Pool Opening Instructions

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The first thing to do is to remove the water from the top of the cover. This can be done in several ways but please respect your neighbours and all municipal or other regulations.

A. Remove the gizzmo from the skimmer.
Fill the skimmer and skimmer line with water. Fill the vacuum hose with water and place one end, the one that does not swivel, into the skimmer and attach the other end to your vacuum head and then place it upside down in the water on top of the cover. Put all plugs, pressure gauges, and air bleed valves back on the pump, filter, heater and chemical feeder. (see below) Set your valves so that the skimmer line is open and the main drain line is closed.

FOR SAND FILTERS: Put the filter multiport in the ‘waste’ or ‘drain’ position. The water will come out the backwash line.

FOR CARTRIDGE FILTERS: Make sure the cartridges are not in the filter. Unroll the discharge hose. Open the discharge valve on the filter.

Fill the pump with water and turn it on. It will take a few minutes to prime. This is the same process you use to vacuum the pool. Be careful not to suck up large debris that may clog the lines. If you have a lot of leaves you will want to set up some sort of screen on the vacuum head.

B. Using a variation of the method above you can also pump the water back under the cover. This method is useful in areas where water is expensive or scarce, or if the water table is high. We suggest you open the pool by the middle of May if you plan to do this. Be aware that you will need more chemicals since rainwater is acidic, very soft and rather dirty. You may want to carefully add chlorine to the water on top of the cover before you start. To use this method you must remove the plugs from the returns in the pool before starting the pump.

FOR SAND FILTERS: put the multiport in the ‘recirculate’ position.

FOR CARTRIDGE FILTERS: leave the discharge valve closed.

C. You could also rent or buy a pump to use for this purpose, such as a submersible pump, gasoline pump, etc or if your pool permits, you could set up a siphon.

When the water is ALL gone and you have scooped out ALL the leaves etc., you are ready to remove the cover. You may find it helpful to stick the garden hose under the cover at this time and raise the pool water level to make it easier to pull the cover off. When you have finished cleaning the cover, we recommend fan folding it and then rolling it. It will be much easier to put back on next fall.

For WATERBAG COVERS, the best way is for two people, one on each side of the pool, to start gathering up the cover. Work from the deep end to the shallow end, then if any dirt happens to fall into the pool, it will be in the shallow end. Wash the cover with COVER CARE to clean and preserve it. Plastic covers may be stored dry. Throw out all leaky waterbags, then clean the rest with Mursatt Tilex and roll (do not fold) them up for storage.

With VINYL HANGING COVERS it is easier to simply remove the cover wedges or clips and disconnect the cover from the coping, letting the vertical part of the cover fold forward. This will act as a temporary dam to keep the pool water off the cover. Then pull the cover slowly towards the shallow end. If you are left with a small pocket of water at the end, scoop it out before trying to lift the cover. Clean the cover. Then, to prevent shrinkage, store vinyl covers in large 40 gallon container filled with water and ½ litre of 40 WINKS algaecide. Check the cover several times during the summer in case the container leaks.

SAFETY COVERS may be cleaned on or off the pool. Once they are dry, please store them where mice will not build nests in them. Remove the centre bolt from the anchors, clean the anchor and spray the bolt with a silicone spray before reinstalling it. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN.

When replacing plugs in the equipment, remove any old Teflon tape and apply new to get a good seal. Check all orings for cracks (replace them if needed) and lubricate with a silicone lubricant, such as Jacks. Please do not use petroleum based products.

Check and tighten all clamps. Grease all bolts.

Clean and grease the anchor bolts and then install the LADDERS. Make sure that the ladder bumpers are in place and in good condition. Clean the SLIDE and reconnect its water line. Inspect the DIVING BOARD. Make sure all bolts are tight and that there are no cracks in the board or base. Dewinterize any DECK JETS or water cannons. Clean the lenses on the pool LIGHTS and reinstall any that were removed for the winter. If the bulb was removed for the winter, make sure that the oring behind it is also put back. Do NOT test them above water level.

While the water level in the pool is down is a good time to clean the LINER. Use Mursatt TILEX or VINYL PLUS and a brush or a sponge. Do NOT use household cleansers or scouring pads since these can damage the liner. Remove the winter plugs from RETURNS in the pool. Reinstall the EYEBALL assemblies with the narrow side facing the pool and aim them slightly down and around the pool to achieve good circulation. Remove the gizzmo from the skimmer if that has not been done yet and install the skimmer basket. Then FILL THE POOL with water to half way up the skimmer.

PUMP
Reinstall both plugs and the basket. Check the condition of the power cord and test the GFI circuit.

SAND FILTER
Reinstall the bottom drain cap, the pressure gauge and the sight glass (if there is one). Be very careful NOT to cross thread or over tighten the gauge as you can crack the multiport head. Put the multiport handle on backwash while you are priming the pump.

CARTRIDGE FILTER
Check the orings inside the bottom of the filter, then install the clean cartridges. Make sure the drain valve is closed.

HEATER
Reinstall the drain plugs. On many gas heaters, reattach the pressure switch to the siphon loop inside the heater. If you notice anything unusual, please call a licensed gas technician, before you try to start the heater.

CHEMICAL FEEDERS
Reinstall any plugs.

SALT CHLORINE GENERATORS
If it was not cleaned last fall, clean the cell using the GEN-R-8 Cell Cleaning Kit
(See below for further instructions) If it was taken inside, reinstall it.

Once all the equipment is ready, fill the pump with water, put the cover on and turn it on.
It may take up to 5 minutes to prime.

If you are not using a mesh cover, and your pool was in good condition when it was closed, the water should be clean and clear when you remove the cover. SAFETY COVERS allow rain, dust and a certain amount of light through the cover. We recommend that these pools be opened by mid-May to avoid the algae getting out of hand. They will require additional amounts of chlorine and algaecide at start up. To remove larger amounts of dead algae or other sediment from the bottom, you may want to VACUUM the pool to ‘waste’ either before or after adding chemicals depending on the situation.

FOR SAND FILTERS: Connect the vacuum in the normal way. Put the filter multiport in the ‘waste or ‘drain’ position. The water will come out the backwash line.

FOR CARTRIDGE FILTERS: Connect the vacuum in the normal way. Put the winter plugs back into the returns in the pool. Unroll the discharge hose. Open the discharge valve on the filter.

When the pool is full, let the water circulate for 24 hours and then bring a water sample to the store for testing, to ensure that the hardness, total alkalinity, salt and stabilizer are at the proper levels.

Water analysis takes about 5 minutes, is a FREE service, and can prevent future headaches. Please take advantage of it. Free water sample bottles are also available at the store for your convenience. The pool should then be given a heavy shock, and regular chlorination started. While the water is still cold, you will find you do not need as much chlorine as you normally would.

For: Pool Owners with GEN-R-8/AquaRite Salt Water Chlorine Generators

After the pool has been filled and allowed to circulate for AT LEAST 24 hours, turn on your salt system to get a salt reading. Push the small ‘diagnostic’ button next to the LCD display 5 times to show the instant salt reading in ppm and record it. This may not work if the water is too cold. Alternatively, you can have the salt levels as well as stabilizer, total alkalinity and pH tested at our store.

Use the salt reading to calculate the amount of salt required using the chart in your GEN-R-8 manual, or call the store and we will help you.

Since the pool also requires stabilizer when new water is added, the easiest way to add both salt and stabilizer, is by adding GEN-R-8 Conditioner CL. Add the recommended amount to the shallow end and break up any large clumps. Do NOT use water softener salt.

Do not run the chlorine Generator for extended periods without adjusting the salt, stabilizer, total alkalinity and pH to their proper levels. Also, the GEN-R-8 Generator will not work properly until the pool temperature is above 50oF/10oC. Therefore we recommend that you add a heavy dose of liquid or powder chlorine once the pool is running.

We also recommend that you add one litre of Shield at start up.