New to the forum

[Sheila2e]

Yeah, We're trying to figure out the pros & cons.... We didn't get much swim time last summer because our pool wasn't installed til late July.... So everyone is trying to get as much in as possible this summer!

[AnnaK]

We plan to hook up the equipment this weekend. We're in east central PA and probably have temps similar to yours. I want to be able to run the pump and mix in bleach to stay ahead of the greening that begins at around 54F water temperature and I definitely want to catch the pollen when it starts dropping on the pool. Most likely the pump won't be on every day yet though if we get a freeze, I'll run it at night. It won't be ready for people to swim in until mid-May (if you're very brave) but the dogs can get in now, the sooner, the better, they say.

[Sheila2e]

That's what we're thinking! Luckily we have no trees around our house. We chopped our pear tree down because we were gonna put the pool in that location, but it was too close to our neighbor's property line. My kids are determined to swim soon, I'm hoping by letting them feel the water, it'll change their minds.

Over the weekend we plan on hooking up the pump, cleaning the winter cover off, start to fill it, then bleach it. (which I learned from this forum! Thanks for that) Swimming is not in the plans for a few more weeks. I'm just really fearful of algae. So when want to get a start on it all soon.

[PoolDoc]

Post your pool info -- pool size, type, pump size, filter size type -- and we can give some beginning doses.

[AnnaK]

Ben's comment above, where he says the air is literally yellow fogged with pollen right now, is a good reminder that you don't need trees anywhere near your pool to be a beneficiary of the yellow haze. In our area, when the spruce, fir, and pine trees pop everything gets covered in yellow. The pool surface is like a magnet for pollen.

We've never had the pool thawed this early. In past years it was the end of March/beginning of April before all the ice was gone, and the end of April before the water got warm enough to support algae growth. We're a month early this year. I want to get the equipment hooked up to make cleaning the pool possible because I just do not want to deal with the mess created by stagnant water.

Adding bleach and stirring it in with the skimmer net works fine for a little while but in the absence of a proper chemical balance it's a less than ideal solution. Right now I have no CYA, the pH is at the bottom acceptable value and I'm not entirely convinced it's an accurate reading, the TA is only 40. Must get water balanced!

We have cheap electric rates at night. Running my 2-speed pump on low doesn't even make a dent in the bill. I agree with Ben: having a pool open and needing to maintain it long before you can use it will get old fast but the alternative is watching it get greener by the day. I'd rather not.

[Sheila2e]

We haven't even taken the cover off yet... Being that last fall was our first ever close up of a swimming pool, it's kinda like a trial & error situation for us. I'm hoping we did everything properly and won't have a huge nasty mess. But after reading on here about the fact we didn't have much of a freeze & algae may be a huge problem if we don't start now.... We've made up our mines to be brave, hope for the best and get the cover off this weekend, then go from there. I will definitely keep you all posted on our experience. And I am certain I will be on this forum a million times through out the spring/summer looking for advice and tips!

[Watermom]

. And I am certain I will be on this forum a million times through out the spring/summer looking for advice and tips!