As the leaves start to change color and a crisp chill fills the air, it’s time to start thinking about closing your pool for the season. But before you pull out the winter cover, one big question pops up: do I need to clean my pool before closing it? The answer, my friend, is a resounding YES. Cleaning your pool before closing isn’t just a matter of aesthetics, it’s about protecting your investment and making sure your pool is ready to dive into next spring.
A debris-filled pool will not only make opening a lot more difficult and time consuming, but it will allow for algae and bacteria to grow throughout the winter. Allowing dirt, leaves and other debris to sit on the pool floor for months can also create stains on the pool’s surface. Make opening your pool a breeze by doing the prep work now – before closing!
The Perils of Neglecting Pool Cleaning
Picture this: You decide to skip cleaning your pool before closing it. Maybe you’re busy or figure it’s not a big deal since it’ll be closed anyway. You toss on the cover and forget about your pool for a few months. Fast forward to spring.
You lift the cover, hoping to be greeted by the sparkling waters you enjoyed last season. Instead, you’re greeted by a murky green swamp. Yuck.
Here’s why this is bad. All that leftover debris — leaves, twigs, bugs, suntan lotion — decomposes in the water during the off-season. This provides a feast for algae, encouraging growth.
Then, scaling and staining become a serious problem, leaving your pool surfaces discolored and difficult to clean. This neglect also takes a toll on your pool equipment.
Winterizing chemicals can only do so much when organic contaminants overload your pool water. This strain could lead to damage or corrosion, especially in freezing temperatures, resulting in costly repairs and replacement of pool filters.
Steps for Closing Your Swimming Pool
Some people love to enjoy their pool up until the bitter end of the Summer and Fall seasons. When to close the pool is entirely up to you! But we highly recommend you have the pool properly closed before the first freeze. This is imperative to preventing pipes, plumbing and expensive equipment from becoming damaged by frozen water.
Remove Debris
This means skimming those floating leaves and bugs with a pool skimmer, thoroughly vacuuming the pool floor, and scrubbing down the walls and steps. It is the last deep cleaning until springtime, so this cleaning is important.
While manual cleaning will be your best bet, let a Polaris automatic pool cleaner handle some of the heavy lifting before you step in with manual cleaning tools. Having the right pool cleaners for the job is key to success. Do you have even less time to spend preparing your pool? Hire your local pool professionals to do weekly cleaning to ensure your pool is clean and clear.
Test And Balance
Test your water and bring the pool water chemistry into the correct range using chemicals. Proper levels will prevent scaling, staining, and corrosion over the winter months. While a pool supply store can do the work, most people use an at-home test kit. In our Mt. Lake retail store we have these kits available for purchase, as well as a large variety of chemicals to take care of any water imbalance you might find.
Shock It Well
“Shocking” is a pool term used to describe dumping liquid chlorine into the pool. Doing this before the closing is required to increase the free chlorine levels that prevent algae and other bacteria from growing. Sometimes an algaecide is also added to additionally prevent the growth of algae over the winter.
As a pool owner, it is your responsibility to monitor the pool over the winter. If we have a couple days of abnormally warm weather for the winter season, it’s not uncommon for algae and other bacteria to grow while the pool is closed. Test the water periodically over the winter and add chemicals as needed.
Lower the Water
All in-ground pools must have the water level lowered to below the tile line before the closing. This is to prevent tiles, skimmers and the equipment connected from becoming damaged. Any other plumbing in the rest of the pool should be blown and plugged. This will prevent internal damage without having to waste water and money emptying the entire pool.
Winterize
Lastly, it’s time to shut down all equipment, blow and plug the lines and install the safety cover of your choice. A pool cover is an important safety measure to prevent animals and children from falling inside. Solid covers are the strongest and most durable option for closing your pool. A mesh cover is the second best option but will need excess water pumped off periodically during times of rain and snow.
Other Things To Keep in Mind
Besides cleaning and winterizing the pool itself, there are a few other crucial steps to keep in mind while preparing your outdoor space.
All outdoor furniture should be cleaned and properly covered or placed indoors for winter. We recommend giving the frames a good cleaning to remove any dirt and debris that has collected over the season. Furniture frames can be left outside with a protective cover on top to prevent snow and ice damage. Dining sets with sling fabrics can also be left outside with a cover over the entire set for extra protection.
Sling fabrics can be hosed off and lightly scrubbed with soap and water. Cushions will need to be wet completely first and cleaned with soap and water or a stain removing solution specific to your needs. Let the cushions air dry completely before storing them sealed and inside for the winter.
Any other outdoor miscellaneous accessories like table umbrellas, cantilevers, bases, fire pits, console tables and rugs should be removed and stored inside or covered.
At the end of the day does this just seem like too much, or is reading this already overwhelming to you? Our pool closers in Bucks County are here to help and make the process easier. Contact our professional service technicians to schedule weekly pool maintenance and your pool closing. Contact our knowledgeable patio furniture staff for all your furniture winterization needs. We can help!