoop you have been wanting or the giant blow up floating swan that everyone has been talking about.

The earlier you open your pool in the Spring the better chance you will avoid an algae bloom.

There are certainly more factors to be figured into the pool opening equation, but my editor already says that I talk too much, so I will leave it at those three for now. The bottom line is, the earlier you open your pool in the Spring the better chance you will avoid an algae bloom. This will save you not only time and money but also the frustration involved in treating the swamp that you once called an outdoor oasis.

Don’t wait to open the pool until a week before your first BBQ or until that first hot day of the season. Open that baby up when there is still some chill in the air. Early April or even late March, depending on the weather. As long as you are above freezing temperatures you are out of the danger zone for pipes bursting. Watch the weather man and when he says we are out of the freezing temps, wait another week or two (because they are usually wrong; sorry Weather Man Dan) and get started. Besides, would you rather gaze at a cover chock full of dead leaves and winter debris or a beautiful crystal clear swimming pool, just waiting for you to dive in as soon as that first hot day graces us with its presence. You will be out floating on your new giant swan when your neighbor is standing out with her pool brush scrubbing away, envious she doesn’t have your giant swan, because she broke the bank on chemicals for her algae bloom.

P.S. Don’t heat the water until you’re ready to use it. You don’t need to. Save the money on gas and electricity until you are sure it’s time to take the plunge…