Your Essential Guide to Winter Pool Maintenance

There’s good news and bad news when it comes to pool maintenance in the winter. First the bad news: Yes, you still have to maintain your pool during this time whether you get several feet of snow each season or the weather stays pretty mild. The water chemistry can be highly destructive to your pool if it gets out of balance, so you will want to stay on top of it during the winter, even if you winterize your equipment and install a cover over the pool. Poor water chemistry will lead to damage on the surface of your pool, which means more cost to you, the pool owner

But the good news is that taking good care of your pool in the winter makes opening it up to enjoy in the Spring A LOT easier - not to mention it protects your investment. 

Don’t worry about that bad news, though. We’re here to make sure your winter maintenance is simple and easy. In this article, we will go over the three areas you need to make sure you cover when taking care of your pool this winter: your pool cover, your equipment, and your chemical balance.

Maintaining Your Pool Cover

1. First, make sure your cover is securely installed per manufacture recommendation. Check that all safety components are in place to prevent accidents. 
2. Regularly remove debris and water from the top of the cover. Not all covers are designed to withstand a great amount of weight. Remove leaves and twigs and pump or vacuum any excess water off the top. 
3. Use a broom or other tool to remove snow from the top of the pool cover. Keep in mind that fresh snow is easier to remove, so you might not want to put that chore off too long. 

Keeping your pool cover free of anything that will weight it down will prevent damage to your cover through the winter. 

Checking Your Pool Parts and Equipment

Like anything mechanical, your pool’s parts and equipment need a little TLC when the temperatures get colder to make sure they’re in top shape for Spring. 

In order to keep these parts in good condition:

1. Periodically check on your pump, heater and filter to make sure they are all working well. Replacing these parts in the Spring because of winter neglect will set you back quite a bit of money.
2. If winterizing your pool, make sure all excess water is removed from these parts. Winter temperatures could freeze this water causing cracks in your pipes, another expensive issue.
3. Contact your local pool professional if you’re not feeling confident in your ability to maintain these parts. Sometimes a professional eye is the best way to go.

Making sure that these parts remain in good condition in all weather is vital to making sure opening your pool later is only fun and not expensive. 

Keeping Your Water Chemistry Balanced

We never recommend completely draining the water in your pool for anything other than a major remodel project, this can cause structural and surface damage to the pool. However, the water that remains needs to be kept chemically balanced in order to prevent surface damage, algae, bacteria and other naturally growing things from contaminating your pool.

To make sure your water is staying balanced you should:

1. Check the water chemistry once per month during the off-season, even if your pool is winterized and covered. This will allow you to keep the pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and chlorine, in the proper ranges. Doing so will help prevent scaling, staining, roughness, and other surface damage, while also ensuring algae and bacteria aren’t growing.
2. Check your pool care chemicals from the previous season. Over time, these chemicals begin to become less effective which puts your pool at risk. You will want to consult your local pool store to find out which pool care products should be removed from your stock after each season.
3. We suggest testing your water for phosphates. If your phosphate level is high, use a special enzyme product that breaks down any non-living contamination to prevent a water ring from forming on your pool tile.

Keeping your pool as clean as possible through balancing your water chemicals will make opening it in the Spring less of a chore. Well-balanced water means you’ll be able to fill and enjoy.

Remember that a little bit of work when your pool is closed is going to save you a whole lot of work (and money!) when it’s time to open it back up.

Still need help with your winter maintenance or anything else related to your pool? We have your back. Spartan Pool & Patio can send one of their professionals to guide you through the process of taking care of your investment. Contact one of our experts today to discuss services we can offer to keep your pool looking its best year round.