How to close a swimming pool for the winter: tips for a quiet winter

Some tips to make the pool cover effective for a “quiet” winter.

Balancing the Chemical Composition of Water, Cleaning, Lowering the Water Level, Unloading the Technical Equipment with dechlorative means, these are some points to put the pool to rest in the months of inactivity.

Properly closing your pool for the winter will save you a lot of time and money when it comes time to reopen it. Close the pool as soon as it starts to get cold to make sure you protect it well from freezing, UV infiltration from rain and external agents.

Balance the chemical composition of the pool water

Adjusts the pH, alkalinity and water hardness. Make sure that these components are balanced, protect the pool from corrosion or build-up of deposits that may occur during the winter, when the pool is closed. These adjustments must be made approximately five days before the pool is completely closed.

1. • Adjusts the pH to a level between 7.2 and 7.6.
   • Adjusts the alkalinity from 80 to 120 ppm (parts per million).
   • Adjusts the hardness to 180-220 ppm.

Take a shock treatment with chlorine. Use chlorine or a chlorine-free substitute to kill bacteria that can live in the pool. Buy a product for shock treatment with at least 65% calcium hypochlorite or obtain a chlorine-free substitute with equivalent strength. Fill a bucket with 20 liters of pool water, add the amount indicated on the label of chlorine granules, and pour it into the pool while the filtration system is running.

1. • Be sure to add the chlorine grains in the bucket of water, rather than adding water to the bucket already containing the granules.
   • Let the chlorine level return to a value between 1 and 3 ppm over a few days before proceeding to the next step.

Add a winter visitor for the winter. The winter visitor kills existing algae and prevents it from flowering. Algae can cause the pool to fade and produce a bad smell, so it is important to treat your pool with an algaecide before closing it.

1. • Make sure that the chlorine level is brought to an optimum level to allow maximum yield of the winter visitor

Clean the pool

Remove all that is not water from the pool. That is, ladders, baskets, and any decorative accessories for the pool.

Clean Aspira and brush. Do a thorough cleaning, since this is the last time you clean it before winter. Use your specific equipment to clean the bottom and walls, for example, do you know that the bottom mesh is different from that for the water line ?

1. • If there is a lot of debris on the bottom of the pool, use a suitable net to collect them before vacuuming or cleaning .
   • Clean the pool the same day you decide to close it, so you do not have to collect debris later.

Lower the Water Level and Drain the technical system

Lower the water level with the technical plant, not forgetting to dechlate the water before draining. The water should be below the skimmer level, depending on the type of coverage you are using. With regard to the overflow plant it will be sufficient to lower it under the edge. The above ground pools will be treated like skimmer “cousins”

Empty the equipment and the impacts. All pumps, filters, heaters, impellers and chlorinators must be emptied of water before winter. If the water were to freeze, it could damage them or damage them.

1. • Open the drain of each piece of equipment to remove the water.
   • Remove the filters and clean them carefully. Keep them in a dry and closed place for the winter.
   • If the filters can not be removed, use a vacuum cleaner or air compressor to blow off the remaining water.
   • Leave the filters uncorked

Save the plumbing for the winter. The hydraulic accessories operating in your pool must be dry so as not to freeze and break during the winter.

Complete the closure of the pool for the winter

Cover the pool. It is essential to use a cover that fits well, without cuts or cracks to prevent debris from entering the pool during the winter. The choice of coverage must be in keeping with the environment and atmospheric agents deriving from cardinal punishments.

Warnings

• Never completely empty a swimming pool – hydrostatic pressure can cause damage.
• Keep an active alarm in the pool during the winter months. Pets and children may have accidents, regardless of the season. It’s always too cold to swim in the winter.
• Do not use car antifreeze in the swimming pool system.

Things you will need

• Kit for chemical water tests.
• Chemical kit for the winter
• wintering
• Chlorine shock treatment
• Detergent for the filter
• Pool cover
• Swimming pool cleaning equipment