The Right Way to Winterize Swimming Pool

Winter has arrived and it’s time to prepare your pool for upcoming cold months. There are several elements of which pool winterization consists of and it is important to remember to do all of them in order to have a functioning pool at the start of the next season. The easiest way to get this job done is to hire a professional, but if you decide to do it on your own, you can check a list we compiled in cooperation with socalcustompoolsandspas.com who were eager to share their knowledge with us and help sum up some of the most important things you need to do to ensure a proper pool winterization.

Cleaning

You need to remove every object from the pool, any ladders or baskets. You should also remove any debris, leaves or anything that had fallen in recently. Then you need to vacuum and clean the walls and the floor by brushing them. You can also use a net to skim the bottom of the pool in order to pick up remaining objects.

Water balance

Before you close the pool you need to balance the water, which means to balance the number of various chemicals such as pH level, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Chlorine. You can buy packs with balanced chemicals and just insert them into the pool in set time intervals. If you are unsure how to do this it is best to have a professional have a look.

Reduce the level of water

The purpose of this is to avoid algae formation in a still water and a potential damage from ice. Whichever cover you choose, the goal is to lower the water level below the skimmer. The amount of water that needs to be pumped out depends on the cover, around 15’’ for mesh covers and 5’’ for a solid or floating cover.

Dry your equipment

It is very important to drain all of your equipment of extra water like pumps, filters, heater, etc. If there is water left inside it will freeze in low temperatures and cause damage to these items. If you want to avoid costly repairs or replacements at the start of the next season, you should definitely suck out the remaining water and store those items someplace dry.

Lubricate

In order to protect your equipment and ensure more resistance to outer elements, you should add lubricant to pumps and filters.

Deal with algae

Try to add algaecide evenly so that you have all the corners of the pool covered. If not tended to properly, algae can cause a lot of trouble at the start of the next season and would require additional effort and resources to remove. They are not directly harmful to your well being but letting them nest in your pool can invite types of bacteria you don’t want to be in contact with. The water becomes slimy and uninviting due to its strange greenish and yellowish new appearance.

Time to cover

Now that you’ve done all this it is time to close off the pool for the season, or in other words, to cover it. It is important to find a cover that perfectly fits the shape of your pool to avoid any leaks and prevent outer elements from falling in. No cover offers a 100% proof against bad weather and everything that comes with that, so it would be smart to occasionally check on your pool and perhaps clear leaves and debris from the cover, and also drain the pool from the rain.