The winter months can bring a number of problems for your pool, and if you fail to properly winterize it, there is a strong chance that it can suffer extensive damage during these cold months. Unfortunately, it can be common for homeowners to be unaware of the steps for winterizing swimming pools. To help ensure that you avoid making mistakes that can cause damage to the pool, you should make sure to use these two tips to prepare your pool.
When the temperature drops to freezing, it can cause any water in the pool's equipment to dramatically expand. This will place pressure on the equipment, which can cause it to rupture. Avoiding these problems will require you to thoroughly drain any pumping and filtering equipment you have. To do this, there will be a setting on the unit for backwashing, and when this mode is activated, it will rapidly remove any water that is left in the system. The location of the backwash setting will vary based on the design of your pump, but this information can be found in the owner's manual.
If you have only recently purchased your first pool, you may be under the impression that algae is only a problem during the summer months. While it is true that algae will grow much faster during these months, it is still a problem that you will need to address with your pool. If you completely drain your pool for these months, you will want to apply the anti-algae product to the sides of the pool to help neutralize any algae spores that are along the sides. For those that plan on keeping some water in their pools during these months, it will be necessary to add these chemicals to the water of the pool. These substances can be highly effective, but they will gradually break down, which means you will need to make sure to add these substances to the pool at least a couple of times during the winter.
Pool winterization is a critical step for protecting a pool from numerous forms of damage. For those that have only recently purchased a pool, it is important to make sure to drain the pumping equipment and add anti-algae products to the pool. Ensuring that you do these steps can greatly reduce the chances that your pool encounters avoidable problems. If you need help with your pool, consider working with a pool winterizing service.