CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – With the unofficial start to summer just around the corner and temps warming up, many are hoping to start prepping their pools!
St. Pierre Pools tells 22News, that customers should go out and buy chlorine or salt for their pools and get their pool water tested. As it gets warmer out people should start stocking up on their cleaning supplies to have their pool open and ready to go for the summer.
Nicholas Goggin from St. Pierre Pools says there is a lot people can do starting now, “If you have a tarp cover you want to make sure there’s no water on it before you take it off so all of the sediment and debris doesn’t get into the pool.”
St. Pierre Pools says chlorine is the most efficient when it comes to cleaning and killing the germs in a pool. He adds that it is important to shock the pool, which is a higher dose of chlorine that will keep the water clean and free of contaminants. This plays a big role in the cleaning the pool, especially once it is used a few times.
Homeowners themselves will vacuum the pool and test their pool chemistry at a local pool store to make sure their pH and the chemistry is where it needs to be. St. Pierre Pools says after shocking your pool, you should wait about 24 hours before getting in it.
Goggin says that it’s important to let the pool filter that chlorine.
According to the CDC, it is the homeowners job to check the pool water to protect family and friends from swim related illnesses that can cause eye pain, ear pain, and skin rashes. To encourage healthy swimming, the CDC says people should also make sure the pool drain is secured and visible.
And on your end, the CDC says you can protect yourself, and pools by staying out of the water if you have open wounds, and rinse off before taking a dip.