Prepare Your Swimming Pool for Winter

Preparing your pool for winter is a task that is necessary to maintain a clean and properly running pool all year long. To properly winterize a swimming pool you must take some necessary precautions to fight against algae build up, safeguard the pool from possible winter damage, and assure a happy swimming season in the coming summer. Here's how to prepare your swimming pool for winter in both hot and cold climates.

Winterize Swimming Pool Step 1: Begin by thoroughly checking the pH and acidity levels of the water in the pool. The most important part about winterizing a swimming pool is to make sure that the water is properly balanced from the beginning of the season to assure that it will maintain proper levels for a prolonged period throughout the winter season.

You can have your pool water tested for free at many pool supply stores and also some local home stores such as Ace Hardware. If the test comes back unbalanced you should first prepare the pool for winter by balancing the water with the necessary chemicals including soda ash or chlorine.

Winterize Swimming Pool Step 2: For warm climates where there is not a risk of freeze you may skip this step! For all other climates it is necessary to drain the water from the pump and the pool heater as well as the filter. These items will usually have a drain cap and plug that can be pulled to drain the water. It is very important that you drain the water from these areas when winterizing a swimming pool so that in case of a freeze the parts are not damaged due to water freezing inside.

Winterizing Swimming Pool Step 3: Skip this step for warm climates too! For cold climates where there is a freeze risk you should also drain enough water from the pool to keep the levels about 4-6 inches below the pool skimmer. When preparing your pool for winter in warmer climates this step can usually be omitted.

Winterizing Swimming Pool Step 4: Clean the pool thoroughly before covering it for the winter. You should brush the sides of the pool down and remove the automatic cleaner before you cover your swimming pool with its winter cover. Make sure that the cover is placed tightly over the entire pool to prevent leaves and water from going in.

Winterizing Swimming Pool Step 5: Winter pool maintenance should include simply consists of maintaining the chemical balance of the pool. This should be relatively easy if you keep the pool covered and free from debris and protected from the sun which will remove vital chemicals such as chlorine from the water. For extremely cold climates it may be suitable and easier to simply drain the entire pool for the winter season and then fill it back up during the mid spring when chance of freeze has passed.

Sources:

www.premierpoolsupplies.com

www.suburbanchicagonews.com