A Guide to Winter Pool Maintenance

Swimming is one of the more popular summer pastimes in the U.S., especially among the young. That helps explain why there are approximately 10.4 million residential pools.

Of course, swimming is also still a spring-through-fall activity in virtually every part of the country. Once the cold weather comes around the bend, you need to close up the pool for the year.

That doesn’t mean you’re done looking after it for the year. If you’re wondering what kind of winter maintenance your pool needs, keep reading. We’ll cover the top things you should do to protect your pool during the cold winter months.

Remove Any Debris

If you don’t cover your pool after every use, and most people don’t, that makes it like a big catcher’s mitt for anything in the air. You can end up with all kinds of things in your pool, such as:

• Insects
• Leaves
• Pine needles
• Small twigs
• Dust/dirt

You don’t want all of that debris just sitting in your pool for the entire winter season. It can decay and leave your pool a mess for the following year.

You must give your pool a thorough cleaning each year to minimize the work of getting it ready for next year.

Cover the Pool

As a key part of winter pool maintenance, you must cover it to keep any new debris from making its way into the pool. The type of pool cover you use will depend on your pool, location, and preferences.

You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions or consult with a pool professional about putting the cover in place. At a minimum, you must make sure that you secure the pool cover properly with ties, cables, or clips.

You should also gently clean the pool cover to remove the same kind of debris that falls into the pool, such as leaves, pine needles, and dirt.

Parts Maintenance

The parts for your pool will vary based on pool type, but things like pumps, heaters, and filters require periodic maintenance. If that’s a little outside your wheelhouse, contact a professional pool maintenance service. They can offer pool care for your pool parts and make sure they’ll work next year.

Chemical Balancing

You must also keep the pool water balanced over the winter to minimize algae and bacteria growth. If you check and balance the water approximately every two months, that should prove sufficient for most residential pools. Get fresh pool chemicals for that job, as old chemicals lose strength over time.

Pool Maintenance in the Winter and You

Much like general home maintenance, pool maintenance doesn’t stop when the winter weather rolls into town. You must take several steps to manage your pool over the winter, starting with cleaning out any debris.

After that, you must cover the pool and keep the cover free of debris, as well. In-ground pools, in particular, will need pro maintenance for their various parts. You must also monitor the chemical balance in the water if it remains unfrozen.

Aqua Premiere Pool Services offers pool maintenance in the Sugar Land, TX area. Contact Aqua Premiere Pool services today to get a quote.