Winter Is Fast Approaching…Is Your Pool Winterized Yet?

The beginning of winter is here, which also signals the end of pool season – is your pool winterized yet? If you have ever opened your pool cover in the spring to discover a plethora of algae has formed during the course of the winter, you understand how frustrating it can be. With these simple steps, you can prevent your above-ground pool from looking like a marsh come springtime.

Getting Your Pool Winter-Ready

1. Make sure your chemicals are balanced. Check the pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness levels using a simple test kit. You won’t be adding any chlorine over the winter months, so add a shock treatment to help prevent your pool from turning green in the spring. Let the filter run for about eight hours before adding winterizing algaecide.
2. Tidy your pool. Before disconnecting anything, take care of any debris in your pool and vacuum the bottom and sides. Take out your ladder and any pool toys, chlorinators or other objects you don’t want frozen in the winter.
3. Drain the water out of your pool…to about four inches below the skimmer. You can use a hand pump or electric pump to drain the water. Detach the filter and pump from the skimmer and make sure there is no water in the equipment. Don’t leave the pump or filter out in the winter, as they can crack and cause you major headaches in the spring. Plug everything up, including the drains, skimmer door and inlets.
4. Protect your pool. Water expands when it freezes and can put a lot of pressure on the walls of your pool. To prevent this, put a winter vinyl pool pillow in the middle of the pool, hat way when the ice expands, it will put pressure on the pillow and not the walls of your pool. Next is…you got it, a winter pool cover. The cover should be much larger than the pool itself and easily hang over the sides of your pool. You can use a wire cord to tighten the cover around the walls to prevent anything from getting in your pool. If you live in a rainy area, drain the top of the cover so that it doesn’t tear during the winter.

At Rising Sun Pools, we offer a Solid Winter Cover that comes with an industry-leading warranty, so you can rely on it to protect your pool for years to come. If you follow these easy steps to winterizing your pool, it will be ready to go in the spring! Contact Rising Sun Pools or stop by one of our Raleigh-area showrooms to learn more about how you can get your pool winter-ready!