6 Tips for Preparing Your Pool for Winter

When fall creeps in promising colder months to follow, it’s important to make closing up your pool a priority. The winter months can do a lot of damage to pools if they are not closed up and treated properly. In order to safely prepare your pool for the winter and enjoy it for many more summers, here is a checklist to follow.

Drain your pool. Generally the water should be three to six inches below tile level for pools with solid covers. For pools with mesh covers it is generally 12 to 18 inches.

Clean out the junk. Give your pool a good cleaning before closing it down. Vacuum the bottom and sides of the pool to remove the algae. Also, remember to unclog and clean out the filter. Add an algaecide and phosphate remover to kill algae and stop it from growing throughout winter. Swimming in contaminated water can pose serious health risks. Make sure you uncover a pool that is clean when summer arrives.

Take care of the water. Test the water pH, chlorine, total alkalinity, and calcium hardness levels. These all need to be adjusted to avoid corrosion and build up. It is best to follow your pool manufactures' suggested levels.

Unplug hoses. All hoses for the pool vacuums, filter and skimmer should be unplugged and drained. The cold weather can be harsh and cause them to freeze and expand, which could cause tears or cracks in your hoses.

Cover it. Make sure to get a heavy-duty cover that is big enough to completely cover the pool. Be sure to secure and pull it firm to avoid it dropping into the water too much.

Talk your kids about safety. Make sure your children know that the pool is out of commission and off limits for the winter months. This is particularly important to stress to small children who could potentially fall in and become entrapped under the pool cover.

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