It's understandable why swimming pool owners across Canada get excited when spring arrives, signaling the upcoming swimming season. The cold weather, ice, and snow are replaced by the summer sun and heat, making it time to open the pool for months of backyard fun. However, you can't just uncover the pool and jump straight in. There are essential steps to prepare it. Here are 10 useful tips for opening your swimming pool, no matter the climate you live in.

1- Pump off the water

Depending on the type of pool cover you have, you may need to pump the water off it. If the cover has water and debris, you'll need to remove them before taking it off. The easiest way is to use a sump pump. For an above-ground pool, you can use a siphon to remove the water. It's a good idea to have help when removing the cover as it can be heavy. Also, try to keep debris out of the water while doing so.

2- Take care of the pool cover

When you take the pool cover off your pool, be sure to clean it and then properly store it for the summer to make sure it isn't damaged. You can do this by laying the cover out and brushing any remaining debris and water off of it. Let it dry out and then try sprinkling some talcum powder on it before folding it up an putting it away as the powder can help fight off mold and mildew. Fold the cover carefully and store it in a cool, dry area.

3- Reconnect the equipment

All of the swimming pool equipment that was disconnected when you closed the pool down will now need to be reconnected. This includes things such as the pool cleaner, heater, pump, and filter. You can also connect any accessories as well as ladders, diving boards, slides, and hand rails etc. Its recommended that all O rings are lubricated as well as any screws and bolts that are going to be used. If all moving parts are lubricated they should work better during the summer and will be easier to disassemble when it's time to close the pool.

4- Change the plugs

If you've used winterizing plugs over the winter to prevent damage they'll need to be replaced with your regular plugs after your pool equipment has been replaced.

5- Remove metal stains

Some metals such as iron and copper can build up in the pool during the winter and stain the walls. The longer they're left the harder they'll be to remove. It's a good idea to use a some type of Metal-Free remover when opening the pool to help neutralize the metals in the pool.

6- Test the water chemistry

At this point you'll want to test the water with a pool water test kit or strip before adding any chemicals to it. Testing it will let you know exactly what needs to be added and how much of it. You should check the water for acidity, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness, stabilizer, and chlorine levels. The total alkalinity level should be between 80 and 120 ppm, while the pH level should be from 7.4 to 7.6. The free available chlorine is best between 2.0 and 4.0 ppm with the calcium hardness recommended to be from 200 to 400 ppm and the Stabilizer (Cyanuric Acid) between 30 and 50 ppm.

7- Take care of total alkalinity

When adding chemicals its a good idea to balance the total alkalinity first as this will help the other chemicals achieve their normal range. This results in cleaner and safer water. There are special chemicals that can be bought to raise or lower the total alkalinity level. When the total alkalinity is between 80 and 120 ppm its a good time to adjust the other chemical levels. These can also be lowered or raised with special products which are available from swimming pool supply stores.

8- Thoroughly clean the pool

No matter what type of pool cover you use, there's a good chance the water will be dirty and/or there will be debris in it. You should brush the walls and floor down and vacuuming it before shocking the water. This will help remove any bacteria and algae from the walls and elsewhere. You may want to start the brushing in the shallow end and work your way to the deep end. Its also a good idea to vacuum the dirt directly to the waste option. After cleaning you should let the filtration and circulation systems fun for a few hours before shocking the water.

9- Shock the water

If there is any algae, bacteria, debris and/or dirt left in the pool you can remove it by adding two pounds of shock for each 10,000 gallons of pool water. This will also help raise the chlorine to about 10.0 ppm. After the shock has been added let the pool run for another two hours before placing algaecide in the water.

10- Algae prevention

You should make sure you've added and algaecide before using the pool and use one on a regular basis throughout the swimming season.