At the end of a long winter you never know what you are going to find when you remove your pool cover. During all of those months of sitting dormant, chances are your pool water has gone out of balance and built up some contaminants. To open your swimming pool the right way, there are several different chemicals you need.

After you have removed your pool cover, replaced your winterizing plugs, cleaned the skimmer baskets and main drain, thoroughly checked and reconnected your pool equipment, and started up your pool pump, it’s time for the chemicals. This handy guide will walk you through exactly which pool chemicals you need to start off on the right foot and get your pool ready for swim season. For complete instructions on how to open your pool, check out our comprehensive pool opening checklist.

Pool Balancing Chemicals

Pool balancing chemicals are very important to the pool start-up process. When pool water is chemically balanced, it provides the ideal environment for the rest of the necessary start-up chemicals to do their job.

Start by testing your pool water with a high quality test kit or test strips. If using a test kit, be sure to purchase fresh reagents each year. Your test kit will help you check and adjust the following levels:

Calcium Hardness - The optimal calcium hardness level for plaster pools is 225 to 300 ppm and 175 to 250 ppm for vinyl, painted, and fiberglass pools. Use Calcium Plus to instantly raise calcium hardness in your pool water. Use when hardness levels fall below 150 ppm. Add Calcium Hardness Reducer when hardness levels rise above 400 ppm to prevent staining and corrosion.

Total Alkalinity - Ideally, alkalinity should fall between 80-120 ppm. Alkalinity Up raises alkalinity levels to protect pool surfaces and helps maintain pH balance.

pH - Strive for a pH level between 7.2 and 7.6 ppm. Use pH Plus to quickly and safely raise your pool water's pH level when it drops below 7.2 ppm. pH Minus lowers pH levels to prevent scaling and cloudy water. Use when pH levels rise above 7.6 ppm.

Stabilizers - Chemicals such as cyanuric acid that prevent the UV rays of the sun from prematurely dissipating the chlorine level are called stabilizers or conditioners. The ideal range is 40-60 ppm. Add Pool Stabilizer/Conditioner to increase stabilizer levels.

After adjusting your calcium hardness, total alkalinity, pH, and stabilizer levels, it is a good idea to run the filter for at least six hours. After that time, retest the water to make sure that all of the levels are within the desired range.

Pool Start-Up Chemicals

Now that the pool water is balanced, you have set the stage for your start-up chemicals to do their job: giving your water that extra boost it needs to get back into perfect swimming condition. Here is a list of the essential pool start-up chemicals, to be used in the following order:

  1. Metal Out - Metal Out is a powerful sequestering agent that prevents stains and scaling on pool surfaces that are caused by metals in the water. Add 4-6 ounces of Metal Out per 10,000 gallons of water. Let the pool water circulate for two hours before moving to step 2.
  2. Chlorine Shock - Treat your pool with a powerful chlorine shock to quickly raise the chlorine levels, destroying organic contaminants and killing algae and bacteria in your pool water. One pound of shock treats 10,000 gallons of water. Allow the pool to circulate for two hours before adding the next chemical.
  3. Spring Algaecide - Quickly kill any algae in your pool and prevent it from growing in the future with Spring Algaecide. Recommended dose is 16 oz per 10,000 gallons of water. Wait 2 hours while the pool circulates before moving on to the final step.
  4. Water Clarifier - Remove contaminants that cause cloudy water and are too tiny to be trapped by your filtration system. Add 16 oz of Water Clarifier per 10,000 gallons of water for improved filter performance and a sparkling clean pool. Run the pool pump for two hours after adding the clarifier.
  5. Sanitizer - After adding all of the start up chemicals and circulating the pool water as needed, don’t forget to add sanitizer. Use chlorine or bromine tablets in a chlorinator, brominator, or floating feeder to reach the desired level of 1.0-3.0 ppm for chlorine or 3.0 ppm for bromine.

The good news is that all of the necessary start up chemicals are available in Doheny’s handy Pool Start-Up Kit. That way you don’t have to worry about running back and forth struggling to find the right chemicals to open your pool.

Choose the Right Start-Up Kit for Your Pool

A pool start up kit will provide you with exactly what you need to achieve sparkling clean water that is safe for you and your family to enjoy. Doheny’s kits are your ‘one stop shop’ to make opening your pool easier than ever before. For your convenience, we offer three different kits. Multiple kits can be combined to accommodate larger swimming pools.

Start-Up Kit #1 for swimming pools up to 10,000 gallons. Kit contains:

  • 1 pint Metal Out
  • 1 pint Water Clarifier
  • 1 pint Spring Algaecide
  • 1 lb. Super Shock Plus
  • 10 FREE Water Testing Strips

Start-Up Kit #2 for swimming pools up to 20,000 gallons. Kit contains:

  • 1 quart Metal Out
  • 1 quart Water Clarifier
  • 1 quart Spring Algaecide
  • 2 lb Super Shock Plus
  • 10 FREE Water Testing Strips

Start-Up Kit #3 for swimming pools up to 30,000 gallons. Kit contains:

  • 2 quarts Metal Out
  • 1 quart Water Clarifier
  • 2 qts. Spring Algaecide
  • 4 lbs. Super Shock Plus
  • 10 FREE Water Testing Strips

Whether you have a small above ground pool, a gigantic inground pool, or anything in between, opening up for the spring is a lot easier with the right high-quality chemicals. Doheny’s Pool Supplies has everything you need to start swim season off right with a sparkling, clean swimming pool. If you have any questions about opening your pool, give us a call today at 800-574-7665, or visit us online at doheny.com.