What do I need to do to open up my salt water pool?

Question

What do I need to do to open up my salt water pool?

Answer 1

I'm assuming in ground pool here, but most of these steps are applicable to an above ground pool as well.

1/ Remove and clean your winter cover

2/ Clean up the pool deck area, install diving board, pool lights, ladders or rails. Remove winterizing plugs from the return lines and skimmer .Look for styrene rope left in skimmer holes and returns and remove it if it's there. Re install return eyeballs and skimmer basket.

3/ Clean up any winter bathtub ring, around the pool. What you use, depends on what type of pool this is, vinyl or concrete.

4/ Start filling

5/Re install drain plugs in filter, pump and heater. Light pilot for heater if it's gas ( follow the instructions located on the inside of the front door)  after removing spider webs etc in the burner tray. If it's a solar heater, re install the drain plugs at the top and bottom of the panel headers. Make sure all plumbing is secured at the pump , filter and heater. Some pool guys will forget to tighten gear clamps etc, that they loosened when blowing the lines for winterizing ( guilty...dunnit myself and got soaked for my forgetfulness)

Now, for your salt generator. The actual cell is supposed to have been removed for winterizing. You simply re install it in the return plumbing where the big gap is after removing any plugs or rags that may have been put in there to stop critters from making a home. The cell ought to have been cleaned at close. If it wasn't, clean it now before re installing. Some manufactures make a cell that has an arrow on it that indicates water flow. Make sure the arrow is pointing down the plumbing run to the pool and not back towards the equipment. Most cells are designed to work either way, but some of the older ones weren't which is why I included that bit about the arrow. Rout the cell's cabling up to the control unit and plug it in. If the service guy removed your sensor unit ( applicable to a Chloromatic salt generator  only), re install it after rinsing the electrodes off with fresh water and cleaning with a soft rag. You'll need to re teflon tape the threads on the unit before installing. At this point you're more or less done. Let the pool fill and when it's high enough for the skimmer to start going, prime your pump and let 'er rip. Check everything for leaks and deal with them. Really minor ones ( a drip every 20 seconds or more) will actually sometimes resolve themselves as the water warms up, especially where O rings are concerned.

Check your water balance and salinity. You don't mention which salt generator you have, but some actually have an LED display that will show you the current salinity. If not, you'll need to take a water sample into a pool shop for testing. Don't start your salt generator trying to produce chlorine just yet. Many won't let you anyway, since their temperature sensor will detect a too low temperature or too low a salinity as well and will flash you a warning message. Get the temp up and have your salinity in range before you start up the cell. Most units out there are happy with a 2500- 3200 ppm salt reading, so if you need to add salt ( probably), do that and let it circulate and retest after 24 hours. When it's all in range, fire it up.

If there's something specific you'd like to ask, just post in additional comments.