SPRING CLEANING – POOL EDITION

In prepping your pool for the summer swim season, procrastination is the enemy, ESPECIALLY in South Louisiana. Rising temperatures outside mean rising water temperatures, and once the water temperatures reach 60 degrees, algae will begin to bloom. Stay ahead of the bloom with this Prep Plan from Bask Pools & Outdoors.

TRIM & CLEAN
Ready to jump right into getting that water crystal clear? You will have to wait a hot minute. Before we get to the actual pool/water, we must start with the shrubs, trees, grass, and flowers around the pool area.

Your beautiful spring bloomers can cause headaches when it comes time to open the pool. Trim and prune hedges, branches, etc. that may have grown over your pool since you closed it down in the fall. Break out the rake to sweep up fall leaves tucked under bushes around the pool.


POOL COVER
Once your greenery is cleaned up you can move over to the winter cover on your pool, and keep on cleaning.

If your cover is holding water on top, pump it off making sure you are only removing the water on top of the cover and not taking water out of the actual pool through the cover. This is a risk because most covers are made out of woven fabrics and are not truly solid, so pump carefully. If you have only leaves and debris and no water, you can simply sweep the mess off and dispose of it.

Once the top of the cover is visible and clear of water and debris, you can give it a quick spray with the hose!

After removing the cover, lay it out on a solid surface to really give it a solid cleaning. Scrub, scrub, scrub. The cleaner you get it now before it goes into storage, the more likely it will be ready to go in the fall when it’s time to close up the pool once more.

Allow the cover to dry COMPLETELY and then fold it up. If possible, you should store the cover indoors, in a shed or garage, away from moisture and insects as this will help to prolong its life.


FILTER PUMP

  • Check the pump and filter for any damage, and replace the drain plugs using Teflon tape.
  • Prime the pump with water before starting the motor.
  • Lubricate the pump lid o-ring with a good pool lube like Jack’s 327, (do NOT use Vaseline), and replace the pump lid tightly.
  • Open up any valves before or after the pump.
  • For smaller filters, clean or replace the media in the filter for best results. Using pool filter cleaner or new filter cartridges or filter sand puts you in the best position for a happy swimming season.

If all of this seems like a bit much, super confusing, or intimidating, remember Bask Pools & Outdoors offers pool maintenance packages that can take all of these tasks off of your plate! Contact us today to schedule maintenance for your pool! We are proud to be your experts on all things pools in Lafayette, LA so let us help you with maintenance and more.


Want a cheat sheet? Here are our 8 tips for spring pool prep!


8 TIPS FOR SPRING POOL PREP

  • Take Care of Landscaping
  • Remove the Cover
  • Clear Floating Debris
  • Check your Water Levels
  • Inspect your Water Quality
  • Check out the Pool
  • Check out the Pool Equipment
  • Clean the Pool

 

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