Pools are popular for summer fun and fresh springtime activities, but when the colder months arrive, most pool owners stay inside and wait until the weather warms up to use their pools again. However, just because you’re no longer using your pool doesn’t mean you can stop maintaining it. Winter swimming pool care is essential to prevent damage, algae growth and more during the winter.
Overall, winterising a pool focuses on stopping issues related to water stagnation and insufficient maintenance. Following a pool winter care guide will ensure your pool stays clean.
Tips For Caring For Your Pool This Winter
Consider these tips when you’re preparing your pool for the winter:
Deep Clean Your Pool. Before you winterise your pool, you should first give it a good deep clean. Clearing out debris like leaves, dirt and more from your pool water will help prevent algae growth. Remember that lack of maintenance, improperly balanced pool chemicals and excessive debris are the main causes of algae growth.
When your pool water is free of debris, thoroughly scrub the floor, walls and tiles around your pool to clear away any scale and bacteria. Cleaning these substances now will help prevent bacteria and algae growth during the winter.
Balance Your Water Chemicals And Shock Your Pool. Next, test your water to know how much you need to balance your water chemicals. Ensure the pH levels, chlorine levels and so on are right for your pool to prevent algae build-up. Shocking your pool will help remove organic and inorganic waste.
Check Your Pool Equipment. You need functioning equipment to carry out your winter swimming pool care schedule. Check your filters, pump and other pieces of equipment to ensure they’re functional. Clean your different equipment so that any debris left on them from the summer is washed away, stopping them from affecting your pool in the winter.
Remove Pool Accessories. Remove any pool accessories, like ladders, baskets and robotic cleaners, from your pool before you cover it for the winter. Check, clean and store your accessories to keep them safe.
Cover Your Pool. As you know, leaves and debris can get into your water, causing algae growth and the spread of bacteria. Luckily, you can protect your water with the best winter pool covers available. A sturdy pool cover stops leaves from getting into the water. Winter pool covers also block sunlight, which can fuel algae growth and contribute to evaporation.
Browse our selection of winter swimming pool covers. If your pool has a unique shape, you may need a custom pool cover to adequately cover it.
Trim The Plants Around Your Pool. Although your pool cover will keep your pool water safe, you can still trim bushes and trees around your pool to stop leaves from falling and building up on top of your pool cover and around your pool area. Trimming your plants will minimise falling leaves and debris and will encourage new growth in the spring.
Run The Filter Every Week. Run your pool filter at least 4 – 5 hours per day, or as needed, to prevent stagnant water and ensure circulation. As always, you should check on your filter and make sure it’s functional and clean.
Backwash your filter regularly, about once every two or three weeks, to keep it clean.
Check Your Pool Every Two Weeks. Even though you aren’t actively swimming in your pool, you should still check the water at least every two weeks. Test your water to check the chemical levels and balance when necessary. Check your pool water to see if anything got under the pool cover, and keep an eye on the water level. Rainfall and evaporation can cause your water levels to fluctuate – if your water level drops too low, your pool pump and filter could become damaged. Add water to your pool if you need to, but be careful not to overflow it.
Be sure to inspect different parts of your pool for potential issues, such as looking for algae blooms in your water or functional issues with your filter. A problem that’s left untreated all winter could be challenging to fix during the spring.
With these tips, you can winterise your pool and create a solid winter care schedule so your pool is good to go in the spring.
Getting The Right Supplies To Care For Your Pool This Winter
At Crystal Clear Pools, we have everything you need to care for your pool all year round. Do you need any extra supplies for your winter pool care plans? We have water tester kits, pool chemicals, the best pool covers available and more.
If you’d like more help, we also provide professional pool services for our clients. Please reach out online or call us on (09) 391 0002 if you’d like to speak to our team.
Crystal Clear Pools: Find everything you need to protect and maintain your pool this winter.