1st time opener, couple of questions

[Bargus]

Hello all,

I've been reading up on opening my pool (for the first time; previous 5 years I've used a service). I'm mostly ready thanks in large part to reading the info here. I have a couple of quick questions, though:

1) When removing the winterizing plugs, they should be in the returns and skimmer. Anywhere else I might be overlooking?

2) After starting the pump, should I vacuum/scrub/run the pump a bit before adjusting chems? I'd think I'd want to get the water flowing and mixing, but I also don't want to leave the pool exposed too long with poorly maintained water.

3) With the caveat that cases can totally vary, the general sequence of chems is: Alk, pH, CYA, Cl? In general, I should adjust each one before moving on the next, correct?

4) To save myself time on opening day, is there any reason I shouldn't put pump/heater drain plugs in beforehand? I know it's a minor step, but I'll have my hands full doing this for the first time, so whatever I can check-off the list will be one less thing I have to worry about on the big day. Any other pre-actions recommended?

Thanks as always!

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome back to another year! For your questions:
1 - Returns and skimmer inlets primarily. But also check to ensure the heater plug and pump drain plugs are installed.
2 - Definitely get the water moving for at least 30-45 minutes before grabbing a water sample. If there is a lot of debris at the bottom, get that out as soon as possible.
3 - Chem sequence always varies. Post a full set to be safe so we can see. We can almost bet you'l need free chlorine, perhaps some stabilizer, and possibly need to lower the pH. But don't make assumptions. After you test go back to the PoolMath tool for guidance or let us know and we can help.
4 - You do want those plugs installed before running the system.

Hope that helps. If you have any problems along the way, let us know.

 

[Bargus]

Thanks! Appreciate the help. Wish me luck!