The Spring Pool Start-up Checklist

In Perth, roughly five months pass between the last swim of autumn and the first swim of spring. Most pools spend that time covered, ignored and running on reduced pump hours. Getting stuck into swimming pool maintenance early is not difficult, but it does take time, and the people who start early are the ones swimming first.

1. Start six weeks before you want to swim

Give yourself six weeks between starting and your first swim. That leaves room to order a part, clear a problem and get the chemistry stable without paying for a rescue in the middle of a heatwave. If you want to be in the water by the first warm weekend in October, you are starting in the back half of August. Sorting out your pool maintenance perth style means working backwards from a date, turning a vague intention into a job that actually gets done.

2. Check the filter first (it carries the heavy load)

Check the filter before you touch anything else, because everything downstream depends on it. Note the pressure gauge reading with the pump off, then open the unit and look at the media or the cartridge. Sand that has channelled or hardened, or a cartridge with split pleats, will not filter properly no matter how good your chemistry is. Cartridges need replacing periodically and sand media has a service life, so spring is the time to check, not the day before a party. If you are unsure whether your filter media needs a refresh, bring your cartridge or sand details into our Claremont store and we will steer you in the right direction.

3. Get the pump running and listen to it

Start the pump and listen to it for a full minute. A pump that has sat idle over winter will usually tell you what is wrong through sound: a grinding bearing, a whine that was not there in March, or a rattle from debris in the impeller. Check the lid seal and the unions for air being drawn in, and look underneath for any sign of a leak. If the pump will not hold prime, that is a problem to solve now rather than in December. Bring it by the shop if it sounds rough, and Nicole and the team can check whether it needs a simple seal fix or a replacement.

4. Test the water before you add anything

Test before you add a single thing. Water that has sat under a cover all winter can look fine and still be well out of balance. Essential pool care starts with getting your base numbers right. Aim for pH between 7.2 and 7.6, and total alkalinity between 80 and 120 ppm, setting alkalinity first so pH holds once you adjust it. Adding chemicals before you have a reading is how people end up correcting the correction. Test again a day after you make an adjustment, because the water needs a full turnover to settle before the numbers mean anything.

5. Clear the debris that built up over winter

Get the debris out before you start chasing the chemistry. Pull the cover back carefully so you are not tipping five months of leaf litter into the pool, then skim the surface, empty the skimmer and pump baskets, and brush the walls and floor. Pay attention to the corners and steps where circulation is weakest. Organic debris consumes chlorine, so every leaf you take out now is chlorine you do not have to add later. Check the pool floor as well as the surface, because anything that has been sitting on the bottom over winter has had months to break down. Give the cover itself a rinse and let it dry before you fold it away, so it is ready to go back on at the end of the season.

6. Check the chlorinator cell

Take the cell out and look at the plates. Scale on the plates reduces output, which means the pool reads low on chlorine even though the unit appears to be running normally. Clean it according to the manufacturer’s instructions and check the plates for wear while you have it out. Cells have a finite service life, and a tired one is a common reason a pool goes green in spring despite the owner doing everything else right. If your cell is looking worn down, drop into Claremont with your model details and we can verify if it is time for a replacement cell.

7. What to do if the water has already gone green

If the pool is already green, work the problem rather than the checklist. Sort the filter and pump first, because you cannot clear a bloom without circulation, then correct the chemistry and let the filter run. Our step-by-step guide on how to fix a green pool covers the exact order to do it in.

Still not sure where your pool water is at? 

If you are not confident reading your own results, bring a water sample into our Claremont store and we will test it for free. It takes a few minutes, and it is a lot cheaper than treating a problem you have guessed at.