We get the “when to open your swimming pool” question a lot, especially from new homeowners.

There are a few things to consider when deciding on a time frame for your Spring opening:

What type of cover do you have?

Algae are plants, so when you see the grass getting greener, the flowers out, the algae in your pool is growing as well. So the longer you wait, the more green your pool will be, especially if you have a standard mesh safety cover. The sun will go through the cover and help the algae to grow. There are sun-blocking safety covers on the market, such as the Merlin Industries SmartMesh™ cover which will significantly reduce algae growth. These covers also filter down to about 40 microns (a sand filter filters about 30 microns), so you’ll only get the finest debris in the pool as well. [Read more…]