Test the water before you add anything.

Yes, jumping straight to shocking the pool is a common mistake. Don’t do it.

Your pool has been sitting all winter under a cover. The water might be green, full of debris, or perfectly clear. That doesn’t tell you much about its chemistry. If you dump in shock or algaecide before testing, you could be wasting money or making things worse.

Here’s the basic flow: remove the cover carefully (don’t dump debris back in), clean it, skim the surface, vacuum, and then test the water. Check pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and stabilizer. Shock only after you know where you stand. If the water is cold, the shock won’t work well anyway.

You’ll probably need to run the filter continuously for a day or two and balance chemicals gradually. Patience beats panic.

Your pool will be ready when it’s ready — not when you dump a bucket of shock in it.