So when is the first say of Summer in Australia 2023? Officially, it starts at December 1. But for many pool owners, it can be as early as October or November so they can maximize the swimming season!

So it's time to get your back-side to the pool side and get your pool Summer ready! What better way to welcome summer and guests back with a sparking pool right? Here we dive into a step-by-step guide on how to get your hibernating pool back up and running for the first day of Summer 2023.

We all know what a pool looks like when it’s been neglected a little too long over the Winter months. As much as you try to keep your swimming pool in good condition over Winter, sealed tight with a pool cover, it always seems to look a little weary after a long season of disuse.

With Spring at our doorstep and Summer on the way, it’s tempting to jump right into the cool water of your backyard lagoon. But for your own health and safety, you need to make sure your pool is fit for use before you make a splash.

At Mr Pool Man, we know how much a swimming pool can enhance your outdoor lifestyle, especially over those sweltering months during an Aussie Summer. But pool maintenance can be an overwhelming and sometimes confusing task. Below is a simple step-by-step list of things you need and things to do to make sure your pool is prepped for the first day of Summer 2023 and a long Summer of perfect pool fun.

First things first, you’re going to need access to your pool. But you want to make sure that all the leaves, twigs, dust, and other debris that’s accumulated on your pool cover over the long wintry months are not going to end up inside your pool creating even more work for you.

Using a pool brush (which fits onto the end of your Telepole), wipe down the top of the pool cover and drain off any water that may have pooled on the top during winter. Don’t empty that water back into your swimming pool – it’s probably got plenty of unwanted nasties in it from sitting still in the sun so long. We’ve packaged up a basic pool equipment kit with PRO-quality tools with everything you need for your pool’s first reveal after Winter!

Make sure to get all of your other pool equipment ready for summer as well!

You may find the water level in your swimming pool has dropped a bit since the last summer. Fill it up again until the water level hits the middle of the skimmer opening. If you need to add over 2000 litres to your pool, you may need a permit from your local council.

Once you’ve filled the pool back up, let the water circulate for at least eight hours so new and old water combines.

If you've noticed that any of your skimmer parts (skimmer basket, skimmer plate, deck lid, weir door) have broken or cracked over Winter, you can view our range of Skimmer Spare Parts here.

Pro Tip: If you've installed a water levelling device at your pool then you can ignore this step.

This is the most crucial part of preparing your pool for summer. Before you dive-bomb into your backyard aquatic splendour, you need to make sure the water is healthy for you and your guests. That means no nasties such as bacteria and algae. Time to unleash your inner mad scientist!

These days, you can buy pool test kits or pool water test strips to test your water’s chemical balance yourself. You’ll need a little bit of chemistry know-how, but it’s not too difficult to understand.

Here are the chemical levels that you should be aiming for during the summer:

• Alkalinity: It should sit between 80-120 parts per million (ppm). Adjust alkalinity before you adjust pH levels, since pH levels stay consistent if you’ve got the right alkalinity level. Increase alkalinity with sodium bicarbonate, or decrease it with muriatic acid.
• pH: This should be between 7.2 and 7.6. Increase pH levels with soda ash, or decrease it with muriatic acid, sodium bisulphate or our favourite Hydrochloric Acid.
• Calcium hardness: Keep it between 150 and 250 ppm. The softer the water, the more calcium it will absorb from its surroundings. If your pool water is too soft, it can actually take calcium from the grout in your tiles, so you’ll want hard water. Use calcium chloride to adjust levels.
• Stabiliser level: Your pool should have at least 30 ppm of cyanuric acid which prevents loss of chlorine in your pool from UV rays.
• Algaecide: Algae can grow when water has been neglected during the colder months. You can add poly algaecide to your water to eliminate algae growth. Also, decreasing your pH down to about 7.2 with 500ml - 1L of Hydrochloric acid will also work wonders on killing those algae nasties, as they thrive in high pH water.
• Chlorine: It should be between 1.5 and 3 ppm. You should regularly add 60 grams of chlorine per 50,000 litres. To add chlorine, you can throw cyanuric-based tablets into your skimmer basket, but be careful! If your pool has a metal filter system, the low acid content in the tablets means they’ll eat the metal. A floating chlorine dispenser corrects this problem.

• Salt: This only applies if you have a salt water chlorinated pool (if you have a chlorinator and electrode on a timer that automatically produces and doses the pool with chlorine). Your salt should always sit at or just above 5000ppm (parts per million). This is the optimum level for any salt water chlorinator to run off. Each 20kg bag of pool salt equals to 500ppm, so you may be requiring anywhere from 2-6 bags after winter to get it back up to 5000ppm. Salt testers are expensive, so you may need to pop down to your local pool shop to get this tested. Or, keep adding a bag a day until your "low salt" light turns off on your chlorinator. Then add one more bag.

We understand if you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed with the chemistry involved in keeping a healthy pool. And you wouldn’t be the only one! That’s why we recommend getting your pool water balance checked professionally if you have any doubts. We're happy to offer our professional advice over the phone if you've got any specific questions! If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 1300 511 901 or leave us a message by clicking here.

Once you’ve corrected the water balance, wait for the water to clear. You should be able to see the pool floor clearly. It can take about a week for the water to look crystal clean but we think it’s pretty easy to tell when the water looks so inviting you’ll just want to jump straight in. Make sure you clean the cartridge filter or backwash the sand filter daily while you’re waiting for the water to clear up.

If your water has a green tinge or is growing its own eco-system, click here to view our guide on how to get rid of algae (green pool water).

For more information on how to get your pool chemicals ready for summer, click on the button below!

If you’ve had a pool for a while, you’ll be familiar with the term ‘shock treatment’. It simply means raising the chlorine level of your pool beyond 5 ppm to oxidise all the dead algae, bacteria and skin cells the chlorine has killed in your pool. You should really shock your pool every week or so during the height of pool use.

Alternatively, you can buy an ozone generator that continually shocks your pool for you. Or, if you'd like to keep things really simple, you can bulk buy granulated chlorine (make sure it's not stabilised) and follow the dosing instructions on the back to increase your chlorine level to 5ppm. We always recommend going simple.

Did you know: 250grams of granulated chlorine can be equal to roughly 4 drums of 15L liquid chlorine. If you don't have a chlorinator system hooked up to your pool and are still manually dosing your pool with chlorine, we highly recommend outlaying the extra $40 - $80 to get a 2kg - 10kg tub of granulated chlorine rather than swapping over the liquid chlorine tubs at your local pool shop, hardware store or service station every weekend. From there, follow the dosing instructions on the back of the chlorine tub to ensure a happy and healthy pool.

(Reminder: Make sure any granulated chlorine you do buy is not stablised and is just straight chlorine. Adding too much stabalised granulated chlorine to your pool can create something called a "chlorine lock", which makes any chlorine that is in the water or any that is added inactive, deeming your pool not safe to swim in very quickly. The only way to fix a chlorine lock is to empty and re-fill your pool.)

Don't want to keep messing with chlorine? Check out our list of the best salt water chlorinators.

Now is the time to be putting in some strong elbow grease to scrub your pool up for the new swimming season. Clean out your baskets and wash out the filter. A clogged filter means the water won’t flow freely, so the pump has to work harder keeping the pool clean, which will likely wear the pump out faster.

For more details on how to get your filters ready for summer, don't forget to click on the button below!

Does your pool have tiles that look grubby over time? Scrub the tile grout with baking soda and a sponge, or pool tile cleaner. Stay away from household cleaners – their chemicals aren’t made to be swum in!

This is also when you want to rub down the deck, pavers, or lawn that surrounds your pool. Remove any twigs or leaves surrounding the pool area, so when you take the cover off your pool will stay clean just that bit longer. It’s also a good idea to trim any overhanging branches. We even stock a handy pruner that you can join to the end of your telepole to help with this! If you have a timber deck, see that it’s in solid condition. Check to see if it’s stained, cracked or worn – it may need re-coating. Wash your surface with washing detergent and water.

After you’ve put in a solid effort to make sure your pool is up to scratch for the swimming season, it’d be a shame to let it go to ruin so easily. Thankfully, once your pool has had a thorough once-over, it’s pretty easy to maintain for the rest of the summer.

Every week, remove debris with a pool scoop, vacuum pool surfaces, and clean the filter. Test the water balance daily during high bathing loads and weekly religiously. Thankfully, with the variety of pool equipment out there today, you’ll find your workload decreased significantly if you invest in high quality pool equipment, like the an automatic pool cleaner or robotic pool cleaner that scrubs surfaces for you!

Not sure how to manually vacuum your pool? Not to worry! We've got a step-by-step guide right here.

This is the probably the most important step in this blog. Area you ready?

Jump in and have fun!

BONUS: Family Pool Games for Summer + Cool Drinks for Kids