Preparing Your Pool for the Winter: 4 Things You Need to Know

Posted by  on 17 January, 2022
How to prepare your pool for the winter?

As the fall season comes to a close, you need to make sure that you prepare your pool for the winter. This protects its integrity and components, while ensuring that it receives the maintenance it needs for lasting performance.

The following are four things you need to know when preparing your pool for the winter:

1. Clean Your Pool

The first step in preparing your pool for winter is to clean the interior and surrounding areas. Accessories such as filters, baskets, and hoses should be cleaned and dried prior to being stored.

Your pool’s equipment should be kept in a shed or garage so that it’s protected from the winter temperatures and other elements. Use a skimming net to clean the pool and remove debris, such as leaves or bugs. Components such as debris catchers and skimmer traps should be cleared before they’re stored.

2. Balance Chemicals

Your pool’s water chemistry is essential to its long-term care. Balanced water chemistry provides it with the protection it needs from corrosion or build-up.

Testing kits let you assess your water’s chemistry and make the proper adjustments to its pH and chlorine content. Use a dust mask when working with chemicals; their fumes can present a risk to the airways and lungs due to the high levels of chlorine and acids. 

Your pool’s calcium, alkalinity, and pH must all be balanced to provide the protection it needs from winter effects like corrosion and buildup.

3. Shock the Water

Shocking your pool controls the bacteria and fungal growth that develops during winter. Shock products are available and can be added while its filtration system is on.

Shock treatments should be high in strength. Products that allow you to get into your pool immediately after using them are typically not strong enough to prepare your pool for winter.

4. Prevent Freezing

Low winter temperatures cause water to freeze and expand. This creates pressure that damages containers, pipes, pumps, and filters. Preventing your water from freezing is essential to preparing it for the winter season.

Dry out the lines that transport water to and from your pool, and use a vacuum to air out the pipes. Expansion plugs can also be used to block the lines and prevent water from getting inside.

These are four things you need to know to help prepare your pool for the winter. They will maximize the life of your pool and prevent unwanted issues, so that your pool is ready when summer returns.

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