Winterizing You Pool: The Key to a Clear and Trouble-Free Spring:
As the leaves begin to fall and the temperatures drop, it’s time to start thinking about closing your pool for the winter. Properly winterizing your pool is not just about protecting it from the cold; it’s also about ensuring that you’ll have a hassle-free reopening in the spring. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of closing later and opening earlier, balancing your pool, and the essential steps to take to ensure your pool stays crystal clear.
Closing Later and Opening Earlier: A Winning Strategy
Closing Later
Many pool owners rush to close their pools as soon as the weather starts to cool down. However, closing later in the season, when the water is cooler, can help reduce the chances of encountering a green and murky pool in the spring. Algae growth thrives in warm water, so delaying the closing process can be an effective preventative measure. Here we suggest aiming for at least late October granted a normal temperature cycle.
Opening Earlier
Likewise, opening your pool early in the spring, as soon as the weather starts warming up, is a smart move. By getting a head start on your pool’s maintenance, you can address any issues before the escalate and enjoy a clean and inviting pool as soon as possible.
Properly Balancing Your Pool: The Night Before
Chemical Balance
To prepare your pool for closing, it’s essential to ensure that the water is properly balanced. Testing the water’s chemicals and following the recommended adjustments will help in preventing any unwanted damage to your pool’s surface and other potential chemical issues during the time it’s closed.
Double Shock Treatment
The night before closing your pool, give it a double shock treatment. This means using double the normal dose of calcium hypochlorite shock, approximately 2 pounds per 10,000 gallons of water. This extra shock helps eliminate any lingering contaminants and ensures that the water is as clean as possible before closing.
Other Essential Closing Steps:
Water Level
Before closing, fill the pool until the water level is just underneath the top of the skimmer mouth. This prevents potential damage from freezing and thawing cycles as well as any issues with hydrostatic pressures from ground water.
Antifreeze
Hawaiian Pools & Landscape recommends not adding antifreeze to the plumbing lines. Properly winterizing the equipment and plumbing, as described below, is sufficient to prevent freezing damage.
Blowing Out Plumbing Lines
To ensure that no water remains in the plumbing lines, use an air blower to blow out the lines. We have special winterizing equipment to accomplish this task, however some higher-powered shop-vacs can be used for you “do-it-yourselfers” out there. While the air is blowing out the returns, go around and replace the eyeball-returns with threaded plugs. This will prevent any water from entering during the winter.
Winterizing Equipment
Winterizing the pool equipment is critical. Drain all the equipment, including the pump, filter, and heater. Remove any drain plugs to allow the water from the equipment to drain out to prevent freezing and potential damage.
Cover the Pool
Whether it’s a tarp cover with water bags or a mesh or solid cover, it’s recommended to cover the pool if you’re going to close it down for the winter. Prior to closing, inspect the cover to ensure there aren’t any holes. This will prevent any unnecessary water loss from your cover pump. It will also ensure that the safety cover is indeed safe from any foot traffic while applied.
Properly closing your pool for the winter is not just about protecting it from the cold; it’s about setting the stage for a trouble-free spring reopening. By closing later, opening earlier, balancing your pool, and following essential steps like double shocking the water and winterizing the equipment, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a crystal-clear pool when the warm weather returns. Remember, the effort you put into winterizing your pool now will pay off with a sparkling pool and less maintenance in the spring.