Hello! I'm Jonathan Broga with Potomac Pool Service. Today, I’ll be showing you how to open a swimming pool for the season. We’ll be going over of removing the cover, removing the plugs from the system, putting the plugs in the filter system, starting and priming the filter, cleaning the pool, and balancing the chemicals.

There are a few basic tools we’re going to need for this project such as a cover popper to remove the safety cover from the grommets. A drill to put the grommets down into the deck, basic hand tools to replace the plugs in the filter system. Any pool equipment that was removed in the fall such as schemer baskets or a cleaning system that goes in the pool. You want your cover bag to store the cover, basic pool cleaning supply such as vacuum hose, vacuum head, brush, net, and pole. A blower is a good place to start to blow the deck off before you even remove the cover so that the breeze doesn’t blow into the pool you’ve just cleaned.

As for chemicals, the first place to start is with the high quality test kit. You’ll certainly need chlorine either liquid or granular form. Additionally, you may need soda ash, baking soda, and calcium depending on the type of filter you have you may need DE. Muriatic Acid may be necessary as well to balance the pH.

A few words about safety, today we’ll be working with electricity, gas, flame, pressurized water, and air. If your system is not in tip top shape or you have any doubts about your ability to understand the risks involve with these issues, please call a local pool service professional.

As for my qualification, I'm president and co-owner of Potomac Pool Service. We’ve been in business in the D.C. metro area since 2003. Open in several hundreds swimming pool every spring. So let’s go ahead and get this pool ready for the season.