Making the swimming pool swim-ready (after winter)
In a mild winter algae – despite adding winter products – have yet the chance of multiplying themselves. Certainly when light is shining on the water surface. Filtering algae away can take a couple of days. Therefore we recommend making the swimming pool swim-ready before the good weather starts.
You are best to proceed as following:
- Remove the winter cover, winter caps and gizmos.
- Screw all detached links back together. Do not forget the drain cap of the sand filter and sand filter pump.
- If you use an automatic dosing system, calibrate the electrodes.
- Set the filter valve to recirculate and start the filter pump. Because most filter pumps don’t suck the water properly, it is best to fill all suction lines of the pump with water using a submersible pump.
You can apply following procedure:- Ensure the water level is above the skimmers and the vacuum hole
- Set the 6-way valve to ‘recirculate’
- Seal the vacuum connection and 1 skimmer hole with a winter cap
- Close all valves between the inlet, pump and pool, except the valve which leads to the open skimmer.
- Pump (with a submersible pump) water through the skimmer vessel to the pool pump. When the water has arrived at the pool pump, power up the pool pump. If the water flows fluently through the pool pump and filter, stop the pool pump and remove the winter cap out of the second skimmer. If both skimmer pipes are filled with water, close the valve between pool pump and skimmer.
- Open the valve from pool pump to vacuum connection. Remove the winter cap out of the vacuum hole and pump (with a submersible pump) water from the vacuum hole to the pool pump. When the water has arrived at the pool pump, power up the pool pump. If the water flows fluently through the pool pump and filter, stop the filter pump and open the bottom outlet. Like this you can fill the pipe bottom well-pool filter using the submersible pump.
- Close the vacuum pipe and restart the filter pump. You can now pump water via the bottom well to the filter. As soon as this goes smoothly, you open the valve from skimmer to pool pump. Now the pool pump is powered up.
- Stop the filter pump, set the 6-way valve of the filter to ‘Filter’ and restart the filter pump. The filtration system is now operational.
- Ensure the water level is above the skimmers and the vacuum hole
- Measure the pH and add pH- or pH+ in small steps until the pH = ± 7.4 0.2. Wait 4 hours between every addition. (If you use an automatic regulation, you don’t have to perform this step.)
- Measure the chlorine content and add Chlorine powder in small steps until the chlorine content is 1.5 – 2 ppm. (If you use an automatic regulation, you don’t have to perform this step.)
- Put 1 or 2 slow chlorine tablets in the skimmer. (If you use an automatic regulation, you don’t have to perform this step.)
- Put a tablet or a bag of flocks in the other skimmer.
- Put a little gel block in a skimmer (but not with the chlorine) or in the basket of the pool pump to prevent algae growth.
- Place the bubble cover on the swimming pool water.
- Filtrate (if necessary day and night) until the water is clean. Only execute a backwash when necessary (if the pressure has increased by 0.2 bar OR the flow out of the ejectors has decreased considerably). It can take between 1 and 2 weeks before the pool water is completely clean.
Powering up the swimming pool is a good occasion to verify a couple of things of the installation. Does the pool sand have to be replaced (every 5 years)? Are there still sufficient chemicals in stock? Does an expansion/investment impose itself (pool alarm, pool heating...)?
Much swimming fun!