Why the order matters
Most of the "why is my pool green two weeks after opening" questions we get at the shop trace back to one thing: someone shocked the water before it was balanced, or ran the pump before checking the equipment was actually ready to run. Chemicals work in a specific order for a reason — get it backwards and you're throwing money at a problem instead of fixing it.
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Clear the cover before anything else
Sweep or pump standing water off the cover first, so debris and dirty water don't wash straight into the pool when you pull it off. Hose the cover down, let it dry, and fold it away — a damp cover stored all summer is how you end up with mildew on it next winter.
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Reconnect and inspect before you switch anything on
Reattach any plugs, ladders, or equipment you removed for winter. Check hoses and fittings for cracks — a hairline crack that survived summer can fail after a freeze. Look over the pump, filter, and any valves for obvious damage before powering anything up.
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Top up the water level
Fill until the water sits at the middle of the skimmer opening. Too low and the pump will suck air and struggle to prime; too high and the skimmer won't pull surface debris properly.
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Prime the pump and run the filter
Prime the pump per the manufacturer's instructions, then run the filter continuously for the first 24–48 hours. Don't add chemicals into water that isn't circulating yet — they won't distribute evenly and you'll get uneven results.
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Test before you touch a single chemical
Test pH, alkalinity, and sanitiser level before adding anything. Water that's sat under a cover all winter is often wildly out of balance, and last year's numbers tell you nothing about today's water.
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Balance in the right order
Alkalinity first, then pH, then sanitiser. Alkalinity is what keeps pH stable, so adjusting pH before alkalinity is settled just means you'll be chasing it for days. Only shock the water once alkalinity and pH are in range — shocking unbalanced water is the single most common reason people end up with cloudy water that won't clear.
The mistake we see every single spring
Someone opens the pool, the water looks a bit cloudy or green, and the instinct is to dump in shock immediately. But if alkalinity and pH aren't in range first, that chlorine gets used up fighting the imbalance instead of the algae — so the water stays cloudy, they add more shock, and the cycle repeats for a week. Test and balance first. It's slower for the first day, and much faster overall.
When to call a professional
If the water stays green or cloudy after a proper balance-then-shock cycle, or if you're finding cracks, major leaks, or equipment that won't prime no matter what you try, that's worth a call to a pool professional rather than pouring in more chemicals and hoping. Sometimes the actual problem is a filter that needs servicing, not a water chemistry issue at all.