How to get your pool ready for the summer

Yahoo

11-04-2025

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — With summer coming around the corner, most residents tend to cool off by taking a dip in a swimming pool. But before you do that, there's some pool maintenance that needs to be done before you host any backyard pool parties.
Local experts from Professional Pool & Spa talked about what maintenance needs to be done first.
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'There's a lot of winter cleanup, and there's the dust and dirt and debris that may fall into the pool covers,' office manager Lucas Mosher said. 'You know, one step at a time. Got to get those covers off the pools without that debris making its way into the pool, if possible, for a little easier startup and cleanup. But it's pretty much just a big cleanup in the springtime.'
Mosher says owning a pool or spa may sound like a lot of maintenance, but residents will quickly get the hang of things if they manage it properly.
'It might seem like at first owning a pool or a spa is going to be a little bit of something that you have to learn to get a grasp on, but you will quickly pick up on the week-to-week needs that your poor spa has for you,' he said.
The key to maintaining water quality in your swimming pool is understanding basic water chemistry, such as pH levels and chlorination.
'Water chemistry is like changing the oil in your vehicle,' Mosher said. 'If you don't watch it, adjust your chemistry as needed when needed, then the life expectancy of every aspect of your swimming pool or hot tub will be shortened.'
For any Siouxlanders interested in buying a pool this year, the very first step is measuring.
'Measuring, of course, to have somewhat of an idea of what you're thinking will fit is a great idea, good start anyway,' Mosher said. 'If we're doing an above-ground or if we're doing an in-ground, we just need to know what we're dealing with underground too. So, you know, having underground utilities found and flagged and so on is not a bad idea if you're doing a swimming pool.'
Mosher also says to avoid certain pool chemicals.
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'Stay away from the products that say '4-in-1″ because they tend to have extra ingredients that your pool and spa is not necessarily really going to need regularly,' he said. 'So if you can stick with something that's kind of almost more commercial grade where it just does the one thing that it's designed to do, you'll be better off. Keep it simple.'
Mosher also wanted to tell residents that draining their pool before any labor is their best bet.
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