Pool Opening Checklist
Every step to open your pool for spring, with a printable sheet and the chemistry targets to hit.
Updated · Reviewed by the Skimmer editorial team
Open once daytime temperatures stay at 65 to 70°F for about a week, ideally 2 to 3 weeks before you want to swim. Expect 4 to 6 hours of hands-on work, and 48 to 72 hours before the water is ready.
Supplies
Chemicals
Testing
Tools
Opening steps
1. Before you open
2. Uncover and reassemble
3. Start-up
4. Chemistry and clean-up
Opening targets
| Reading | Target |
|---|---|
| Free chlorine | Shock to about 40% of CYA, then hold at about 7.5% of CYA |
| pH | 7.4 to 7.6 |
| Total alkalinity | 80 to 120 ppm |
| Calcium hardness | 200 to 400 ppm |
| CYA | 30 to 50 ppm (60 to 80 salt) |
| Salt | 2,700 to 3,400 ppm |
Calculate all your opening doses at once with the pool chemical calculator. Need your gallons first? Use the pool volume calculator.
Common after a long winter. Skip the algaecide aisle and follow the green pool recovery plan: raise chlorine to the SLAM level for your CYA and hold it until the water is clear.
Free from skimmerpoolcare.com. Log today's test in Skimmer: Pool Care Log on the App Store.
General reference for residential pools. Product labels and local guidance override any figure here. See our methodology and editorial policy. Skimmer · skimmer pool care.