How To Keep Your Pool From Freezing This Winter In 7 Steps

Winterizing the pool is as important as winterizing the house. You must have been skipping winterizing the pool. If yes, then read on to find out why winterizing the pool is important and how to keep your pool from freezing this winter.

Those who own a pool need to winterize the pool along with all the other things. The pool also tends to freeze during winter, just like any other house area.

Many people think it will be a hassle to winterize the pool as it is vast, but with only two easy steps, you can get it done.

How to keep your pool from freezing

It would be best to start one week before your planned schedule to winterize your pool on time. It will likley take more than one week to clean and prepare the pool.

Step 1

First, you must start cleaning the pool to prepare it for winterization. The pool will be closed for an entire season. If any algae or parasites are left in the pool, it will spoil the water. Brush the sides and floor of the pool, use equal algaecide, and vacuum to clean any dead algae, dirt, and debris. Deep clean the pool by removing leaves and other waste. Once you have cleaned the pool, it will make it easy to balance the chemicals and prevent algae growth.

For cleaning the pool, different types of equipment are also essential. Remove all skimmer baskets, heaters, slides, wall fittings, vacuums, pool cleaners, ladders, and handrails. Clean the filter, skimmer, and pump basket. Remember to empty the chlorinator. Use filter cleaner to break down any oil build-up. Keep them aside to dry, and store them in a safe place once dried. Once these pieces of equipment are removed, it will be easier to clean the pool.

Step 2

The next thing will be the winterization process. First, you have to manage the water level. The water level should be 4-6 inches below the tile line. Perhaps you own a fiberglass pool or it has a vinyl liner. You won’t need to drain a lot of water. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation. Sometimes in non-freezing areas, you don’t need to drain the water.
You have to use winterizing chemicals to winterize your pool. It helps avoid water issues such as cloudy water, algae, metal stains, etc. You can do it at home using a pool closing kit. In The Swim makes a good one (— check price on Amazon–). If you cannot do it, use a professional’s help.

Step 3

The next step is pretty intense. It can be avoided, but if you are going to close your pool for a longer time, then it is better to take extra precautions. Add a pool shock treatment to your pool so that your pool is free from any bacteria and is kept clean and fresh for extended periods.

Step 4

Once you have added the necessary chemicals, you need to backwash the pool filter, run the pump for a 4-12 hours cycle, then manually clean the pool filter. It’s an additional step that will make the process more manageable when you reopen the pool.

Step 5

You must drain the pool pump, filter, and heater and blow out any remaining water. Store this equipement until you open the pool again.

Step 6

Now install an pool air pillow by utilizing a shop vac, air pump or air blower, and then place it in the center of your pool, or you can use a pillow pal which connects the air pillow to the bottom of the winter cover.

Step 7

Now the final process is adding the winter cover or safety cover, both work the same, but the safety cover is much stronger than the winter cover.

An additional step will be to add a cover pump to prevent rainwater from destroying the winter cover.

How to open the pool after winter?

1. Clean any dirt, dried leaves, or anything off the winter cover.
2. Remove water from the cover using a pool cover pump.
3. Try to remove the cover without letting anything go inside the pool water.
4. Clean the winter cover nicely and store it for the next season.
5. With the help of a skimmer, remove any dirt from the water.
6. Now connect all the pipes so that the water supply can start.
7. Take out all the equipment you kept inside, such as a ladder.
8. Now you have noticed that the water level has decreased with time, add some water to the pool.
9. Run the pipes with water once before using it.
10. Now do a balance test to see if the water needs any balancing and add the necessary chemicals.

Conclusion

Maintaining a swimming pool is very necessary whether it is summer or winter. Every season, time-to-time maintenance is essential to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the water. If the water is not well maintained, it will spoil the water and could harm your swimmers via bacteria, or other microorganisms that could make you sick. We need to make some extra effort to maintain the pool during the winter, but it will keep it safe during the cold season, and help make it ready to enjoy when it warms up. Read More>>