WINTERIZING YOUR POOL          (check back for seasonal information)
Other Service and Maintenance

The winter here normally does not get cold enough to force you to shut down your pool. Continuing to run your pool will make start up easier in the spring. This is especially true if you have an automatic pool cleaner and chemical feeder. If you choose not to winterize, make sure the pump is moving water prior to the air temperature dropping to freezing. Ice in the pool is not the problem. It is the damage caused to the plastic components such as pipes, chemical feeders, valves, pump, and filter that can get expensive once the system thaws.

If you decide to winterize your pool, here are some tips:

1. Clean the pool. Remove all trash and debris from the pool. Don’t forget to clean your skimmer basket(s), or the pump basket. Any trash or debris left in the pool will create a problem next spring. Just one leaf can make a big stain!

2. After the pool has been thoroughly cleaned and you can see the complete bottom of the pool, add sufficient sanitizer to create the desired reading on your test kit. Shutting down without adequate sanitizer will guarantee a mess when you open the pool. If you use chlorine, bromine, ionization, or a mineral based system, you must have 1.5 ppm of chlorine showing on the test kit. If you use SoftSwim or Bacqucil, you must have 40 ppm of “B” or Bacqucil.

3. Balance the water first and then add the winterizing chemicals. If you use chlorine, bromine, Pristine Blue, Nature 2, or the F.R.O.G. as your sanitizer, add (broadcast if your pool is plaster, or pre-dissolve if your pool is vinyl) 1 pound of shock for every 5,000 gallons of water in the pool. If you do not wish to create the high chlorine reading, you may use Pristine Power, a non-chlorine shock. This assures your regular sanitizer is in the free or active form and able to do its job. Finally add the correct dosage of algaecide. One ounce per 1,000 gallons of water is usually a good treatment, but read and follow the label instructions. We suggest you use a concentrated algaecide (40 to 60%) as your algaecide. These algaecides last longer and usually do not cause excess foaming. We have Winter Kits that contain the shock and the algaecide that you need. SoftSwim or Bacqucil require a hydrogen peroxide shock – never use any chlorine or non-chlorine shock in these pools! Your “C” or BacquaShock reading should be 50 ppm before shutting down.

4. In-ground pools do not need to have the water level lowered, but above ground pools will force you to drain the water level below the skimmer and return. Turn off the pump and filter. You will not need them again until spring. We suggest plugs in your inlets and other pool openings to stop water from being forced into your lines and out the open drains on the pump and filter. Rain and trash will force the cover down and water out of your pool if you do not keep the cover clean. Every year someone tells of an empty pool because they did not clean the cover.

5. You must drain the water from the pump. On the bottom of the pump pot (where the basket sits) is a small plug. Some pumps also have a second drain plug near the bottom of the pump housing. Check your pump for this other plug. Unscrew these plugs and save them.

6. On the bottom of the filter there are plugs as well. Be careful here because some sand filter drains contain two plugs – a small plug in the center of a larger plug. If your filter is this type, remove only the small plug! The larger plug will allow the sand as well as water to escape from the tank. Unscrew the plug and save it. If your filter has a control valve, turn the handle to the winter or the backwash position and leave it there. This will allow air to enter the filter and help drain the water from your system.

NOTE: So that you do not loose the plugs you have removed, drop all of them into the pump pot basket and you will find them when you are ready for them in the spring. If everyone does this, we can tell you where you put the plugs next spring. You will be surprised at the number of calls we get each spring asking, “Where did you tell me to put the plugs?”

7. Remove the ladder, slide, diving board, or any other object you may have on the deck or in the pool that will interfere with the cover. Anything that you remove should be cleaned and stored out of the weather until you are ready for it in the spring. Remember to drain the water from all objects that may have water inside to protect them from damage when it freezes.

8. Installing your cover is not a job for one person and you need help to keep from damaging the cover. The cover should be constructed of special materials designed for swimming pools. Plastic, canvas, or tarps are not suitable covers for your pool. They all allow sunlight to filter through the material. Sunlight filtering through creates a “hot house” effect and will actually help algae grow. If you use the wrong type of cover, you may find a “swamp” in the spring.

Again – you do not have to cover your pool. If you don’t, you should keep the pool reasonably free of leaves and debris and run your pump during freezing weather. If you have a question as to whether you need to run the pump or not, run the pump! The average new pump costs over five hundred dollars, and the average filter over six hundred. A little extra electricity is cheap when compared to the cost of replacing pool equipment.

Doing the job right will make your start up in the spring a breeze. Skipping a step or skimping on chemicals, etc. will ruin all the work you did. If you cut corners you will spend many extra hours working to clean up the mess and a lot more money for the extra chemicals.