Vinyl pool opening after freezing winter climate

[Rockstead]

I have an 18x36 Vinyl pool constructed 2 years ago, 8 Foot Deep end, Aqualogic system + Aqualogic SWG, Sand Filter, 2HP 1 speed pump.

Pool is closed from October where we have below freezing winters and we open in April and swim in May. I had the pump running up until it was closed but I turned off the SWG, I should have kept it running as the water turned green prior to closing, the persona closingit put a lot og Algecide in it I believe as it brought the colour back slightly and looked better when I opened it but it has been a few days already and it went greener.

I've never opened a pool myself, I don't plan to do it entirely myself this year but I'll have someone that fixes some small leaks on the equipment pad and turning on the Pump until I have the know how to do it myself, need to watch some videos on it if any exist for that type of config.

After all the leaks are fixed and the pump is running, is there a guide I can read from that point to get the water right again, I also purchased a TFT-100 test kit and a Magentic Stirrer but I've never either.

The pool did have one of those black mesh covers on it, but for sure there is some dirt that has collected at the bottom. I remember at one point last year the pool company had me put something in the water that made the dirt settle to the bottom and form a more solid state but I Vaccumed on filter and not waste and the whole thing got cloudy again and it was difficult to get back again.

I hope there is a guide that detailed I can follow so I don't make any mistakes or don't pay for products not necessary that the pool store sells you.

Thanks for anything you can teach me!

 

[JasonLion]

Exactly what you do depends on lots of things. Once you have the equipment running, you run the pump for at least an hour, then get a complete set of water test results , take a look at what the water look like, and then use that to figure out what to do next.

 

[Rockstead]

Exactly what you do depends on lots of things. Once you have the equipment running, you run the pump for at least an hour, then get a complete set of water test results , take a look at what the water look like, and then use that to figure out what to do next.

1.Is there a step by step guide to follow that tells me what do at every step?

2. I know going in that the water is greenish, do I still have to test the water first or can I shock it first and then test it?

3. If I can shock it first, how do I know how much bleach to put in?
4. Should the SWG be on while I'm doing this?
5. Should the SWG be on Super Chlorinate for this too?

I started reading some of the pool school threads,

6. I gather liquid chlorine sold at Walmart will be better priced than those sold at the pool store or the those little shock bags?

 

[JasonLion]

1) Not exactly. The complete list would run to hundreds of pages, so no one ever writes it down that way. If you narrow things down a little, various specific situations have written up guides. The best thing to do is to post your water test results and we can then walk you through all the steps.
2) Test first. There are a couple of things that can be off far enough that they should be corrected before shocking.
3) N/A
4 & 5) There is some disagreement about this. It is usually simpler to leave it off, since you will need way more chlorine than it could provide, but you can use the SWG to supplement the chlorine you add manually. If you do use the SWG, yes super chlorinate/boost.
6) Where you find the best price varies from place to place and season to season. WalMart always has good prices, but sometimes you can find liquid chlorine at a pool store for less.

 

[Rockstead]

It's funny, none of the pool guys in Montreal seems to use test kits.

This is a typical opening, they dump a bunch of those small shock packets in your pool right away after turning on all the equipment and then they say to take a sample of the water to the pool store.

So I'm going to see if he can just credit me the difference for those shock powders since I was reading in the chlorine thread that that concentrated powder is not recommended chlorine to use.

Should I be Vaccuming on waste before shocking the pool?

 

[JasonLion]

If there is lots of obvious debris on the bottom then vacuuming to waste is a great idea. That is not usually required however. If there are just some leaves here and there then it is usually simpler to scoop them out with a leaf rake and not bother vacuuming until later.

 

[reindeerboy]

The very first thing I do after the winter and getting the pump running is vacuum on waste to remove all of the dirt on the bottom of the pool from the winter. Then I add a Crud load of bleach and test the water accordingly. CYA usually gets added next.

Just what I do anyway and it works great. Except when mother nature doesnt allow you to open the pool because you just got a foot of snow! :grrrr: