5 Things To Keep An Eye On While Your Swimming Pool Is ‘Winterised’

by Liz Seyi Digital marketing manager

As you might imagine given the current conditions, swimming pool owners in the UK typically ‘winterise’ their pools at this time of year, instead of attempting to use them. By that, we mean they effectively ‘retire’ their pools – possibly with the help of one of our own winter pool covers here at Pool Warehouse – in readiness for reopening it again from the spring. 

But if your own pool is currently ‘winterised’, that doesn’t mean you should simply be forgetting about it. Checks will still need to be made on your pool during this sensitive season, to ensure it remains in good enough condition for you to eventually resume using it without much hassle. 

So, let’s list some of the things you should be scrutinising about your pool during the winter. 

The pool water level 

Depending on how much it may have rained or snowed in your area over the colder months so far, it’s possible that the water level in your pool might have increased from how you left it when winterising it in the autumn. 

That, in turn, could cause the water to flow behind the liner or into the drained down pump and filter systems. Frost damage can then result from this. So, keeping a close eye on your pool’s water level at this time can be even more important than you think. 

The colour of the pool water 

Algae hopefully won’t be an issue in your winterised pool, given that they don’t tend to grow in water temperatures below about 15 degrees C, or 60 degrees F. 

That’s not to say algae growth never happens in pools over the winter, though, especially when conditions are milder. If algae are allowed to grow for an extended period of time, they can pose a risk to your pool’s fixtures, fittings and liner. 

It’s therefore a good idea to check your pool water every month, so that if it shows signs of going green, you can swiftly add shock chlorine or algaecide. 

The chemical balance of the pool water 

Sure, you will have (hopefully) taken the time to ensure your pool water’s pH levels were right before you ‘put it to bed’ for the winter. But why would you necessarily obsess about it in the middle of the winter, when you aren’t actually using the pool? 

There are a few reasons for that. Partly, it’s about minimising the amount of work you’ll need to do to make your pool safe to swim in once hospitable conditions do return. And partly, it’s about preventing staining and even permanent damage to your pool and its fittings. 

We’re proud to stock a broad variety of trusted swimming pool chemicals in the Pool Warehouse online store. However, if you’re a relative newcomer to this aspect of pool maintenance, you may also wish to consult this detailed guide to swimming pool chemistry.  

The pool equipment 

Whenever you winterise your swimming pool, you should ensure key equipment such as the heating systems and filter have been drained down, to minimise the risk of standing water and frost causing damage. 

Again, these are elements of your swimming pool set-up that you ought to be checking routinely over the colder months, particularly after an adverse weather event such as heavy rain or high winds, to make sure no water has accumulated in them. 

The pool cover 

Winter pool covers like our own high-quality heavy-duty polypropylene mesh covers are instrumental in keeping winterised swimming pools in great condition for month after month. 

You will still, however, need to periodically check that your pool cover is secure, as it’s not unheard-of for some winter pool covers to sustain weather-related damage over time (although thankfully, our own winter pool covers come with a 10-year pro rata warranty). 

Another thing that doesn’t exactly do your winter pool cover any good – not least by increasing the weight on it over time – is allowing the likes of debris and wet leaves to accumulate on it. Remember that here at Pool Warehouse, we also stock the leaf nets and skimmers that enable you to remove any stray leaves from your pool cover or pool water as soon as you spot them. 

The better you look after your swimming pool during the winter months that can present easily-overlooked dangers to its long-term upkeep, the less work you will have to do to ‘ready’ your pool for use during the spring and summer. Get into the above good habits now, and you will be helping to ensure you get the most out of an impeccably-maintained pool for years to come. 

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Created on Jan 27th 2021 01:59. Viewed 187 times.

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