The temperature outside maybe in negative numbers right now so thinking about opening your pool anytime soon may well be the last thing on your mind. Quite rightly so, however once the weather starts behaving and starts to look a little bit more Spring-like then you will want to consider opening your pool, even if you aren’t planning on using is for a month. We will explain why.
Algae Makes Your Opening Harder
When the weather starts to get warmer Algae will start to bloom in your pool. Over the winter the chlorine in your pool that was put in at closing will have become used up and likely be diluted down by the rain and snow therefore it is likely you will start to get a green pool. The more the algae starts to grow the harder it is to remove. This will cost you in the long run by effort and chemical costs. If you have a company (like us) to open your pool you will likely find that multiple visits will be required to get your pool up and running. The other point to consider is the length of time it will take to open your pool. Typically to remove a difficult bloom of algae would take between 1-2 weeks.
Running the Pool When Not Using It
Like a lightbulb being on when you aren’t in the room, it may seem counter-intuitive to have your pool running when you aren’t using it. However, when you analyse the costs compared to extra chemicals and extra labour you will see that it soon stacks up. A typical pump will cost between 20p – 30p a day to run if running for 24 hours. When you open the pool but don’t need to use it you could simply run the pump for only 6 hours only costing between 5p and 6p a day. Throughout the time you aren’t using the pool you will not need to run the heating on the pool so there won’t be any extra costs involved here. The last expense by opening up the pool early is a small amount of chlorine each week to maintain the sanitation. As the pool will not be used it will not need as much chlorine however needs a little bit of topping up now and then is advised.
What to Do If It Freezes?
If the weather report states that the weather is going to take a dive after you have opened the pool then the resolution is simple. You will need to keep water moving to stop it from freezing and causing damage to your pool. To do this you need to simply flip your pool time to constant which will run the pool pump all the time. With the water moving it is much less likely to freeze and cause damage. An alternative is to have a frost stat installed which will automatically switch on the pump when the temperature gets below a set temperature.
Summary
Ultimately the choice is up to you, however we hope we have demonstrated the significant cost saving you can achieve by simply opening your pool a few weeks earlier even if you aren’t planning on using the pool. Opening your pool late in the season could end up costing hundreds of pounds to open your pool and the likelihood is it might not be in time for that pool party you planned.
