That first warm weekend in spring always gets me excited. I walk outside, look at the covered pool, and think “okay, it’s time.” After months of pretending that blue tarp doesn’t exist, I’m finally ready to see what’s underneath and get back in the water.
But here’s what I’ve learned after doing this way too many times—just ripping off the cover and hoping for the best doesn’t work. You need the right stuff ready to go, or you’re gonna make three trips to the pool store and waste your entire weekend. Let me tell you what actually matters when you’re opening your pool, because I’ve definitely learned some of this the hard way.
The Chemicals You Can’t Skip
Opening a pool is basically a chemical reset. Whatever was happening under that cover all winter—and trust me, stuff was definitely happening—you need to deal with it immediately.
Best Pool Supplies In Monmouth & Ocean Counties, NJ
Shock is your starting point. Not the wimpy stuff either. Get calcium hypochlorite or liquid chlorine shock that actually works. I usually grab enough for a heavy-duty treatment right off the bat—maybe 2-3 pounds per 10,000 gallons, sometimes more if I peek under the cover and it looks sketchy. One year I pulled the cover off and the water was legitimately green. That took extra shock and several days of my life I’ll never get back.
Algaecide goes in right after you shock. Even when the water looks okay, there’s probably algae waiting to party once the temperature rises. I switched to the polyquat algaecides a few years ago after the copper-based stuff left weird stains on my pool steps. Costs more but totally worth it.
You need both pH up and pH down because you literally never know which way it’s gonna go. I’ve had years where the pH was crazy high, years where it tanked. Just have both sitting there. Sodium carbonate raises it, sodium bisulfate or muriatic acid drops it. I keep the dry stuff because liquid muriatic acid kind of freaks me out to store.
Calcium hardness increaser is boring but important. Low calcium means your water starts eating away at your plaster or grout to get the calcium it wants. Not ideal. Learned this from a pool guy after I noticed my plaster getting rough. Now I check it every spring and adjust if needed.
Alkalinity increaser—which is basically baking soda—needs to go in before you even think about pH. This one confused me for years until someone explained that alkalinity keeps your pH stable. Get the alkalinity right first, then deal with pH, or you’ll be adjusting pH every single day and going insane.
Testing Stuff That’s Worth Having
Can’t fix what you can’t measure, right?
I used to buy those test strips because they’re cheap and easy. They’re fine if you just want a ballpark idea, but they’re not super accurate. I finally bought a real liquid test kit—the Taylor K-2006 that all the pool professionals use. Yeah, it was like $70 or something, but it tests for everything and the results are actually reliable. I was surprised how different my actual levels were compared to what those strips had been telling me.
If you want something easier, the digital testers have gotten pretty good. My neighbor has one and I’m kind of jealous. You just stick it in the water and boom, instant reading. Not as comprehensive as the full kit, but way less annoying for quick daily checks once everything’s balanced.
One thing that’s helped me a ton—write down your test results. I started keeping a little notebook by the pool. Sounds nerdy, but it’s actually useful for figuring out patterns and catching problems early. Sometimes I just use my phone notes app if I can’t find the notebook.
Cleaning Gear For The Disaster Under The Cover
No matter how good your cover is, the water underneath is gonna be gross. You need real equipment to deal with it.
Get a big leaf rake with a deep net. Not your regular summer skimmer—I’m talking about the heavy-duty one that looks like you could catch fish with it. The shallow nets are useless because you scoop up a pile of leaves and half of it falls out before you get to the side of the pool. Been there, done that, got frustrated.
A good pool brush is mandatory. Even with a cover on all winter, stuff grows on the walls. Algae, film, who knows what else. I use a nylon brush because I’ve got a vinyl liner and steel would tear it up. If you have concrete or plaster, the steel brushes work better. Brush everything down before you vacuum—makes the whole process way faster.
Your pool vacuum better be working because it’s about to earn its keep. Whether you’ve got the manual kind, the automatic suction one, or a fancy robot, check it over before opening day. I once started vacuuming and realized my vacuum hose had cracked over the winter and was sucking nothing but air. That was a fun discovery an hour into cleaning.
Other Stuff That Makes Life Easier
Some things aren’t obvious until you need them.
Clean or replace your filter before you start. Your filter is about to work harder than it has all year processing the junk from opening day. Starting with a dirty filter is like trying to run a marathon with a head cold—technically possible but why would you do that to yourself?
A cover pump saves you so much hassle if you haven’t already taken the cover off. Get as much water off the top of the cover as possible before you pull it back. Otherwise all that nasty brown water on top dumps right into your nice pool. I skipped this step once. Once.
Have a hose ready or plan to get water delivered if your level’s really low. Pools lose water over winter—evaporation, tiny leaks, whatever. You’ll probably need to add some. One year I needed to add like 6 inches because apparently I have a small leak I still haven’t found. That’s a problem for future me.
Your chlorine delivery system—whether that’s a floater, automatic feeder, or salt system—needs to be ready to go once you get everything balanced. Make sure it’s clean and actually working. I had a floater that cracked and sank to the bottom with a chlorine tablet still in it. That was not great for that spot on my pool floor.
When To Actually Buy This Stuff
Don’t wait until you’re ready to open the pool to go shopping. Pool stores in April and May are absolute chaos. Lines out the door, stuff sold out, prices jacked up because they know you’re desperate.
I buy most of my chemicals in February or March when stores are trying to clear out inventory. Shock and algaecide keep fine if you store them properly—just keep them somewhere cool and dry, not in direct sun. I’ve got a shelf in my garage that’s basically my pool supply stockpile.
Make a list before opening weekend. I keep mine from last year and just check stuff off and add anything I forgot. Nothing kills your momentum like getting halfway through the process and realizing you’re out of pH down and it’s Sunday evening and the pool store’s closed.
Honestly, It’s Not That Bad
Opening your pool seems like this huge ordeal, and the first time I did it I definitely stressed about it more than necessary. But once you’ve got your supplies organized and know what you’re doing, it’s a few hours of work and then you’re good.
Get your chemicals together, make sure your cleaning equipment works, have your test kit ready, and just work through it step by step. You’ll be swimming in clean water while your neighbors are still calling pool companies trying to figure out why their water looks like a swamp.
And that first jump in the pool after you get it all opened and balanced? Totally worth the effort.