Answer: It all depends! In other words, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions to determine that answer. First, when did you close (cover/winterize) your swimming pool? Second, when you closed your swimming pool, was the water clear or dirty/green? The answers to these two questions will help you determine when to open your pool for the season.

Typically, those with swimming pools that reside further north will cover and winterize their swimming pool to help protect it from freezing conditions; however, if the swimming pool is not closed properly in the fall it could lead to a costly pool opening in the spring. For example, when you close your swimming pool too early in the fall before the temperatures cool down, you could have a late-season algae bloom, and consequently a green pool when you open in the spring. Also, if you allow the pool to turn green in the fall, then decide to cover the pool and clean it up in the spring you could end up paying hundreds to thousands of dollars in clean up or worst case replacing your liner or resurfacing the pool. So, again it all depends on when you close it, and in what condition it is when you close the pool.

If your pool is still closed you need to open it soon, because if you wait too long into the spring (April-May) you may uncover a green (spring algae bloom) swimming pool. We recommend keeping your pool open year-round unless you reside further north and are faced with hard, continual freezes throughout the winter months. If you must close your pool then wait as late into the fall as you can. Then, be sure to open your pool as soon as the weather begins to consistently warm-up, typically this would be around the end of March for most of the southeast United States. Contact your local ASP - America's Swimming Pool Company to get your pool opening scheduled or to answer any of your swimming pool questions.