Closing or winterizing a pool can take longer than opening or regular maintenance. However, doing it properly safeguards your investment and makes opening the pool in the spring much less hassle. This checklist approach will allow us to quickly give you the most relevant information.
This checklist will help you ensure that your pool has been properly winterized and will be ready for use in the spring.
Remember that the water in your pool WILL freeze when planning for the winter. A thin layer of ice or near-solid ice, depending on your location in the country. Only by making the pool into a gigantic Martini can we hope to prevent it from freezing over. If parts of the pool system require extra care, ask your local contractor about them.
To begin, there are TWO things you should think about doing around two weeks before closing your pool. Use an effective Natural Enzyme product to “eat up” grease, oil, and other non-filtered organic waste accumulated in the pool. The second factor to consider treating is the bio-film that has accumulated on all of the pool’s surfaces, including the pool’s interior, the filter system, the plumbing lines, the areas behind the lights and ladders, and so on. White water mold, pink slime, scale, and algae benefit from bio-films, contributing to Chlorine Demand and poor water balance. If you’re interested in these topics, please read my previous articles.
Fix any water quality issues, including algae, hazy water, or an unbalanced pH, BEFORE winterizing the pool. If we ignore the issue now, it will only worsen in the spring. It’s a common misconception that algae, white water mold, and pink slime perish during the winter.
Total alkalinity should be between 90 and 130 parts per million in vinyl or fiberglass pools and between 80 and 120 parts per million in gunite or plaster finish pools. Correcting calcium hardness to a range of 175–250 ppm is appropriate for all pools to prevent long-term surface deterioration. Plastering gunite pools within 90 days after closing them requires extra attention to water balance to avoid discoloration and mottling of the new surface.
Let’s tackle winterizing the pool one simple step at a time.
ALL SWIMMING POOLS (with vinyl liners):
Get rid of the stairwells and deck furniture.
Clear the pool of any leaves and other debris by vacuuming.
Use a high-quality gel-type pool surface cleanser for cleaning and protecting the water line. Vinyl liners should not be cleaned using common chemicals. A dirty water line might accumulate sediment during the winter, but with this cleaner, that won’t happen.
Empty ALL water from the filter tank. Take out the plug in the winter.
Eyeballs, drain caps, gauges, and so on should be stored in the pump basket. Next spring, you’ll already be familiar with the layout.
Invest in a high-quality Pool Filter Cleaner and use it on your DE filter grids or Cartridge. If you apply muriatic or sulfuric acid, the collected greases and oils will be set into the fabric of the DE grids or Cartridge material. Think about investing in an enzyme-based filter cleaner, which is effective against grime but gentle on the planet.
It’s best to bring the pump and motor inside for the winter and keep them in an excellent, dry spot.
If your home has a heater, turn it off and winterize it properly. Winter damage and freezing will result from failure to do so. Check that the drains are clear. Flustering the heater with clean, non-toxic water is a good idea. Anti-freeze. Put a mouse repellant around the heater if there are field mice nearby. Mice often make cozy homes in heating vents, gnaw wiring, and lay eggs.
Please take out the return eyeballs and replace them with plugs or caps.
Put the skimmer(s) away for the winter. Types of Pools are Listed Below.
Cover up for the cold season.
Any solid cover must float on the surface of the water. It’s essential to remember that mesh coverings allow pool water to rise from underneath the cover instantly. If your pool has a mesh cover, you may want to use TWICE as much winter shock and algicide, as usual to keep algae at bay.
Pools with mesh covers should not be drained to a depth lower than the skimmer.
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If a pillow is going to prop up the cover, only fill it up approximately two-thirds of the way. If you inflate an air pillow too much, it will leak air and eventually flatten.
Pool tools like the vacuum, net, pole, etc., must be stored correctly. It’s essential to regularly clean and rinse automatic pool cleaners to remove debris and grime.
ABOVE-GROUND POOLS (no vinyl liners):
The subsurface lines should be completely obliterated.
Put a Gizmo or an Aquador in your skimmer.
Put in around 1 gallon of non-toxic antifreeze for every 20 feet of line pipe.
The diving board, if present, should be stored in a horizontal posture.
After installation, make sure to retighten any safety covers.
If a safety cover is in place, a second application of Back Up Algicide should be made in the spring (before opening).
VERTICAL SWIMMING POOLS:
Use a sealing plate, such as an AQUADOR, to prepare the skimmer for the winter. By maintaining a consistent water level, as is possible with the help of such a plate, the winter cover may be kept in place, avoiding excessive sagging.
[] Make sure the cable is snug around the cover.
Cover Clips should be used to fasten the cover further. A roll of Pool Cover Wrap is another cutting-edge option for doing the same thing. BOTTLES SHOULD NOT BE HUNG: When bottles hang from the cover, the cover is torn.
When the season is over:
Cover maintenance includes sweeping away leaves and other large debris.
(A submersible cover pump works best for this) [] Drain any standing water from the top of the cover. If the pool freezes over, you’ll be stuck inside until the weather warms up again.
If your pool has a gunite or plaster finish, the contractor may have further recommendations for you.
HELPFUL WINTERIZING ADVICE:
All chemical winter survival kits are built to function reliably for no more than four months. When the pool is closed for an extended time (for example, closing before October 1 and reopening after May 1), more shock and algaecide must be added to the winterizing process. As a result, you won’t have to worry about algae or high chlorine needs when the pool first opens.
If you take the time to close and winterize properly, you’ll have a much easier time reopening in the spring.
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