When to Open Your Inground Pool

March weather in Maryland can be tricky. It can feel like winter one day, and early summer the next. Warming temperatures definitely make us think of pool season. But when to open your inground pool is a good question. When is it too early?

March may be too early to open your inground pool, but it’s not too early to contact a pool service company if you want them to do all the work for you. In fact, planning ahead can save you money.

Why Open Your Inground Pool Sooner Rather than Later?

In general, the time to open your inground pool is when daytime temperatures hit 70 degrees on a regular basis. Even if the overnight temps dip well into the 30s and 40s, those warmer daytime temperatures provide a prime opportunity for algae to start growing. And that’s especially true if you have a dark pool cover that allows the pool water to warm up even further. Or a mesh pool cover that lets the sunlight in.

In addition to preventing algae growth, there are several other reasons to open your inground pool in April.

Time and Money
You may think delaying your ingound swimming pool opening would save you money. The opposite is actually true. The longer you wait, the more algae will grow, and the dirtier your pool water will get. That means it will take a lot of extra cleaning and chemicals to get it ready for swimming. But if you open it before algae has a chance to take hold, opening your pool is a breeze.

Kids
If your kids are like ours, they start begging you to open the pool on the first semi-warm day. Opening your inground pool earlier gives them the opportunity to get outside and away from the Xbox. Your neighbors may look at you funny for opening your pool early, but once they see your kids in it, they’ll understand. And if you have a pool heater, that’s even better!

Aesthetics
Let’s face it. Pool covers are not the most attractive things to look at. A sparkling pool is beautiful to behold, and lifts your spirits after the grey days of winter. And even if you don’t go into the pool just yet, you’ll find yourself sitting in the sun on the patio, daydreaming of summer.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

Opening your inground pool is less complicated than closing it for the winter, but there are still a lot of steps to take to get the job done right. If you’re not prepared for all of the cleaning, mechanical work, and pool chemicals, you may want to hire a pool care company. But if you make it a family affair (with kids over 10), you can get it done in a day.  We’ll have some tips on that next week.

And then it’s time to enjoy your inground pool!