Pool Maintenance in the Winter is Simple

Unfortunately for many pool owners, swimming pool season has been over for a few months now. Most pool owners have already shut their pool down for the fall and winter months, waiting eagerly for the beginning of pool season next year. However, a big mistake many pool owners make over the winter is not keeping up with their maintenance. Owners should regularly keep up with winter pool maintenance.

While your pool won’t be in use over the fall and winter months, plenty of things can go wrong that can affect its condition in the long run. You don’t want to have to postpone the opening of your pool because of an issue that arose because you failed to keep up with winter pool maintenance, right?

Regular pool maintenance is not difficult or time-consuming, and neither is winter pool maintenance. If you want to keep your pool in the best shape possible for the longest time possible, you must regularly maintain it throughout the winter.

As expert DFW pool builders, Mid City Custom Pools knows what it takes to keep your pool in good condition. That includes winter pool maintenance. For those that currently don’t have a swimming pool of their own, the winter is the perfect time to build one. Give Mid City Custom Pools a call today, and let’s get started on your dream pool!

Maintaining Your Pool Through the Winter

Regardless of if you see snow or not this winter, chances are the weather will be far too cold to enjoy your backyard (unless you have a spa set up). For most pool owners, they have to shut their pools down to protect them from the winter elements. However, shutting it down is just the beginning.

Winter pool maintenance is crucial in ensuring your pool stays in good condition in the long run. Even if you shut down your swimming pool, that doesn’t mean it is safe from all that can go wrong. You must continue to maintain it throughout the winter.

Here are some helpful winter pool maintenance tips to help you through these cold months:

Install a Pool Cover

We have spoken about pool covers plenty of times in the past, but it’s for a good reason. Pool covers are an excellent way to protect your pool from the elements. Winter weather can be all over the place, from wind and rain to heavy snow and ice. Naturally, this weather can blow a host of unwanted debris into your pool. This debris creates an unhygienic environment and can disrupt your pool chemistry. Pool covers keep out leaves and other substances that can breakdown and clog your filter.

Additionally, they limit the amount of water you lose, as well. Evaporation is natural, so water loss in the winter does still happen. Pool covers help limit the amount of work you need to do to maintain your pool when you reopen it in the spring. Remember, if your area gets a lot of snow, clear it off of your pool cover. Most covers cannot withstand that much weight.

Skim Your Pool

Even with a pool cover, unwanted debris can still make its way into your pool. As we just mentioned, this debris can ruin your pool chemistry and clog up your filters, which will be a hassle to deal with in the future. Make a habit of regularly skimming your pool, clearing away any substances that might have built up over time. Don’t put this off for too long. The longer you wait, the more debris will build up.

Monitor Water Levels

As we mentioned before, evaporation is natural. Even during the winter months, you can lose water due to evaporation. While a pool cover can help prevent the amount of water lost, it can’t stop it all. Regularly check to ensure your water level is topped off properly. The appropriate water level will depend on the climate of your area.

If you live in a warmer area that hardly sees freezing temperatures, you can fill your pool to the top. However, if your area experiences harsh winters with freezing temperatures, keep your water level four to six inches below the skimmer. At this point, you should have already winterized your pool and blew out and plugged up the plumbing lines.

Balance Your Water Chemistry 

Even without people coming in and out of your pool, its chemistry can become easily unbalanced. When your chemistry is out of the recommended range, it can wreak havoc on your pool and pool equipment.

Balancing your water chemistry is not a demanding process, but it is vital. These levels should sit around:

• pH: 4 to 7.6
• Alkalinity: 100-150 ppm (parts per million)
• Calcium Hardness: a minimum of 200 ppm
• Free Chlorine: 2 to 4 ppm

You can also add an algaecide to your filtration system (if you kept it connected). If your chlorine levels start to fall, you can use chlorine tablets to maintain these levels.

Inspect Your Equipment

Even though your pool is not in use, dirt, pollen, and other unwanted substances can get into the water. These substances can make their way into your pool equipment and cause many issues. Make a habit of checking your filters, pool pump, heater (if you have one), and any other plumbing.

You want to ensure that each piece of equipment is functioning correctly. If not, it can cost you plenty of money in the future. While checking your equipment, make sure there is no water left over. Freezing water can destroy pipes and other equipment, so you’re going to want to clear out any excess water.

Monitor Freezing Weather

Nothing is worse than going to open your pool in the spring only to find a cracked pipe or a leak in your liner. However, when you have water in your pool, and the temperature drops below freezing, that is a potential risk. To prevent any damage, keep a close eye on the weather, so you can act fast before it drops below freezing.

Set up notifications on your phone to alert you of freezing temperatures. You can even install and set a freeze guard, so when it drops to a specific temperature, it turns on your pump or heater to help prevent freezing.

While many pool owners might not think about it, winter pool maintenance is a vital part of keeping your pool in good condition. Taking the initiative to maintain your pool throughout the winter will not only protect it from damage, but it will also save you time and money when it’s time to reopen.