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Everything you need to do, in order, to get your pool ready for the season.
Opening a pool for spring comes down to five steps done in order: clear debris off the cover, remove it carefully, clean the pool, test and shock the water, then restart your filtration and heating. Most UK pool owners do this in April, once water temperature starts rising consistently. Skipping the shock treatment step is the most common reason people end up swimming in cloudy or green water for weeks after reopening.
After months under cover, it’s tempting to pull everything off and jump straight in, but the order you do things in makes a real difference to how long it takes before the water’s actually swimmable. This guide walks through the full reopening process, with a link to everything you need at each step.
Before removing the cover, clear off any standing debris and rainwater sitting on top, so it doesn’t drain straight into the pool as you take it off. Once clear, remove the cover fully and give it a chance to dry before folding away or storing on the reel.
With the cover off, brush the walls and floor and remove any debris that’s settled over winter. This clears the way for accurate water testing in the next step, and stops the filter getting overwhelmed the moment it restarts.
Test pH and chlorine levels, even if the water still looks clear, months under a cover changes the chemistry regardless of appearance. Most pools need a shock treatment at this point to bring levels back to a safe standard before swimming. If the water’s turned green, this is also the step where an algaecide treatment clears it, usually within a few days alongside brushing.
Restart your pump and filtration system and let it run continuously for the first day or two to help clear the water fully. If you’re using a heat pump, this is also when to switch it back on, pairing it with your solar cover from this point gets you back to efficient running costs straight away rather than losing heat while you’re still settling the water.
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Usually 24-48 hours after shocking, but always confirm by testing rather than just waiting a fixed time, chlorine levels need to have dropped back to a safe range (below 5ppm) before it’s safe to swim.
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