You should probably think ahead about winterizing your pool – unless you have an indoor pool, of course. Your swimming pool season can be shorter than you’d like depending on your specific environment. However, you shouldn’t pretend otherwise, because failing to winterize your pool or waiting too long to do so puts your sensitive pool filtration mechanisms at risk of damage, and the water can then become contaminated. Don’t worry if you have a new pool and haven’t yet completed the winterizing procedure; we’re here to assist you with the when and how.
When Should You Winterize Your Pool
Depending on your local climate, winterizing will need to be done at a different time, although it is usually done around the first frost of the year. (You can prepare in advance by consulting the Farmer’s Almanac’s list of the typical first frost dates for your region. Keep an eye out for unusually chilly weather starting prematurely, since this year’s first frost may come earlier than traditionally expected. Being proactive and even closing down your pool earlier than necessary might help protect your investment. This straightforward action can significantly reduce unneeded costs and worry, which won’t likely manifest themselves until you’re getting ready for the upcoming pool season next year.
Tracking the first frost along with temperatures that fall and stay below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18 degrees Celsius, are key factors that affect timing for when you need to begin the winterization process.
In some climates temperatures during the winter occasionally rise over the 65 degree mark for a couple of days; take advantage of those warmer spells to conduct water testing and to add the proper chemicals in order to achieve and maintain the right pH balance for the water throughout the colder months.
Cleaning Procedures For Winterizing Your Swimming Pool
The work you put into this annual winterizing process will undoubtedly pay off, just like with routine swimming pool care, but failing to do it will have consequences. A week before you totally close down your pool, it is wise to begin the winterization process by adding a phosphate remover. This procedure is performed to prevent algae from forming and to inhibit the growth of any algae that may be attempting to do so. On that topic, it’s crucial to avoid closing your pool too soon: before you close the pool, the water temperature should be regularly below that 65-degree range in order to ensure that algae growth is prevented.
Following the pre-winterizing procedure outlined above, you should brush and vacuum your pool to eliminate any debris and to help further inhibit algae growth. The floor and sides of your pool should both be properly brushed before everything is thoroughly vacuumed. Before closing the pool, take careful efforts to skim the water’s surface and then give the skimmer and pump baskets one more cleaning.
But there’s more! Continue reading about this crucial phase for your pool with our next article.
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Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 500,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.
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