Tips for Closing Your Pool for the Season

It’s time to say “goodbye” to the warm, summer days and say “hello” to winter. This also means cleaning up your pool and getting it ready for the cold, winter months. Don’t just throw a cover on and call it and make it fend for itself until spring, however. Before you close your pool for winter, check out these tips to ensure that your opening pool day goes off without a hitch.

Winterizing a pool

Once the summer months begin to die down and fall is in full swing, it’s time to start thinking about shutting down your pool for the winter. This is not simply throwing a cover over your pool. There are multiple steps that take place to ensure that your pool will stay healthy until spring. Some of these steps include:

• A thorough cleaning of your pool
• Adding the proper chemicals
• Reducing the amount of water that is in your pool

Taking these steps to make sure that your pool is ready for the winter will make your lives easier when you open again in the spring.

Invest in a pool cover

Covering your pool in the winter will make cleaning the pool in the spring a breeze. Using a pool cover will help keep debris out of your pool during the winter, which means that you should spend less time outside cleaning your pool and more time inside reading a good book and cozying up by the fire. Although pool covers can be expensive, they will save you money in the long-run. For example, you won’t have to spend as much money heating the pool during the winter. You also won’t have to spend extra money on chemicals, since the cover will keep out leaves and other debris.

Continue running your pool pump

Since bacteria doesn’t do well in the winter and no one is utilizing the pool, you can reduce the amount of time you run your pool pump, as long as you are still running it. If the pump is not running, the necessary chemicals cannot be evenly distributed throughout the pool, which means that bacteria and algae can grow. Running the pump is also necessary because it heats up the motor. This evaporates moisture and humidity, which can cause damage to the motor. It is recommended that the pump runs between 3-4 hours a day in the winter.

Balance your chemicals before you close

One of the best ways to ruin opening day in the spring is by neglecting to balance the chemicals in your pool before you close for the season. This is a necessary step because chemicals prevent damage to your pool, as well as increase sanitation levels in your pool. The three main chemicals that need to be balanced are pH, alkalinity and calcium. These chemicals protect your pool in different ways, so don’t leave any of them out before you close for the winter. It is not something that needs to be done every day, but checking the chemical levels throughout winter will make your life easier in the spring.

Being able to use your pool after the long, cold months of winter is a treat for anyone, so don’t ruin that by not taking the proper precautions before you close for the winter season. Make sure you are taking the proper precautions to make sure your opening day goes off without a hitch! Check out our website for more tips about pool, spa and water treatment!