When to Open Your Inground Pool

March weather in Maryland can be fickle. We might get a snowstorm one week, and have temperatures in the 60s, the 70s, and even 80s the next. In fact, according to the National Weather Service, the maximum high temperature recorded at BWI in March was 90°F.

This fluctuation in temperatures is why March and early April can be a great time to open your inground pool. Nighttime low temperatures are now dependably above freezing. You may not be thinking about lounging around the pool just yet, but the professional pool care companies are.

The Dreaded Algae

The warmer it gets, the more likely you are to have algae growth under your pool cover. That’s because the winterizing chemicals that went into your pool last fall are losing their effectiveness. And if you let algae take hold, opening your inground pool goes from an easy to a difficult endeavor.

What Inground Pool Opening Entails

Opening your inground pool involves more than you might think It’s a multi-step process. If you do it yourself, plan on having a helper. Here’s what you need to plan for:

• Remove pool cover.
• Place pool circulation, filtration, and heater.
• Remove winterization plugs and install fittings.
• Reassemble and install pool deck equipment (pool ladder, diving board)
• Remove leaves and floating debris.
• Add shock and sanitizer to pool water, including chlorine, DE, Algaecide
• Vacuum pool.
• Blow off the pool deck.
• Brush pool cover and/or blow off debris.
• Store pool cover.
• Check filtration system for leaks or and identify needed repairs.
• Initiate spas, water features, and in-floor cleaning systems.

If all of this sounds a bit daunting, or you can’t remember how to do everything, you may want to consider hiring a pool maintenance company to help. Opening your inground swimming pool early and running the pump 6 hours a day while it’s not in use can save you money on pool chemicals.

Schedule Pool Opening Service

In addition to designing and installing your inground pool, Woodfield Outdoors offers a full range of pool maintenance and pool repair services. This of course includes our pool opening service. Visit our pool care page for full details. You can sign up for a standalone service of pool opening, or sign up for a pool opening + regular pool care package to get you through the summer.

Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We hope you’re able to celebrate with some take-out from your favorite pub, or better yet, find the pot of gold the leprechaun left at the end of the rainbow! If you find it, let us know.