With the lower temperatures and wet weather well and truly settled in, your swimming pool is probably the furthest thing from your mind. Even though you aren’t using it, it is important to continue maintaining your pool throughout the cooler months to save yourself both time and money when the warmer weather finally arrives.
It is recommended that you cover your pool completely if you aren’t planning to use it at all over winter. But before you do this, there’s a number of tasks you should complete to ensure the water stays healthy and bacteria-free.
Give your pool a good clean – make sure you give the tiles, skimmers, filters, lint baskets and other equipment a thorough clean and also vacuum your pool. This will help stop algae from forming over the winter months. You should also use an algaecide to protect against this.
Balance the water – the pH level of your pool should be between 7.2 and 7.6. You can test this yourself if you have a pH test kit, or you can take a sample of the water into your local pool specialist to get it tested. If the level is not right, add the appropriate chemicals to bring it to the correct level. You’ll also need to shock the pool with chlorine, which will bring the chlorine level up to 10-12ppm. Make sure you run the pool filter for at least 8 hours after this to help the chemicals mix through the water. You should also check the pH and chlorine levels every two weeks.
Run the pool filter through the cooler months - you need to run the filter every day to make sure the water stays balanced and clean. It is recommended to run the filter for between two to four hours a day.
Check the skimmer basket – even though you are putting a cover on your pool, you still need to check and empty the skimmer basket on a regular basis.
Cover your pool – this will help prevent the loss of water and keep debris such as leaves out. Use a good quality cover or blanket – see your local pool specialist for advice on choosing the correct cover.
Other ongoing maintenance - Make sure you check the water level every few weeks, ensuring it is hallway up the opening of the skimmer box. You should also check the pressure gauge on the filter to make sure it is not indicating ‘backwash’. If you have pool lights, turn them on for about half an hour each week, which will help prevent moisture building up within the lights and wiring.
For further information or help with maintaining your pool over winter, contact your local swimming pool specialist.
