Do you know the pool maintenance tasks that you need to complete before the winter season hits? The cold season generally means you will have to stop using your swimming pool. Does that mean you should just leave it like that?
Of course not! If you want to take care of your pool, you need to make sure that it is properly maintained all the time.
It is just like your pots and pans. After you use it, you make sure that it is clean before you keep it in your cabinets. That way, when you need to use it again, you can use it immediately and without any fuss.
The same concept is applied to your swimming pool. When springtime comes, you would want to use your swimming pool again. And for sure, your pool will be used more frequently once summertime comes. That means spring will be spent doing various pool maintenance tasks. To keep yourself from working too hard on that, you need to make sure that your pool will be well kept before you cover it up for the winter season.
But what if, in your location, it does not get too cold to use your pool? There are warmer places where snow does not fall. It may still be a little chilly but you can still use your pool – especially if you have a pool heater installed.
So what can you do to maintain your swimming pool for the cold season?
Pool Maintenance Tip #1 – Keep running the pool pump
Admittedly, it will not be as much as when you did during the summer season. This will help you save money while still taking care of pool maintenance. But the bottom line is, you still need to run it. You can reduce the number of hours that you will run the pump. After all, it will not be used as frequently as you did when the weather was warmer. But there are still problems that could arise if you do not run the filtration system.
There are a couple of things to consider when determining how long you will run the pump. The size of the pool is to be considered. The bigger the pool, the more time is needed for the water to circulate completely in the system. It is usually 6 to 8 hours. You should also consider the debris that accumulates over the time you are not running the pump. If you run it for 5 hours, that means there is 19 hours worth of debris that accumulated. If there was a recent storm, running the pump is also needed to remove any dirt or debris that the weather disturbance created.
Pool Maintenance Tip #2 – Check the pool chemistry
We have established that pool maintenance is still important even if you are not using it regularly. The same is true for monitoring the chemistry of the pool waters. You still need to conduct regular tests to ensure that the water has the right amount of chemicals. The pH level should be between 7.4 and 7.6. The alkalinity level should be around 80 to 120 ppm. The calcium level during the winter season should be between 175 and 225 ppm.
You have to remember that when the water chemicals of your pool are compromised, it will breed all sorts of organisms and bacteria. This will make the water unsafe. Since there is a tendency for people to drink the accidentally while swimming, you need to keep the water clean. This means making sure the water chemicals are at the right levels.
Pool Maintenance Tip #3 – Monitor for freezing water
If the temperature is going down, you want to run the pump longer to keep the water from freezing. You can get a freeze sensor that will tell you if you already need to run the pump. You can also monitor the weather updates in your local area. Look for an app that will give you alerts on the daily temperature. If it looks like it will be a cold day, turn the pump on for 24 hours.
There is also a digital device that will sense changes in the temperature around the pool. This can automatically turn on the pump when it is close to freezing. This is programmable so you should be able to save a lot without compromising pool maintenance.
Pool Maintenance Tip #4 – Cover it up
Finally, you have the option to just cover the pool throughout the winter season. If you have no plans of using it anyway or because you will be traveling or you have a lot of engagements to attend to, then just cover it. This will keep the dirt and debris from going into the water.
Before Covering Your Pool
Before covering the pool, there are a couple of things that you should do.
First, you need to remove the pumps and the filter drain plugs before you cover it all up. You should also drain the water so the level is below the mouth of the skimmer. Then, you can add enough pool chemicals that will last throughout the winter season. You can also winterize all the plugs and seal the pipes.
After all of these are done, you can place the pool cover. Your swimming pool should be all set for the winter season.
Having a pool cover has many benefits. You can read more in our Do You Really Need a Swimming Pool Cover article
While the weather is still okay, try to complete all of these pool maintenance tasks. That way, you do not have to worry about the pool until after the spring season comes.
