Good news! Retiring your pool for the winter is not a complicated
procedure. Many D.I.Y pool owners successfully do this year after year and reopen in the spring with great success. They key to successfully winterizing your swimming pool is preparing your pool water. If you do not balance and treat your water before closing up for the winter, you risk uncovering your pool in the spring to a mess that could take some serious work to clean up!
We list several winter pool closing chemical kits and the pool closing chemicals mentioned below in our
Winterizing
Pool
Chemicals section. Many of these kits are bundled
products for a specific sized
pool. You can also order the specific chemicals based on
your pool size and
requirements. Most kits contain just three to four chemicals and
a couple of simple
steps. Thankfully, the chemicals needed to close your swimming pool for the winter won’t take a big bite out of your wallet.
Most importantly on your to-do list is to test your water and
balance it before you close for
the winter. This should be easy, as it more than likely is
in good shape from the
end of the summer. If you have algae present, it is best
to treat the water and get
it clear before you winterize. Learn more about cleaning up algae
here.
Many pool owners will drain the water level down and blow out
the plumbing, skimmer,
pump, filter and heater. If you're taking this route, the first chemical needed would
be an antifreeze.
We suggest the
Camco Non-Toxic Concentrated Antifreeze. Do not use
automotive antifreeze as it is
very toxic to humans and pets. Inground pools will require
at least two quarts to be
administered into the skimmer and down to the main drain.
With underground
pipes for inground pools, a pint or two into the plumbing
while it is being blown
out is a good practice.
For those pool owners that do not drain their pools down
but, simply cover them
for the winter, the following three chemicals, along with a few
hours of filtration per
day, that should keep your water clean and clear until spring.
- For all of us, an algaecide is in order. Do not use
anything with a metal ingredient
like copper or silver as it may lead to staining of the
pool surface. The Easy Care Winter Algaecideis a great product for all season use as well as a
winterizing chemical.
ClearView Quat Power Algaecide is another powerful
algaecide, that is great for above ground or small inground pools.
- Something to control metal staining during the winter
season should be
considered. If you have a salt water pool the Easy Care Beautec is a great
product that can be used all year. The Orenda SC-1000 is an excellent
product that is compatible with all surfaces. Clear View
has a stain remover for
budget conscience consumers or those with small inground or above ground pools.
It is best to add metal protection chemicals to the water
and mix well before
adding any chlorine products.
- And finally add some chlorine. The least expensive
chlorine available by percent
is Cal-Hypo shock. While we cannot ship this product, you should be able to find this locally. A
couple of pounds is all
that you should need to set your pool up for the winter.
The best strategy is to
mix a few pounds in a five gallon pail of water and let it
sit covered for several hours
until the powder settles to the bottom. Pour off the clear
liquid into another
bucket and then pour into your pool.
That’s it! Four chemicals, four easy steps. For more information on winterizing your pool check out our
pool closing blog post.