Preparing For Spring Opening
After the long, harsh winter, Canadian pool owners are anxiously preparing for spring opening. To get a jump on the often-times daunting process, we asked Sun Cover Canada readers to share their experiences, insight and tips. Preparing For Spring Opening - Inspection Inspect all your pool equipment. Parts with obvious signs of breakage, wear, tear or fatigue should be replaced. If in doubt, contact your local pool supply store. By inspecting early, you can order parts or equipment to guarantee arrival before opening day. Inspect your pool chemicals. Ensure the products have not passed their "best before" dates. While chemicals do not expire, they will lose their potency over time. Remember to store pool chemicals away from children and pets! Inspect your pool gate and/or locks. After a winter filled with heavy snowfalls and ice, metal parts can becomes rusted or damaged. Check your yard or pool gates to sure the latches are working correctly. If your pool has a lock(s), ensure the keys can be inserted and the lock mechanism works. "Rusted locks can be easily freed by using a spritz or two of WD-40." Inspect your patio, lighting and accessories. The elements can take a toll on wood, plastics, metal, and electrical work. Check out your patio furniture, and make sure nothing has cracked. Before using electrical sockets, ensure they were covered correctly and no water damage is evident. Finally, inflatable pool toys should be checked for seam damage and pinhole leaks. Inspect your Personal Flotation Devices (PFD) or Life Jackets. If PFDs or Life Jackets are used at your pool, ensure they are not damaged. Learn more on how to inspect PFDs or Life Jackets. Inspect your summer solar cover blanket. Over time, no matter the quality, seams will start to fail. By ordering a replacement early, you can beat the rush and have your new cover at the ready. Preparing For Spring Opening - Cover Cleaning Regarded by many as the "dreaded pool cover cleaning". To facilitate the upcoming winter cover removal, you can get a head start on clearing excess surface water and debris. Tools commonly used in this step include a swimming pool cover pump, pool brushes, and pool leaf net. If your cover is dry, but has leaves adhered to the surface, a leaf blower may come in handy. Thank you to the Sun Covers Canada customers who helped create this great list. We hope these simple steps will help in preparing for spring opening.