I had a new pool installed last September and am in central Connecticut so I didn't really get to use it much last year. My 2 kids are itching to get in and so this weekend I started the process of opening the pool and it's definitely the first time I've ever done it. The installer closed it down as a part of the contract last season so I'm an extreme novice here. I need help (looked for a guide but couldn't find one) getting this sucker opened up. Here's what I've done so far -
- removed/cleaned/put away cover
- removed 5 plugs and reinstalled eyes on jets
- added baskets back to skimmers, removing winterguards
- added filter back to hayward filter casing, tightened air release at top and drain at bottom
- turned electrical on for everything but heat pump
- manually skimmed any left over debris on pool surface (I get way too many leaves)
- backwashed and vacuumed pool
- added 6 lbs of premixed DE to skimmer basket with the pump on (read this was the way to go)
- added 3 lbs of BioGuard balance pak 100 to raise alkalinity levels (was reading below 40 ppm using test strips)
Now given this was installed in September and patio didn't go in until a bit later, there was a ton of dirt that ended up in the pool, which is why I started backwashing first to get rid of as much dirt as I could. My Dolphin is roaming around, but requires constant emptying because there is still a lot of dirt in the pool, but it's getting much better. With that said, my pool is really cloudy and I can't see the bottom (which I could last year). I'm sure it's a chemical thing, so I'm going to 'pool school' for that, but I wanted to run by my 'opening' procedure with more knowledge folks that might be willing to tell me where I missed the mark. Do I need to do anything with salt or my AutoPilot?
Thanks for any help you can be to this rookie!
- removed/cleaned/put away cover
- removed 5 plugs and reinstalled eyes on jets
- added baskets back to skimmers, removing winterguards
- added filter back to hayward filter casing, tightened air release at top and drain at bottom
- turned electrical on for everything but heat pump
- manually skimmed any left over debris on pool surface (I get way too many leaves)
- backwashed and vacuumed pool
- added 6 lbs of premixed DE to skimmer basket with the pump on (read this was the way to go)
- added 3 lbs of BioGuard balance pak 100 to raise alkalinity levels (was reading below 40 ppm using test strips)
Now given this was installed in September and patio didn't go in until a bit later, there was a ton of dirt that ended up in the pool, which is why I started backwashing first to get rid of as much dirt as I could. My Dolphin is roaming around, but requires constant emptying because there is still a lot of dirt in the pool, but it's getting much better. With that said, my pool is really cloudy and I can't see the bottom (which I could last year). I'm sure it's a chemical thing, so I'm going to 'pool school' for that, but I wanted to run by my 'opening' procedure with more knowledge folks that might be willing to tell me where I missed the mark. Do I need to do anything with salt or my AutoPilot?
Thanks for any help you can be to this rookie!