Getting your Ft. Worth pool ready for the season

As the high season for swimming approaches in Dallas/Ft. Worth, it's the perfect time to get your backyard oasis ready to take the plunge.

Start with the yard
Anyone about to start "opening" the pool or calling their Ft. Worth pool service to handle it should first take a look at the big picture – the backyard.

Whatever needs to be done in terms of pruning, planting, weeding, sweeping or trimming should be done before cleaning the pool, since you don't want to have the pool maintenance done all over again after yard cleanup – and you definitely don't want debris of any kind blowing or tracking into your freshly rejuvenated pool.

If you use Poolman's Ft. Worth pool service, you need only make a phone call to finish your part in getting the pool ready. They take care of all the potentially exhausting work and important chemical levels, step by step.This includes:

• Checking all equipment, including drains, covers, lights and solar, plumbing and electrical devices
• Maintaining the filter which, depending on type, can mean backwashing or replacing the cartridge
• Removing trash and debris by skimming or scraping
• Vacuuming and scrubbing the tile
• Emptying and cleaning filter baskets 
• Checking and balancing chemical levels, which should be continued every week thereafter
• Testing pH, alkaline and chlorine levels and correcting

Trust your pool to a pro
Have a professional test your water, Larry Biscornet, president of LBI Swimming Pools in New Rochelle, N.Y., told Popular Mechanics.

"It's a good idea because they'll do a complete test … They'll test the mineral content of the water, along with the total alkalinity and the pH and the chlorine levels," he explained.

Though some people may choose to handle pool service on their own, there are many good reasons – apart from the heavy lifting – for turning your pool over to a professional pool service. One is that professionals simply won't make the mistakes that amateurs do.

For one thing, Biscornet told Popular Mechanics, many pool owners don't know that they should not attempt to empty their pools, which can cause problems. For example, draining a pool in an area with a high water table can actually cause it to lift out of the ground, and pool owners may not realize that.

"People think they're going to empty and clean their pool but they either do it in a very wet season when there's a high groundwater table, or their swimming pool actually sits in a high water table," he said. "When you empty a pool in a high water table, it's very possible that the pool will pop out of the ground like a boat," adding that this could mean having to replace the pool entirely.

More than they bargained for
Even with far simpler procedures, such as filter maintenance, self-taught backyard pool service has its disadvantages. 

Filter service, for example, is not just about the filter – an entire filtration system must be checked and serviced. After cleaning or changing the filters themselves, it's important to adjust valves, put the filter valve in the filtering mode and adjust the pipes – first ensuring that the valves and the rings are sufficiently lubricated and operating normally. Only then is it safe to start using the filter.

Poolman participation
Let your season of relaxation begin early by contacting Poolman Ft. Worth for all your maintenance and repair. You can count on Poolman for all the routine maintenance, plus timely repairs of any pool issues, including:

• New filter, pump, motor and valve installations
• Light repairs, replacements and upgrades
• Plumbing and electrical repairs
• Tile repairs and replacement

Pre-season is also a good time to find out why over 6,500 Poolman customers have taken advantage of the free salt system offer.