Part of the responsibility of owning a pool involves taking care of routine maintenance. During the summertime, you usually remember to take care of your pool maintenance needs, but during the off-season (see Part 1), it’s easy to forget about caring for your pool. Don’t make that mistake. Instead, be proactive by taking steps to prevent pool problems before they start.
Pool Chemistry Complications That Often Happen During the Winter
If your pool’s algaecide or sanitizer levels aren’t regulated during the winter, you could end up with a nasty algae bloom in your pool. The only way to try to prevent this issue from occurring is to test your pool’s chemical levels on a regular basis throughout the winter. This will help to ensure that the sanitizer level is where it needs to be at all times. Algaecide 60+ is an effective product you could consider using. You’ll normally need to add a bit more as temperatures begin to rise in early spring. It’s helpful at this time of the year to give your entire pool a visual check to see if you notice any algae beginning to accumulate. If so, that’s a good signal that you probably need to increase the amount of algaecide in your pool.
If your pool experiences a changing pH level during the wintertime due to fluctuating temperatures, it could make the chemicals you’ve added to the pool when you close it for the winter less potent. Calcium scale can begin to build up at the surface of the water if the pH is too high. If it’s too low, expect to find stains and corrosion on the inside of your pool. Neither situation is one you want to face when you get ready to open up your pool next spring for swimming season. Water balancing chemicals can be your key to making sure the water in your pool stays at a healthy pH level throughout the winter.
A Few More Helpful Tips
As stated in the first article in this series, it’s extremely important to make sure you circulate the chemicals you add to the pool so they don’t cause damage to your pool’s interior surfaces. You’ll also want to be careful to dissolve granular chemicals completely before adding them to the pool. Be sure to stick to the manufacturer’s recommended dosage for each chemical you add and only add chemicals to your pool at the same time if the instructions say it’s safe to use them together.
Add the chemicals to each of the sides of your pool while walking around the perimeter. You can flip the edge of your cover back in order to expose a small portion of water. Just wipe off any debris that happens to get on the inside cover surface before securing it back in place.
Since you would have already drained your pool’s pump for the off-season, you’ll have to distribute the chemicals around the pool for proper circulation either manually or with a submersible pump. If you go with the manual method, take a pool brush that has a long handle on it and move the water around. This should help the chemicals to disperse to different areas of the water. Using a submersible pump will save you time and effort, but it’s an added expense. Some solid winter covers come with a submersible pump already installed in them.
To operate a submersible pool pump, place the pump in the water, preferably on the deep end if you have a cord that will reach that far. Add the hose attachment and stretch it out so it extends to the other side of the pool. After a couple of hours, the pool water should be sufficiently circulated. If you want to be extra sure that the water is circulated well enough to prevent pool liner and plaster damage, you can combine the use of the submersible pump and manual distribution of the water with a pool brush.
Your local pool supplies store or online pool supply retailers should have everything you need to get your pool ready for winter. You can choose anything from a basic pool winterizing kit to a deluxe kit, depending on your personal preferences, budget, and the size of your pool. If you’re not sure which kit to get, speak to a pool maintenance specialist for more information and advice.
Learn More About Pools
• Water for a Warrior: Pools with a Purpose for Our Veterans
• Maintenance Tips for Your New Pool: Monthly & Occasional Tasks
Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 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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