First, if you read the title of this post and had a bit of a panic attack, don’t worry. Winter swimming pool maintenance isn’t as crucial as summer maintenance like balancing chemicals and keeping filters clean.
While doing maintenance tasks on your pool in winter isn’t a necessity, it can help keep your pool cover functional and in good condition, and it can potentially make it faster and easier to open your pool in the spring.
4 Winter Swimming Pool Maintenance Tips
If you can’t get your mind off the pool this winter, try the following maintenance tips. Not only will they help your pool, but they can also help pass the time until spring finally arrives.
- Protect Your Pool Cover – Pool covers help to dirt and debris out of your pool, and its water chemistry in.
- Snow and Rain – You should remove accumulations of both as soon as possible because most covers can’t withstand the weight. If you know lots of precipitation, in the form of rain or snow, is in the forecast, open the cover so they don’t build up on the cover. Use a brush or snow rake to remove snow and a pump to get rid of water.
- After Warm Days – There’s often a day or two in January or February that feel more like April or May. The warm temperatures combined with the darkness in the covered pool can trigger algae growth, so open the cover on warm days and shortly after.
- Maintaining Water Levels – If your water levels drop, you may have a leak. If there’s lots of precipitation and water levels rise a few inches, it’s no cause for alarm.
If you are concerned about too high water levels, DO NOT drain the pool yourself. Draining the pool in winter can cause warranty-voiding damage if it’s not done correctly. Call the people who open your pool in the spring and ask for their advice. - Maintaining Water Chemistry – Generally speaking, if the water isn’t circulating, you don’t likely need to add chlorine. Checking the chemical balance weekly as pool opening approaches can make opening a faster process when it arrives.
If you found this post helpful, check out our recent article about how to find a leak in a swimming pool.
