When the summer is approaching its last rays of sunshine, the eternal doubt arises:Empty the pool or try to use the water for the following summer? For this reason, we explain how to maintain pools in winter with only 5 tips.
Years ago this question had an easy answer. The pool was emptied and the water was reused (or not) for other tasks such as irrigation, always taking into account that a process had to be carried out to free the water from undesirable chemical agents for irrigation.
Due to the awareness that began a few years ago for the conservation of the environment, doubts began to be sown among pool owners.Is it better to maintain the water from one year to the next?
We believe so. A small effort on our part can be of great benefit to the environment and, thanks to this small effort, save thousands of liters of water per year, which are so badly needed.
In addition, if we remove the water, we are exposing the coating to external agents, such as cold, rain, snow, hail…. These external agents can seriously damage the liner of the pool. The water acts as a thermal insulator and damage protector for our pool.
Tips for maintaining swimming pools in winter
To maintain pools in winter it is necessary to follow a few simple steps that we indicate below. With these guidelines we will be able to enjoy clean and healthy water in the pool from one year to the next. Keep reading!
Thorough cleaning
Once we decide to close the pool season in our homes, we must clean all the elements: Skimmers, gates, grids, filters, bottom…. This cleaning is vital, since it will decide in which state our swimming pool spends the whole winter.
It is convenient to clean the pool maintenance equipment (pool cleaners, hoses, brushes,…) and then we will find them ready to use next summer.
In our online store we have a large selection of items for cleaning and decoration of the pool.
- Robot Cleaner
- Chlorine
- Anti-algae
- Floating dispensers
- Salt
- Salt in tablets
- Artificial turf
- Outdoor shower tray
Let’s not forget the ladder, how to maintain pools in winter with ladder? If the pool is going to be uncovered, you can consider leaving it in place as a safety system for possible falls. If you are going to cover it, we recommend you to remove it, clean it thoroughly and put it away.
Control of water properties
This point can be summarized in one sentence: keep it as if it were summer, but not as much as in summer. Don’t worry, now we explain it better.
To maintain pools in winter, the PH and chlorination levels must be maintained so that no bacteria or algae are generated that can affect our pool or water quality. In summer we must maintain these levels between very specific scales. In winter we can be a little more permissive with the levels, but with certain attention.
The optimal PH levels to maintain pools in winter, or not only at this time of the year, but in general, are between 7.2 and 7.5 points. Chlorination will depend on the capacity of the pool, although as a tip we can say that we should always try to keep a chlorine tablet in a floating dispenser. In winter, due to the low temperature, it will last longer than in summer and this gesture will be enough to keep the chlorine level at bay.
It is necessary to bear in mind that the maintenance periods to maintain swimming pools in winter are reduced as the temperature of the water goes down. In summer you may need between 6 and 8 hours a day of purification, while in winter we can reduce the purification to 1 or 2 hours a day.
On the other hand, if what we want is to disconnect as much as possible of the pool maintenance tasks, we can opt for the water wintering option. We will explain it in more detail below. Let’s continue!
Lowering the water level to take care of the skimmer
In winter, especially in areas that reach below zero degrees, to maintain pools in winter it is necessary to lower the water level below the skimmer. This prevents frost from breaking the skimmer installation. It is also necessary to empty the piping system, as when we turn off the water at home to prevent possible frost with the consequent bursts.
It is also advisable to leave floating objects on the surface diagonally to the edges. This breaks the surface tension of the water, lowering the chances of freezing.
Remember to set up the filter so that it does not draw water through the skimmer for purification. By lowering the water level, it would only take air and we can burn it. We must adapt it so that it only takes water from the bottom.
Covering your pool for the winter
We will find plenty of tarpaulins and plastics to cover the pool in the market. We must remember the importance of keeping the tarpaulin taut, and that this is of good quality, as well as prevent the fall of dirt, also prevents accidents in which a child, adult or elderly person can fall. with the danger that this entails.
In the market we will find many varieties of gadgets to cover our pool. We have to take into account the shape when choosing the method to install a pool cover: if it is rectangular, oval, circular…
Winterization of pool water: What is it?
The wintering or hibernation of the pool water is the conditioning of the same to maintain the properties in the best conditions and thus to be able to recover and reuse it in the following season. This practice minimizes the costs and maintenance work of swimming pools in winter.
Winterization is the technique that replaces prolonged chlorination during the winter months by means of a floating dosing device. We can try both techniques in different winters and choose the one that best suits our rhythm of life.
Swimming pool winterizing: Step by step
To winterize water correctly, we can make use of several sections explained above:
- Thorough pool cleaning
- PH level control
Shock chlorination
Once the PH level is controlled we have to perform a shock chlorination in order to disinfect and eliminate contaminating microorganisms. We must pour the chlorine in the amount indicated by the manufacturer and let it act for at least 6 hours.
It is recommended that we activate the purification mechanism to spread the product throughout the pool.
We make a new PH adjustment if necessary to keep it between the optimum values.
Water treatment: The winterizer
We must acquire a wintering product. We can acquire a product in liquid format that we can pour in the swimming pool and to maintain during some hours the purifier in recirculation. In this way it will be distributed homogeneously by all the glass.
The same product is also available in floating form. In this case, the winterizer comes in powder form. It is opened and left to float face down in the pool. The passage of time and water will gradually dissolve the powder.
The manufacturer always indicates the optimum temperature levels for the product to take effect. It is necessary to read well the recommendations and the mode of use. It will also indicate how often we have to repeat the treatment to reach the next summer with the pool and its water in perfect conditions.
Water monitoring
We should check the overwintered water every 3 or 4 weeks and thus anticipate possible malfunctions of the overwinter. And remember to run the water treatment plant in recirculation mode 1 or 2 hours a day. Keep in mind that if we have lowered the water level, we must configure the filter to only absorb water from the bottom of the pool. If we do not do this, we can make the motor work in vacuum and burn it.
Water recovery
Once the new bathing season arrives, we must previously recover the water. We will make a cleaning of the walls and the bottom with a brush. After this we will let the bottom cleaner work. If we see too much dirt, we will place the filter in position of emptied so that it drains directly without going through the filter.
We will also clean the skimmer, the basket and its filters. If our pool has an overflowing edge, remember to clean well all the grids.
In chemical terms we must restore the pH and chlorine values to normal for the bath. We can perform a shock chlorination.
It is recommended not to keep the same water in the pool for more than 5 years.
Sources:
Masferreteria.com
ElTiempo.es
Quimipool.com
If you think you’re ready to maintain pools in winter, check out this article: The best wood stoves, fireplaces and inserts of 2021..
