Top Mistakes to Avoid While Preparing Your Pool For Winter
The summer is quickly becoming fall, and it has come time again to winterize your pool. While preparing your pool for the winter is an easy process, a few forgotten steps can cost hundreds of dollars of repairs come spring. If you are hesitant about the process, contact Aquatech to schedule a pool closing today. Calling a professional will create a stress-free pool closing, saving you time and money in repairs. If you’d rather take the DIY approach, make sure to avoid the following common (and costly) mistakes of closing a pool.
Rushing the Process
The most common mistake pool owners make is rushing through the process. They try to get things done as soon as possible and often forget major steps of the procedure. Schedule at least three days to ensure that the chlorine, pH, and total alkalinity levels in the pool are properly balanced.
Too Many Chemicals, or Too Few
Pool owners often don’t pay careful attention to balancing the chemicals in the pool. Instead, many people dump a lot of winterizing chemicals into their pool. Having too many chemicals in the pool can lead to corrosion of pipes, pool equipment and concrete surfaces. On the other hand, too few chemicals in the water, especially chlorine, can allow algae to grow through the winter months creating a cleaning headache in the spring.
Water Left In the Lines
If you don’t take the time to blow the water out of all the lines and properly plug them, the moment the temperatures drop below freezing, the water will expand and break the pipes. It is imperative not to skip this step while winterizing your pool.
Leaving it alone
The last mistake pool owners tend to make is not properly cleaning the pool, not only before closure, but throughout the winter months. Any algae or leaves left inside the pool can stain and damage the pool. Leaves, snow and other debris can collect on the pool cover, weighing it down, potentially breaking the cover or allowing untreated water to seep into the pool. Pump off excess snow and water from the cover throughout the winter months.
Again, closing a pool for the winter is an involved yet fairly simple process. Be sure to avoid the above mistakes to keep your pool in top condition for many years to come. If you are unsure of how to properly winterize your pool, make sure to contact a professional to winterize your pool for you.
