Despite the end of the swimming season, pool maintenance responsibilities do not cease. Keeping your pool healthy, clean, and beautiful is, of course, a priority year-round.
You might have to deal with ice, snow, and other weather conditions in the winter. By taking proper care of your swimming pool in winter, you can potentially save yourself hundreds, even thousands of dollars in expensive swimming pool repairs during the warm season.
Thus, here are some tips for handling your pool’s off-season care during the winter so you don’t run into unexpected problems when your pool opens for the summer.
How Often Does a Pool Need to be Cleaned in Winter?
Being able to use your pool all year long has its advantages and disadvantages. If you live in a colder region where winters are harsher, you should know the pool season generally runs from May through September.
Cleaning the interior and exterior of your pool, check your pool’s PH level, and everything in between should belong to your weekly maintenance service schedule. Ultimately, if you put in a little bit of work once a week, you’ll save yourself a lot of hassle and be able to jump right back in when the heat rises.
As a general rule, your weekly pool cleaning and maintenance tasks should include:
- The pH level should be between 7.4 and 7.6.
- Maintain the right pH level by adjusting pool water chemicals as necessary.
- Test the free available chlorine levels as well. A good range is between 1.0 and 3.0 parts per million (PPM).
- Skimmer baskets should be emptied after every skim.
Don’t pay too much attention to the month of the year and instead pay attention to the actual nighttime temperature. You should start closing things down if it gets colder at night.
Why do you Need to Take Care of the Pool in Winter?
You might want to consider winterizing your pool if you would like to take care of it in the off-season. Here are some benefits of doing so:
- Maintaining the safety and cleanliness of your swimming pool
- Health-related issues can be avoided
- Keeping expensive equipment from being damaged
By giving your pool the attention it needs, not only will you save time and energy before summer, but you will also prevent the pool from being damaged if you don’t use it.
Steps to Follow to Take Care of the Pool in Winter
The 10 best ways to care for your pool this winter are:
Don’t let the system freeze
During the winter, temperatures often drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, affecting your pipes and systems first. Pool cleaning maintenance begins with draining all the water out of the pump, heater, and filter. When pipes freeze, accumulated water expands and causes them to crack. Therefore, you need to drain excess water and dry out systems.
Keep your pool covered
Many homeowners neglect this crucial step in pool maintenance. To ensure no debris is entering the pool, you must cover it tightly. After closing the pool cover, make sure it is completely dry. A layer of water accumulating on top will freeze. As summer approaches, the same stagnant water will drain down into the pool when you remove the cover.
Periodically sweep the top of the pool to remove leaves, dirt, and other debris that may have fallen there. The debris will fall into the pool when removed if you let them stay on until summer. You’ll have to re-do the whole pool cleaning process.
Incorporate mid-winter algaecide
You should add a mid-winter algaecide to your pool that will remain in the water for several months since your pool will be less operational for that time. In this way, the amount of additional pool cleaning is cut by keeping the gross green algae at bay.
Ensure that the pump circulates it through the pool for at least 24 hours to ensure it has been well incorporated. You won’t have to worry about pool green goo once spring arrives.
Lower the water level
The summer causes water to evaporate. During the winter, this is not the case. The freezing of water can leave your tiles cracked. In short, one of the best tips for pool maintenance in winter is to reduce the water level one to six inches beneath the skimmer. Make sure your pool isn’t completely drained out in order to prevent damage. Keep the water below the tiles to avoid damage.
Add chemical agents
Once your pool has been cleaned, add enzyme and chlorine, and the enzyme will break down contaminants before they can enter the pool.
Besides that, it also prevents that awful waterline ring, which means you don’t have to spend as much time cleaning the pool. Chlorine will maintain your pool water cleaning until summer. However, there is another step you should take. Open a corner of the cover of your pool when spring arrives to add some liquid chlorine.
Put away pool accessories
Ensure that your pool accessories and equipment are dry and that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. You can cause damage to them if you leave them in the pool or anywhere where there are pool chemicals.
Keeping an eye on the weather
You may have to adjust your pool cleaning techniques according to the weather in your area. Depending on the weather, you may have to increase or decrease the number of chemicals.
Additionally, the water can become diluted after an unexpected downpour. Be sure to add some chemicals so that it stays balanced.
Make sure you backwash and rinse
Maintaining your swimming pool surface during winter still requires backwashing and rinsing, and this step prevents dirt from accumulating in the pool. Rinsing and backwashing regularly can also prevent the buildup of Total Dissolved Solids.
Open Early
A pool that’s left closed for a lengthy period of time is more likely to be infested with algae and bacteria. It is advisable to start preparations in advance during the winter months because they are long. Take off the covers early, not when the weather turns warm. Start your summer preparations by servicing the pool pumps, even if it’s a little chilly outside. This will prevent you from having to clean your pool more often.
Contact a professional
An experienced pool cleaning company can help you decide which accessories are right for your pool and climate. Having your pool maintained by a professional like Alliance Pools & Patio ensures it stays in top shape.
The use of experts will incur a fee but is an excellent option if you are too busy to maintain your pool yourself. A properly maintained swimming pool is less costly in the long run than one that needs to be repaired.
Final Thoughts
Maintenance during the winter will save you time and money come spring.
You need to plan ahead before the weather warms up. Get all the supplies for summertime pool maintenance that you’ll need to keep your pool functioning smoothly before swimming season begins. Get in touch with our pool specialists if you have any questions or simply want to leave the maintenance task to them.