Tips to Prepare the Swimming Pool for Winter

One of the most important tasks that you will need to perform is preparing your swimming pool for the winter. Properly caring for your pool and its parts will ensure that the pool will continue to function properly and you won’t need to spend a fortune fixing parts in the spring. Learning how to winterize your pool is easy and will save you money in the long run.

Before you winterize your pool it needs to be thoroughly cleaned. You need to clean all the areas of the pool including the floor and sides. Keep your pump and filter running since you’ll likely be stirring up lots of dirt that needs to be filtered out. Skim the surface and use a vacuum or power cleaner to get all the debris out of the pool. Scrub the sides of the pool to make sure that no algae will begin to form.

Check to make sure that the chemicals in the swimming pool water are properly balanced. Then you can add a winterizing chemical mix sold through many pool retailers. Adding these chemicals at the end of the season help to keep your water clear through the winter so you’ll have less to do when you open your pool. You may be tempted to simply toss in some additional chlorine tablets or a floating dispenser but avoid doing this. These only end up sticking to the bottom or sides of the pool and causing problems or bleaching.

You may need to remove a small amount of water from the pool before winter. This is necessary because water expands as it freezes and can cause problems. Make sure that the water line is below the straining baskets. You can also install basket protectors to cover them over the winter. Either way you need to make certain that no water will end up getting into the baskets and thus into the filter system.

Once the pool is clean and clear you can turn off the filtration system and remove it. You’ll need to drain all the water from the components and allow them to dry out. You can get the extra water out of the hoses by using a shop vac. Plug all the ends of pipes and lines to avoid getting water in them over the winter.

Drain the water completely from the filter. To do this you’ll need to remove the plug on the filter bottom. Put the valve in the “winter” position and remove the pressure gauge for inside storage. When possible store the equipment indoors where it won’t freeze. Keep it together in a storage bin so you can easily find all the items when you need them in the spring.

Once this is complete you need to place a cover on your swimming pool. Make sure that the cover is tight and held in place securely. Some people like to put a large float in the center of the pool. This helps to keep ice and snow from weighing down the cover and potentially damaging your pool.

If you’re unfamiliar with the process of winterizing your pool you may want to get a pool service to do it for you. You’ll save time and make sure that the job is done properly. Improperly winterizing your pool can create some expensive problems in the spring. Whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it you must remember to do this important step in order to keep your pool looking good and working well.