Rushing into the pool when you open and fill it is really exciting, but it is not worth risking your health. You are susceptible to many health issues like eye swelling and skin burns if you don’t take any care. So, how soon can you enter the pool after you open it?
You must wait around 2 to 3 hours after opening your pool before going for a swim. This time can vary based on the season, water chemicals, and the pool’s filtration system. You’ll also need to run your pool pump after 8 hours and do additional checks before swimming.
Entering the pool is risky without adding sanitizers and balancing chemicals. But how long should you wait after adding them? Let’s look at what you should do after opening your pool and how long to wait before you can swim in it.
How Soon After Opening Your Pool Can You Swim?
Even if your pool is filled and ready, you can’t jump into it immediately. Many factors can affect how long you have to wait before it’s safe to swim. These factors include the water’s cleanliness, the type of pool cover used, the season, and the filtration system.
Most experts recommend waiting at least 2 to 3 hours after opening your pool before it’s safe for swimming. You’ll also need to make essential checks before diving into the pool.
- If you have added chemicals like regular bleach or chlorine to sanitize the water, you probably will need to wait around half an hour as these chemicals dilute and spread in the pool.
- You’ll also have to add balancing chemicals to balance the pool’s pH. If you’ve added pool clarifiers to balance the water pH, wait about 20 minutes to let these chemicals properly dilute before you are good to go.
- If you have a professional pool maintenance kit at home, you can check whether the water pH level is balanced beforehand.
- If you don’t have a DIY water testing kit, have a professional test the pool’s water. Not testing the water beforehand is a health risk and could cause skin problems.
- If your pool water is hard, you must add calcium chloride. In this case, wait 2 to 4 hours as it will take time to soften your pool’s water. Next, you can use Muriatic acid to remove rust stains in your pool. If you’ve done so, wait about 20 to 30 minutes to avoid skin burns.
- Also, if the pool stains are hard and can’t be cleaned easily, flocculant (pool floc) is the last solution. After adding the flocculant, wait until it settles down in the bottom. Then use the pool vacuum to take it out before entering your pool. This may increase how long you wait before going for a swim, but it’s better than swimming in dirty water.
While these are the basic checks you must consider before entering the pool; you may have to wait longer if the water is dirty or the water’s chemical levels are imbalanced.
How Long Should You Run Your Pool Pump When You First Open it?
Experts recommend waiting at least 8 hours after opening your pool before running the pool pump. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule, as you may need to wait longer, depending on your pool size.
The scientific way to know how long you should run the pool pump after opening the pool is to calculate the flow rate of your pool. Flow rate is calculated as the function of filtration rate in 4 hours. Simply put, it is the amount of water that enters and leaves the pool at any point in a given time.
A pool pump pulls the water in and then pushes it out of the pool through the filters. Pool pumps are essential to keep up the pool’s water circulation, which helps refill the pool with fresh water. This circulation is necessary to run the water through pool filters to avoid stains and bacterial growth.
Over and Underusing the Pump
If you don’t run a pool pump regularly, the stored water in the pool will get swampy, have a foul smell, and become home to algae and other microorganisms.
However, even though using the pool pump is very important, you shouldn’t use it too often. When you overuse the pump, it can get damaged or damage the filters. So, try to use the pool pump no more than once a day and at least 8 hours after opening the pool.
A pro tip is to run the pool pump during non-peak hours to save on electricity costs.
What Else Should You Do After the Pool is Opened?
After opening the pool, you must make additional checks before entering it. These include:
- Cleaning debris and large items from the water. Vacuum the pool bottom to remove finer dirt.
- Checking the filters thoroughly.
- Checking the drain plugs and other vital parts.
- Checking that the chemical and water sanitizer levels are balanced.
- Ensuring that the water levels are correct. You may have to refill the pool if you haven’t opened it in a while.
If your pool is too dirty and you aren’t sure whether the water is safe, have a pool cleaning professional check it.
