Swimming Pool Preparation

The Spring season is already here and summer beckons. Time

then to get the swimming pool ready for those

family and friends you plan to entertain as soon

as the weather warms up. But, just as you would have the

car serviced before a long drive, so too must the swimming pool

and patio be checked over to ensure both are in good

working order before you welcome your family and friends for the spring season.

The most obvious place to start your preparations is a

simple walk-around of your swimming pool. After a hard winter, the swimming pool and the patio will have accumulated their fair share of debris, and

there might even be some ice or slush still lurking in

corners. So while you're preparing for the spring season, look for any obvious

signs of damage before you start to invite friends or family. Fittings may have come loose on the swimming pool, say, or frost heaving could have turned your

once level patio into a mini Himalayas. Check your

patio furniture too if it's been left out over the winter, even if it's been covered up. You'll find that glass and plastic don't fare well in very cold

weather. Oh, and be sure to open

your patio umbrella and give it a

twirl. It's virtually certain that

bugs - dead or alive - will have been

bunking down there over the winter.

Once that's done, and if there are

no obvious signs of damage to your swimming pool, then

your next move is to decide whether

to prep the swimming pool yourself or have one

of the many swimming pool maintenance

companies do it for you. If you

intend to do it yourself, there will be

such tasks as drain plugs and drain

cocks to close or put back that were

opened or removed in the fall, and a

check of the filtration system to

ensure it is circulating water as it's

supposed to. You will also need to

check and turn on the pilot light of

the swimming pool's natural gas heater (most

swimming pools are heated that way).

Next come the chemicals.

Chlorine and bromine are the two

most common sanitizers used to

destroy harmful bacteria in the swimming pool.

A third chemical is muriatic acid, dry

or liquid, that is added to the water to

set the right pH balance. Humans

like a slightly acidic 7.2 pH to splash

about in. One more thing: take the

greatest care mixing chemicals for

your swimming pool. Getting it

wrong will start your summer off

with a real bang.

If your too busy with friends and family this spring season then hire a pool maintenance firm to help you.

As usual, word of

mouth recommendation is the best

way to go. Costs will vary from

company to company and from place

to place, but figure on at least $500

to open your swimming pool for the summer

and another $50 a week or so for

maintenance after that.

Enjoying your summer and spring season in your swimming pool is

not really different from any other

activity. A little preparation will

ensure that family and friends have

the great time you planned for them.