Your Guide To The Perfect Time To Open The Pool In Your Backyard

The boots are starting to be put away and your layers are shedding slowly, meaning the summertime air is officially on its way. If you have a pool in your backyard, you are likely itching for warmer months and the chance to finally jump into your pool. Closing your pool for winter can be a daunting task, but opening it back up is something that often fills homeowners with joy — you just have to know the right time to do it. The exact timing will depend on where you live, but as a general rule, you should wait to reopen your backyard pool when the daytime weather is consistently at 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

But don't let one day of nice weather rush you into opening up your pool. There are a lot of things to consider before you actually do it, and not paying attention to those considerations can lead to unpleasant things like algae, murky-looking water, and higher financial costs.

For many, Memorial Day marks the start of the summer season, prompting us to rummage in our drawers for our bikinis and jump right into a pool. Unfortunately, with the weather being a bit more unpredictable, it's not a wise choice to use the federal holiday as a guide for when to open your backyard pool back up. Some may feel that waiting for a consistent week of 65-degree weather is a bit much, but if you don't follow that rule, you can be facing a lot of issues. If you open up your pool too early, you are looking at potentially messing with your pool chemicals, which can lead to algae build-up.

On the other hand, opening up your pool too late can also lead to algae growth, since it grows more in hotter weather. In addition to the algae, a pool that is not opened at the right time can cause issues with your pool's pH, meaning you need more chemicals and more maintenance, both of which lead to a higher cost. Even if you feel that 65 degrees is still a bit cold to swim, you should still open up your pool to ensure it is healthy and ready to go for summer.

Once you have the timing down, the next step is knowing the right way to open up your pool. Often, people wake up to a gorgeous day and rush to get their summer activities going, but this can be a big mistake when it comes to opening up your pool for the season. Before you fill your pool back up with water, you need to clean it properly. This means brushing the sides and bottom of the pool and vacuuming out any debris that has snuck in over the winter. Once your pool is clean and you fill it back up, you want to make sure you are shocking the water after the sun goes down to help the pool chemicals work overnight.

In addition to shocking the pool, make sure you remove any drain plugs you used when winterizing your pool, replace pool lights, and check for any damage that may have occurred when the pool was covered. While opening your pool may seem like a lot of work (and it is!), that very first dip into your backyard pool makes it all worth it.