Throughout the rest of the year, you work hard to maintain your pool’s cleanliness and aesthetics. It’s hard work, but worth it in the end as you get to enjoy splashing in the water to cool off from the summer sun.
As summer comes to a close and winter begins to creep up, you’re ready to put the pool away for the season. Although you’re not able to use your pool as much, if at all, in the winter, proper maintenance is still essential.
Winter pool maintenance is just as necessary as regular pool maintenance if not more so. During the colder months, it’s not uncommon for pipes to freeze, for water levels to shift, and for other damaging things to happen.
If you thought that the end of summer and fall meant you could begin to neglect your pool, you couldn’t have been more wrong.
Don’t neglect your home’s pool in the winter and find several problems with it when the season’s over. Instead, continue reading below for the best winter pool maintenance tips you need to follow!
1. Prevent Freezing
When the colder temperatures visit you, you need to prevent your pool’s pipes and other parts from freezing. The pump, filter, and pool heater should all be drained of any excess water. If water is left in any of these parts, it can freeze.
When the water freezes inside your pool’s pipes or other motorized parts, it can cause them to crack or burst. All water that settles on top of your pool cover should be removed before it has the chance to freeze as well.
Consider using a sump pump to remove the water.
2. Keep It Covered
Although you’ll need to maintain the pool’s cover as well as the pool, you still need to ensure that you keep it covered. The extra work that comes along with it will be worth it in the long run. Pool covers will help keep critters, pests, and debris out when you’re not using your pool.
If you’re using a tarp or waterbag cover, you’ll need to check on the cover quite often. Waterbags are known to fail, so you’ll want to ensure that everything is working as it should. Remember that when filling a waterbag, you should only fill it up halfway or 2/3rds of the way at the most.
Doing so allows the water inside the bags to expand when freezing without bursting the bag. Also, keep in mind that sharp debris like sticks and twigs can sometimes pierce holes in a tarp. Be sure to remove debris that falls on and around the pool cover when noticed.
If using a safety cover for your pool, then you won’t have to worry as much about its durability. However, you should remove snow from the covers as it piles up to prevent ripping or stretching.
3. Use an Algaecide
You can use an algaecide in your pool’s water before closing it up for winter.
An algaecide will prevent algae from growing in your pool while you’re not using it. A good tip to follow is to add this preventative to the pool on the last day before shutting the system down.
After adding the algaecide, allow the pump to run for a 24-hour period. This helps the algaecide to fully circulate throughout the pool and system.
After 24 hours, you can then begin to turn off the circulation system.
4. Keep a Balance
You should raise the chlorine levels during your winterizing preparation process. Doing so, along with following the other winterizing tips ensures that you won’t have to add chemicals to your pool throughout the winter.
If your pool turns green each year after the winter, then it could benefit from the addition of chlorine throughout the winter, however, this isn’t always the best decision.
If you’ve shut your pool’s pump and filter off, the chlorine won’t circulate through the pool as it should. Instead, it’ll gather on the bottom of the pool, which could cause damage.
A better option is to use pool enzymes.
Pool enzymes will remove any organic debris that forms in your pool. It also won’t cause damage to your pool’s liner. You just need to add a small amount to keep your pool clean until the spring.
5. Continue Regular Maintenance
Owning a swimming pool is a lot of work, but worth the time and effort. There is regular maintenance that should be conducted all throughout the year, even during the winter. All of your pool parts should be monitored and inspected as you continue regular maintenance.
The pool’s pump, filter, and heater should all have regular maintenance checks done even when not being used. Even after removing the water from these parts to avoid freezing, be sure to check them for more water and remove it when needed.
If need be, contact pool professionals to come in and perform regular maintenance on your pool during the winter season.
6. Monitor Water Levels
You’ll need to monitor your pool’s water levels as well. To prevent water from overflowing, be sure to remove some of the pool’s water. Keeping your water levels right below the mouth of the skimmer is the best way to keep your pool healthy during the winter.
Using a safety cover means that snow and water can drip through it and raise the water levels. When temperatures drop below freezing, this could cause some serious issues.
To prevent this, drain your pool to the appropriate level and be sure to release the water far away from your pool.
Follow These Winter Pool Maintenance Tips!
Don’t be fooled by winter’s cold temperatures.
Your pool still needs regular maintenance during these times. Follow the winter pool maintenance tips listed above to keep your pool as clean as possible during the winter season!
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