"IS IT TOO EARLY TO OPEN MY POOL OR SHOULD I WAIT?"
It’s official, it’s spring! Here in Maryland, this is the time of year when we start to get a taste of the weather to come. A chorus of birdsong fills the air as the migrating birds return, trees are budding, peepers are peeping, and it’s usually now that many people begin to wonder, “Is it too early to open my pool, or should I wait?” It goes without saying that weather plays a part in answer to this question, but as we all know our weather can be unpredictable, but you know what? That is nothing new. We have been at this a long time, and to answer the question, “Is it too early to open my pool, or should I wait?” we say it’s SO MUCH better to open earlier rather than later, and here are our top 4 reasons why:
Aesthetics. After a long, cold, dark winter most of us look forward to the first signs of spring and spending more time outdoors. One of the best ways to usher in spring is to get that cover off the pool. Your yard is instantly more attractive! You may not be able to swim right away, but just looking at that pool, in all of it’s sparkling glory will most certainly put a pep in your step!
Money, money, money. The most common reason that pool owners hold off on opening their pool early is because of the perception that an open pool is an expensive pool and “I’d rather hold off as long as I can before having to deal with an added expense.” Don’t get us wrong, this reasoning makes sense, I mean if you can’t swim right away what’s the point, why bother? The fact is, whether you open in March, April, or May, you have the same necessary opening expenses, no matter if we are opening your pool or if you open it yourself. Opening early does mean the cost of an additional month or two of maintenance and balancing chemicals. However, it is far easier and a lot less expensive to maintain a clear pool than to clear up a green one!
Scheduling. Our schedule fills up fast, especially in May. Everyone wants their pool open and ready for swimming by Memorial Day, and I mean everyone because it is the “unofficial” start to summer. The problem is waiting to schedule in May for a May opening is going to be difficult, and although we try our best to accommodate everyone, sometimes it’s just not possible. Even with 5 crews working daily, when our schedule is packed, it. Is. Packed. Another thing to keep in mind as far as scheduling is remembering how our weather is unpredictable. It may rain on your opening date, and if there is thunder and lightning, for the safety of our technicians, your appointment will most likely need to be rescheduled. When this happens, it throws the whole schedule off. The last thing we want to do is reschedule your opening, but sometimes the weather leaves us no choice. Opening early is a great way to avoid the hassle and pressure of scheduling conflicts.
Algae. From our point of view, perhaps this should have been number 1. If you’ve ever opened your pool to find a swamp you know what I mean. We love when the weather starts getting warmer - but so does algae. If you wait until the weather is warmer to schedule your pool opening, it will most likely be too late. The cover needs to be removed and water circulating well before we get that first full week of warm weather.
So, friends, this isn’t a post to try to sell you an early opening, because in all honesty if more people open late to a green pool, we probably make more money, but we have very unhappy clients. We do not like unhappy clients, pools are meant to be fun! Let us help you be proactive and get this swim season started off right without any hassles, wasted money or frustration. Make the call today: 301-972-3800 :)