Getting your swimming pool ready for the summer in 7 steps

Now that the sun is shining more often, it is high time to prepare your swimming pool for the summer. However, getting your pool ready in time for the nice summer weather does require some work. Below we explain in 7 steps how to get your swimming pool ready for summer temperatures.

1. Clean the pool cover

The first step in preparing your pool is to remove the winter cover .

After that, it is time to give the cover a thorough clean. This starts with removing the leaves.

It is best to clean a cover with a garden hose, a brush and a descaling product.

2. The big spring clean

Once you have cleaned the pool cover, you can remove all the dirt from the pool using a handy scoop net.

Next, remove any remaining debris with a pool vacuum cleaner and clean the water line with a sponge. You can read how to do this cleaning correctly here in this article.

Professional tip: Immerse the suction hose of your vacuum cleaner in water before connecting it. This prevents the pool pump from sucking in air and you will not have to vent it so often.

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3. Topping up the pool

After the winter, it is possible that the water level of your swimming pool has dropped. You can read here why this is and how you can minimise it.

The water level should be roughly in the middle of the skimmers for optimum operation. This is not the case? Then top up your swimming pool with rain or mains water.

4. Switch on the technical systems

First clean and rinse the pool filter. You do this by means of backwashing, which causes the water to flow through the filter in the opposite direction. Then switch on your pool pump and let the filter run for 12 hours a day until the water is clear.

Check the inlets for blockages and empty the collection filters in your skimmers and bottom drain vacuums. You should also repeat this regularly for optimal results.

Finally, switch on the heat pump. Wait until it no longer freezes at night. This prevents unnecessary heat loss. Read here a few tips for heating up your pool faster and in a cost-efficient way.

5. Prevent leaks

When the swimming pool filter and pump have started up again, it is a good idea to check the couplings. If you lose water, part of the swimming pool installation can be damaged and the associated costs can be very high. So make sure that all couplings are properly tightened in order to prevent leaks.

6. Make sure your pool has the right pH balance.

It is important to first adjust the pH value. Failing this, other products you add to the water will be of no use.

You can measure the pH level using these handy manual or digital testers. The ideal pH value of a swimming pool is between 7.2 and 7.6. There are different types of products with which you can adjust the pH level: granulate material and liquid sulphuric acid. Granulate has to be dissolved in a bucket of water, while liquid sulphuric acid is more suitable for large swimming pools with a dosing system. If the pH value is too high, add pH-min and if it is too low, add pH-plus. Easy, right? You can find the comparison between manual and digital testers here.

Then measure the chlorine level. If your chlorine content is too low, you can add a chlorine product. There are various chlorine products that you can use to restore the chlorine level. These include chlorine tablets, chlorine granulate and liquid chlorine. Chlorine tablets can be placed in the swimming pool to gently restore the correct chlorine level. Chlorine granulate is used to provide a chlorine shock. This will get the chlorine level back up quite quickly. Liquid chlorine is more likely to be used in public swimming pools and in swimming pools with a dosing system.

If your water is not green or brown, there is no need to measure any other values. You can make your pool even clearer by adding a flocculant to the water. You can read what flocculant is and how it works here.