Filling Up Your Pool
Here at Premier Pools, we want to see you enjoying your pool as soon as possible.
But there are a few steps you’ll need to complete during the pool finishing process so that your pool finish looks great for many summers to come. We’ll cover those steps below.
Before Filling Up Your Pool
Before fill-up begins, contact your water district and let them know you’re filling up a pool. Otherwise, they might think you have a leak and shut off your water.
Your Pool Finish
The next thing that affects how long the fill-up will take is your pool finish.
A plaster finish will complete in one day. We’ll spray the plaster on, trowel it into a smooth surface, and begin filling up your pool that day.
With an aggregate pool finish like pebble or glass beads, we’ll apply it in a day and let it sit overnight. Then the next day, we’ll acid-wash it, pressure-wash it, and then start filling it up.
What do I need to do during the pool filling process?
- Once started, do not stop the water until your pool is full. If you shut off the water, you’ll get a ring around your pool where it stopped. You can slow it to a trickle, but make sure it doesn’t stop until it gets to the middle of the waterline tile.
- Fill from the deep end first. If you start from the shallow end, you’ll create streaking on the bottom of your pool, from the shallow end to the deep end. Once your pool is filled, move your hose into your raised spa or any raised features you may have.
- Let Premier know if you plan on filling your pool with well water. We’ll need to get a water sample to see the calcium and hardness content and know precisely the water quality we’re putting into the swimming pool. We also want to make sure we don’t dry up your well—pulling 20,000 gallons will quickly dry it up.
How long will it take to fill up my pool?
Depending on a couple of factors, it could take anywhere from four hours to four days.
Multiple garden hoses flowing at once will speed things up, but mostly, it depends on how much water you have coming into your house. Lower water pressure means a slower fill. With good water pressure, expect it to take up to a day and a half.
Remember!
Stopping water flow during fill-up will create a ring around your pool, so make sure you call your water district. That way, you’ll avoid interruptions and be working on your tan in no time.
Don’t Forget To Brush Your Pool
Pool brushing is a crucial part of the pool finishing process and will make sure your pool stays looking fresh.
As the plaster cures underwater over the first 30 days, some of the material will make its way to the surface. Brushing your pool finish will keep it from setting into your pool finish.
To do this, you’ll brush the entire surface of your pool several times a day. It would be best if you did this for up to the first week. We’ll give you a brush and pole and instruct you on how to get it done properly and regularly.
Your Premier Service Technician will tell you what brushing schedule is best for your particular finish.
The Chemical Process
The last part of the pool finishing process is making sure the chemicals in your pool water are balanced. But don’t worry, a Service Technician will take care of your pool water’s total alkalinity, calcium hardness, pH balance, and more.
With a plaster finish, it can take 30 days before you can introduce heat and start balancing your pool water so that it’s safe to start swimming.
With a pebble finish, you can start swimming within a week, but don’t introduce heat for about two weeks.
One Last Important Step
Contact your gas company and tell them you just installed a pool gas heater or other fire features in your backyard. Your Premier pools construction supervisor can tell you how many BTUs your backyard is pulling so you can give that info to the gas company. They’ll make sure you have the correct gas meter to keep your features working correctly.
