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How To Prepare Your Swimming Pool For Cold Weather

6 November 2015 by Anton Leinonen

If you own a swimming pool, it is very important to protect it from being damaged during the winter. If you have not prepared your pool for cold weather, it may be destroyed beyond repair. However, with a few easy steps your pool can survive even the coldest of winters so that it remains in excellent working condition for many years. These are some tips for getting your pool ready for winter.

Draining The Pool 

When water freezes, it expands and this can be extremely damaging to a swimming pool. Drain your pool down below the skimmer mouth, but do not drain it completely. The remaining water will help weigh the pool down and keep it in place on those particularly windy days of winter.

Draining the pump and pipes to your pool is also necessary. Disconnect the pump and any pipes that hold water, and drain them completely. This prevents the water from freezing, which can cause the pipes to burst and the pump to become inoperable.

Cleaning The Pool 

Remove any leaves, insects or other debris from your pool. Scrub the tiles with tile cleaner and clean the skimmer and pump basket as well. Remove your filter hoses, and spray the filter cartridge and grid with filter cleaner and rinse clean. 

Be sure to drain all water from the filter and allow it to air dry. Cleaning the pool and attachments now will prevent scum from setting in and hardening during the winter which is more difficult to remove during the spring.

Balancing The Water Chemistry 

It is also important to balance the water chemistry in your pool before winter arrives. This protects it from corroding and accumulating scale buildup while it is not in use. Use a water test kit to ensure you have the proper pH levels, alkalinity, calcium and chlorination.

It is also a good idea to treat your pool with a winterization chemical kit. This kit increases the level of chlorine and algaecide so that harmful bacteria and mold do not grow on the pool during the winter.

Covering The Pool 

A swimming pool should be covered completely to prevent snow and ice from piling up inside it. The winter cover should be thicker, stronger and more tightly secured than the cover you use during the summer. It should fit snugly around all sides of the pool and be secured with a strong wire.

When you close your pool down each year, be sure to take these steps to prepare it for cold weather. The better protected your pool is, the more you will get to enjoy it during those hot summer days. To learn more about proper pool winterization, contact a company like Budget Pool & Spa Tech Inc.

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