Five Winter Pool Care Tips

Taking care of your outdoor swimming pool through the winter and off-season doesn’t end when you pump out the water and put the cover on your pool.

There’s plenty of work to be done to ensure your pool is in tip top clean condition, ready for that first dip next year! Here’s five top tips for maintaining your pool across the winter:

1. • Check your system to prevent freezing
     With the winter approaching and freezing temperature likely to occur, remember to check your swimming pool pipes and motorised parts. As you plan to close the pool, be sure to drain the water from the pump, pool heater and filter.As the temperatures going below 0’, any excess water in these parts will freeze. Frozen water will cause pipes to crack and this can cost serious money in the long run.Winter is also a good time to clean out the shed and discard all of the pool chemicals you used that season. You never want to save chemicals for the following year- check the labels for the best before use dates!

1. • Add chlorine to your pool to ensure a clean opening
     Add chlorine to your pool and leave it over the winter. Try not to add too much chlorine though, if the chlorine level is too high, you can bleach the liner.As soon as the water thaws in the spring, pop open a corner of the cover and add liquid chlorine to the pool (4-9 l. for an average in-ground pool). You can do this yourself, or we very happy to do this service for you.The spring dose of chlorine is the most important part. When your pool is opened, vac on waste to help remove the debris from the bottom of the pool. If you try to vac the sediment from the bottom of the pool and run it through the filter system, you may find that the sediment is so fine that it goes right through your filter.You may find that your pool is what we commonly refer to ‘pea soup green’ in the spring, to deviate this add “bunches of liquid chlorine”, allow your filter to do its work, and monitor the progress.

1. • Check your safety cover to make sure it’s always properly fitted
     Having clean, clear water in the spring makes the life of a pool owner so much easier. One key element in doing so is having a properly fitted safety cover. Make sure that strong winds, children running around or your dog doesn’t move it or uncover it.A properly installed safety swimming pool cover is a durable cover which will give you many years of reliable use with a minimum of maintenance. It’s important to choose your cover and the installer carefully! If you need help in choosing a cover, we can recommend the right one for your pool.

1. • Use enzyme chemicals to break down non-living organic contamination
     While there is not a widely known technique to keep swimming pool while its pump and filter system are shut down for the winter, there is one industry trick you should consider.Using an enzyme product during the cold months (even if poured through a mesh cover when the water is not frozen) will help to break down non-living organic contamination that will inevitably make its way into your pool. Some of this contamination could include: bird droppings, pollen, or even bather contaminants leftover from your last swimming pool season.An off-season enzyme will help to prevent the waterline ring that can occur through the winter, which would normally require a lot of scrubbing in the spring. The use of an off-season enzyme also allows for a faster turnaround time when you go to open your pool as the weather gets warmer.

1. • Protect the water and open early
     We refrigerate food to minimise degradation from microorganisms that will grow on food and make us sick…In many ways, winter acts just as nature’s refrigerator for our swimming pools and spas. As temperatures drop, so does reproduction rates for microorganisms.The challenge in real cold environments is that water is not being circulated, the pool is covered, and a typical disinfectant like free chlorine will degrade and disappear over time.Open the pool before the water gets too warm. From our experience, waiting until late summer to open the pool, on average, tend to have more algae or biofilm growing in the pool that needs to be inactivated and removed. After all, the water would have warmed up and algae, bacteria and fungi will have grown faster.Think about it, if you have left-overs in your refrigerator, do you take them out and let it stand at room temperature for long periods of time before you eat? I hope not! The same goes for pools, why let them warm up before you start treating the water to prevent algae and bacteria growth?

Let Alzach help you with your swimming pool maintenance

We offer professional swimming pool cleaning, servicing and maintenance supplies. Additionally, our partners at Products4Pools supply equipment, spare parts and supplies to keep your pool in top condition, no matter what the weather.
Talk to us today for advice and support about maintaining your swimming pool – call 0800 977 4966 or talk to us.