After enjoying your swimming season, it's time to finally close your pool for the winters. Most pool owners think that no swimming season equals no pool maintenance. However, this is not true.
Even during winter when you’re not using your pool, it becomes vulnerable to bacteria and algae if left unkempt. To make sure this doesn’t happen, a pool owner must close their pool effectively and periodically check its condition even when it’s not in use.
An ideal pool closing includes a thorough clean up of the pool. Added maintenance during this time ensures that there is no unwanted build up for the approaching summer. We’ve compiled a list of reasons for why you need to keep your pool area clean and ways to maintain the pool during this time.
Reasons to Care for your Pool Area During Winter
Responsible pool owners know taking care of their pool is an inseparable part of enjoying the perks of pool ownership. Winter is no exception to this rule as even when you’re not using a pool- contaminant and bacterial build up, albeit rather slow, does not stop.
Click here for 5 reasons why you should swim in your pool during Winter!
Check Pool Equipment
During summers, we’re too busy enjoying our pools to focus on how the pool equipment is performing. Winter closing provides an excellent opportunity to pool owners where they can inspect every nook and cranny of their pool.
Expensive pool equipment becomes vulnerable due to the winter cold. If your want to keep them safe, it is wise to give them a thorough look while closing and regularly check during the off season.
Organise Pool Accessories
When you have a pool and a family, it is inevitable for your home to be filled to the brim with a gigantic selection of pool accessories. Since they’re used throughout the summer, winter season is ideal for their organising. You can check the inflatables for damage, and even clean the pool toys to get rid of the grime accumulated throughout the swimming season.
It is also a good chance to keep a check on your pool toy inventory and decide what’s extra and what needs to be bought.
Extend Pool Life
Pools are a heavy investment and it is only natural for us to want our pools to function for as long as possible. A pool’s life depends entirely on how well it is cared for, including the time it is not used.
Winter maintenance is just as important as caring for your pool during summers.
Maintain Pool Water Hygiene
A pool can be healthy only when its water is safe against harmful bacteria and algae. For this, the role of pool chemicals is indispensable. They maintain the chemistry of water at a level that it slows down and prevents the build up of such contaminants.
It is a fair assumption that pool water is safer during winters as compared to summers. However, this does not mean that pool do not require to be checked regularly for chlorine and alkalinity levels. For long term health of the pool and its occupants, pool water must always be hygienic and safe for swim in.
Enjoy an Easy Pool Reopening
Even while closing the pool, we imagine how much fun it would be to once again open the pool and swim in the cool water. But it doesn’t necessary sail as smoothly as we desire. More often than not, pool reopening turns out to be a hassle.
If you closed the pool in haste, without doing a good job at cleaning or without checking it regularly, chances are you’ll find it in worse condition than you left it in. What follows is a day or two of vigorous pool cleaning, before it becomes for use once again. When you clean your pool and its surroundings diligently for the closing, it is a given that your reopening will be much easier.
Ways to Keep your Pool Area Clean
Here are some tips and tricks on how you can keep your pool and it’s surroundings cared for, even when closed.
Clean Your Garden Regularly
Most of the external debris in a pool comes from the surrounding plants and trees in a backyard garden. Make sure you collect and dispose off the fallen leaves and twigs, so they don’t enter your pool area.
Maintain Pool Water Chemistry
Chemical balance in a pool ensures its safety and prevents the growth of microorganisms. Just like you maintain chlorine levels during the swimming season, winter season also requires ideal chlorine level for proper health of the pool water.
Keep the free chlorine at an ideal level and also consider adding an algaecide. Chlorine maintains the overall health of your pool while the algaecide offers added protection against algae. After using this, you can rest assured that your pool will remain safe from the green build up.
Tweak your Pool Cleaning and Pool Chemicals According to the Weather
As the weather becomes hotter or colder, our pool cleaning habits should also change. External weather plays a very important role in how a pool is to be maintained. As temperature increases, so does the chance of bacterial growth- which means more chemicals. Colder temperature usually requires lesser chemical assistance for maintaining pool water health. Rain and other weather conditions should also be taken into account for this.
Use a Pool Cover
Pool covers are an essential part of pool maintenance. They ensure that external debris does not enter the pool. When pools are left unused in winter for at least a few months, it is natural that leaves and dirt could fall into the water. Pool covers keep that from happening.
Decrease the Water Level
In many places, water freezes naturally during winters. As the freezing water expands, it can easily damage your pool. When you reduce the water level by a few inches, it gives the frozen water free area to expand into. Hence, protecting it against expensive damage.
Regularly Check your Pool
It is good to check your pool at least once a week when it is closed. It helps you keep an eye on its condition, any leaks or other irregularities in the pool. Pool owners should also keep the chemical balance and water pH in check throughout the season.
Open in Advance
It is ideal to open your pool well in advance of the actual swimming season. As soon as spring arrives, you can open your pool. This gives you and the pool ample time to clean and get the ideal chemical balance.
Drain the Water From Pool Equipment
Pipes, pool pumps and filters are also at risk due to the winter cold. Pool equipment and fittings are expensive and should be the first on your list to be drained.
This keeps them safe from cracking or breaking due to the expanded water.
It is important to understand that caring for your pool even during winter months extends its total life. Pool care for winters is extremely easy and requires the bare minimum once you’ve cleaned it for the closing. When you care for your pool during winters, you make its opening easier for yourself. It also keeps the water healthy and you get to enjoy your pool as soon as the next season arrives. If you’re unsure about how to go about this, it is always helpful to consult a professional.
