Winter Pool Care Tips

To make sure your pool is ready to use in the summer, you’ll need to take proper care of it in the winter. Even though Florida winters are typically very mild, you’ll still need to make sure that your pool is protected from the elements. Here’s what to keep in mind to keep your pool in great condition throughout the winter.

Stop Your Pool From Freezing

Even though a real freeze in uncommon with our mild Florida winters, you should know what to do when one occurs. Your pool’s most important components can start to crack. To prevent this from happening, you’ll want to drain your pumps, heater, and filter completely and then let them dry. Make sure your pool heater is working well and consult a pool expert for safe draining instructions.

You’ll also want to lower the water level in your pool, although you don’t need to drain it completely. Ideally, you’ll want to lower the water level a few inches below the skimmer so that it doesn’t damage the tiles in your pool if it freezes. While you can drain your pool by yourself, it may be helpful to hire a professional to help you with this task, especially if you’re worried about long-term damage.

Cover Your Pool

Covering your pool during the winter will make setup much easier when it comes time to open things back up for the summer. It’s very important to make sure that your pool cover fits properly and is completely dry. Before taking off the pool cover in the summer months, be sure to remove any leaves, branches, or other debris ahead of time to prevent it from falling into the pool.

Keep Your Pool Clean

Even though you’re not using it, it’s still important to keep your pool fresh and clean through the winter months. Take a few minutes each week to check on your pool and ensure the chemicals are properly balanced. You may need to add more chlorine periodically, although you shouldn’t need to do this as often in the winter as you would in the summer.

You’ll also need to add algaecide to your pool occasionally during the winter. Since winter temperatures in Florida are quite mild, there’s plenty of potential for algae to grow in your pool during this time. Regularly adding algae to your pool prevents this from happening and ensures that your pool will be clean and ready to use when summer finally rolls around.

Start Preparing For Summer

You’ll want to start your summer pool preparations a little early so that you can go swimming right when the weather starts to warm up. When spring hits, replenish your pool supplies and start any cleaning or prep work that needs to get done.

Taking the extra time to care for your pool during the winter means that you’ll enjoy less cleaning and more swimming when summer arrives. If you’re struggling to close your pool for the winter, Poolworks is here to help. We’re based in Polk County, Florida and offer a wide variety of pool care services. Give us a call at 863-967-2863 to learn more or make an appointment.