Pool Opening Supplies
There are two main types of water test kits, your basic pool test strips that come 50 or so to a bottle, and the chemical reagent test kits. The reagent test kits resemble a kid's chemistry kit in that you use a pool water samples mixed with various tester chemicals to get your results. The reagent test kits are said to be more accurate than your water test strips.
Absolutely vital to water chemistry and opening your pool; no pool owner should be caught without them. Water chemistry test kits, including test strips, are essential for assessing the pH and alkalinity levels in your pool water. They tell you where your chemistry levels are and, more importantly, in what direction you need to take them. If your chlorine reads low, then you bring it up higher; if your pH is high, then you take it low.
Without a test kit, you’re flying blind into a Category 5 Hurricane named Algae. Make sure your test kit and test strips are ready to go, as they play a crucial role in determining the next steps in adjusting the chemical balance for pool opening.
The literal shock and awe of pool chemistry. Pool shock is a fast dissolving highly concentrated chlorine powder. After dissolving, your pool’s free chlorine levels jump, effectively killing any bacterial contaminants or algae it touches, including the essential function to kill bacteria and viruses. For enhanced results, consider using a product like Swimway Blast prior to the liquid chlorine treatment to ensure a thoroughly sanitized pool environment.
A specialty chemical that neutralizes and kills various algae species. Algaecide is not always necessary if you have enough pool shock and traditional chlorine on hand. But if you’re not interested in blowing half your chlorine budget in the first week, algaecide is a good thing to have on hand for pool openings or any mid-season pool water chemistry hiccups.
Dosage: Varies
Stabilized chlorine is essential to maintaining the right pH balance and sanitizer and chlorine combination, comes in liquid or tablet form, and its formula constrains cyanuric acid, commonly referred to as “Chlorine’s Sunscreen.” Pool shock will only get you so far in the chlorine water chemistry battle. Pool shock spikes then dissipate quickly, but to keep your water clear and clean, you need stabilized chlorine for maximum staying power.
As caustic as chlorine is, it is very susceptible to the sun’s UV rays. Cyanuric acid acts as a protective buffer between chlorine and the sun’s rays, preventing chlorine burn-off. Chlorine burn-off occurs when the sun’s UV rays literally burn off active chlorine in your water, challenging the achievement of the ideal balance of these chemicals for comfortable and safe swimming throughout the summer.
The pH balancers are broken up into pH increasers, which boosts your pH if it is below 7.1 and below.
The pH decreaser drops your pH level if it is 7.9 and above.
Alkalinity is essentially a pH stabilizer. Unbalanced alkalinity levels can lead to swift changes in pH balance.
Desired Range:200 to 400 ppm
The measurement determines whether your water is “hard” or “soft”; ideally, you want your pool water to be neither. By keeping your pool water’s calcium hardness levels neutral, you prevent the stains that hard water is known to cause and any etching or equipment damage that soft water is known to cause.
Desired Range: 60 to 80 ppm
A chlorine’s best friend, cyanuric acid (stabilizer), helps keep your chlorine safe and active for longer by protecting it from chlorine burn-off from UV Rays. But don’t get it twisted; too much stabilizer is not good either. Too much cyanuric acid can lead to the dread chlorine lock. Before adjusting the stabilizer levels, removing and inspect winterizing plugs is crucial, as their proper handling is essential for ensuring the pool's chemical balance is ready for the season. There are several ways to treat chlorine lock, but unfortunately, no matter the method, it’s a pain in the neck.
Dosage: 1 pound pack per 10,000 gallons.
An oxidizing agent, non-chlorine shock breaks down organic and inorganic compounds in pool water. It is often used to break down dead algae, body oil, and sunscreens or lotions.
If you're low on pool chemicals or want to be sure you'll have everything you need to open your pool, a pool-opening chemical kit may be the right option. A pool opening kit includes the following
Chlorine Pool shock
Algaecide
Metal Control
Concentrated Clarifier
There are several chemical kit sizes based on your pool's volume in gallons. So, if you need a little calculate your pool's volume, see the pool volume chart. After a long and stagnant offseason, your pool water will need more than a single dose of shock leftover from last August.
Enough chlorine to open your pool and start your season
Shelf-life of chlorine - your leftover chlorine from the previous season will be of lower concentration due to expiration dates.
It does not include balancers but should have leftovers from the previous season.
Do you brush your teeth with a dirty toothbrush? No. So don't brush your freshly opened pool brush with all of last year's gunk.
Pool clarifiers are the proverbial cherry on top, the perfect finishing touch for giving your pool that sparkling shine. Clarifiers are especially helpful if you've completed an algae cleaning cycle or have any lingering floating dirt.
To treat a stain, first, you must know the stain. That’s where Jacks Magic Stain ID Kit comes in clutch. The Jacks Magic Stain ID Kit contains several stain test packets to help you ID and the best course of action to clean your targeted stain.
Different colors and types of stains have their own specific cleaner formula or method of cleaning. By starting with the ID kit, you’ll know the next move for a red stain: a metal remover is necessary. You may need a special manganese cleaning agent if the stain has a purplish hue. If a specific stain is a crusty white powder, then citric acid or descaler is your best friend.
Where there is stagnant pool water, there will be stains. These stains can be in your pool basin due to metals falling out of the solution, or they should be from metal equipment like railings or stairs. Either way, you get pool stains and need to find a way to treat them. There are special stain removers for copper stains, iron stains, and manganese stains, or you can use a full spectrum metal cleaner that recovers a variety of metal stains.
After a long winter of non-use and exposure to the elements, your pool pump may need a tune-up to ensure it is watertight and airtight. If your pool pump won’t prime, then you may need to replace its gaskets. Use a GOKIT (gasket and o-ring kit) to replace all your pool pump’s gaskets, including the shaft seal. To make sure you get the right GOKIT, you must first identify the make and model of your pool pump.
Once your pump is up and running, we suggest checking the water pressure of your filter and a thorough cleaning. DE and sand filters can be backwashed, while filter cartridges can be hosed off or deep cleaned via an acid bath. Additionally, it's crucial to fill the pool to the appropriate level to ensure optimal filter operation, as the correct water level is essential for the filter to function efficiently and effectively.
If your sand filter is spitting debris back into your swimming pool, your sand filter sand may be dirty or it you may need to replace its laterals.
For inline and offline chlorinators, check the canister’s lid, lid o-ring, drain plug, and canister for cracks or damage. Inspect the rubber feeder lines for damage from offline chlorinators, such as squirrels or other animal bite marks.
Give your salt cell a fresh start with a pool startup muriatic acid bath. Cleaning the salt cell, sometimes called descaling, ensures water can properly circulate over its titanium plates. Also, be sure to check your pool's salinity level and adjust it according to a pool salt chart.
After you remove your winter pool cover, but before you put it in storage, inspect it closely. Pool covers will eventually get a bit tattered on the edges due to regular wear and tear. But, if you begin to see splitting seams or the cover material itself is becoming brittle.
