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Pool opening checklist
Open a pool from the top down: clear the water and leaves off the cover, lift it off without tipping debris in, raise the water to the middle of the skimmer, pull the winter plugs and put the equipment back together. Then prime the pump, test, balance, shock, brush and leave the filter running. Look for leaks and freeze cracks before any chemicals go in, because a split filter tank or cracked pump lid stops the whole visit.
Edit the opening list
Cover off to the owner walkthrough. Read the closing notes first to see what was plugged, drained and stored, and add a green-pool cleanup line if the water needs it.
Pool opening checklist
- Read the closing notes: plugs, drained parts and where they are stored
- Photograph the cover, deck, fence and equipment pad as you find them
- Pump the water off the cover; blow or brush the leaves off
- Cover off without tipping debris in; hose, dry and fold it away
- Safety cover anchors screwed down flush with the deck
- Top up the water to the middle of the skimmer opening
- Winter plugs out of returns and skimmer; return fittings back in
- Ladders, rails and skimmer baskets back; check bolts and bumpers
- Drain plugs back in pump, filter and heater; stored parts reconnected
- Filter: cartridges or grids in, sand checked, lid O-ring lubricated
- Prime the pump: basket full of water, lid tight, air bled at the filter
- Run it and look for leaks and cracks at the pump, unions, valves, filter
- Heater: clear nests and debris, gas on, fire it once flow is steady
- Check the liner or plaster, tile line, lights and skimmer for damage
- Net out debris; test, then balance alkalinity and pH before the shock
- Shock per the label, at dusk if you can, with the pump running
- Brush walls and floor; vacuum to waste if the debris is heavy
- Filter running nonstop; clean it once the pressure climbs
- Walk the owner around: swim date, repairs found, the next water test
Why is the pool green when the cover comes off?
Usually because the chlorine ran out before the cold arrived: a warm stretch after closing, a cover that let leaves and rain in, or winter algaecide that high chlorine broke down at closing. It is fixable, but it is a cleanup, and it is not the opening the owner was quoted. Show them the water, say what the cleanup adds and get a yes before you start.
Quote openings with a clear-water price and a separate green-pool line, so nobody argues about it on the deck. A pool where you can see the floor opens in one visit. A swamp with leaves on the bottom needs the debris netted out, repeated shocking and brushing, vacuuming to waste and several filter cleanings, and it usually needs a return visit. Put that return visit on the quote too.
What freeze damage should you check for at opening?
Anything that held water all winter. Look for a split pump housing or strainer lid, a cracked filter tank or multiport valve, and drips from the heater. At the pool, check the skimmer throat and the tile line for cracks. Then run the system and watch it: a pump that will not hold prime, air bubbling out of the returns or a pressure gauge that keeps wandering all point to a leak on the suction side.
If the water keeps dropping after opening, do a bucket test before you blame the liner. Set a bucket of pool water on a step, mark the water inside it and the pool level outside it, and compare both the next day. If the pool drops more than the bucket, it is leaking; if they drop together, it is evaporation. A pipe leak underground is a job for a leak detection company.
What do you tell the owner at the opening walkthrough?
When they can swim: once the water is clear and balanced and the chlorine has fallen to the level on the shock’s label, which is rarely the same afternoon. Then what you found, such as a worn liner, a cover tear or a pump seal starting to leak, with a price for each repair. Finish with how long to run the filter each day and when the water gets tested next.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to open a pool?
Before the water warms up. Algae grows fast in warm water, and a pool opened early is usually clearer and cheaper to clear than one left under the cover until the first heat wave. Opening early also leaves time to order parts for anything that cracked over winter, before the owner wants to swim.
What if the pump will not prime?
Check the simple causes in order: water up to the skimmer, every suction valve open, the basket full of water and the lid O-ring seated and lubricated. A drain plug left out or a cracked lid lets air in. If it still runs dry, look for a clogged impeller or a leak on the suction side before you blame the motor.
How should the winter cover be stored?
Clean and dry. Hose it off on a sloped driveway or the lawn, let it dry fully and fold it, then keep it in a lidded bin off the floor. A cover put away wet grows mildew, and mice chew a mesh cover left on a garage floor. Look for tears, worn straps and missing springs as you fold it, and quote any repair long before closing day.