You may think that once winter hits and no one wants to go swimming, you’ll have less pool maintenance to do and can give your automatic pool cleaner a rest. Preparing your pool for winter is not difficult, but it is something that must be done, not just once but regularly over the winter months to ensure your pool water does not turn green.

Fortunately, in areas where the water doesn’t freeze, winterising the pool is much easier. If you have a pool blanket installed it will be even easier, but it still needs to be done, so there’s no getting out of it.

  • The first thing to do before covering your pool is to make sure the water is still of good quality.
  • Add a long-lasting algaecide so your water doesn’t turn green over the winter months.
  • Remove all the sticks and leaves as they’ll stain the floor of the pool if left over the winter. This will need to be done regularly all winter if you don’t have a blanket.

  • Run the pool filter 2-3 hours each day.
  • Clean out the filters regularly to ensure they don’t block up. Clean the skimmer basket as well as the pool pump basket. Backwash after treating with chemicals.
  • Take out the cartridge filter if your pool has one and rinse it thoroughly to clean it.
  • Dose or shock the pool if the water is not up to the optimal levels for health.
  • Make sure there is no calcium build-up on the chlorinator, if you have one. The chlorinator output can be lowered during the winter.
  • Monitor the chemical levels of the water every 2 weeks throughout winter. Adjust the levels if necessary.
  • Since you’ll be running the filters, it is also necessary to clean them regularly to prevent deterioration and damage.

While it may seem unnecessary to go to all this trouble when the pool is not even being used, it will save a lot of extra work in getting your pool water clean enough to swim in safely when the summer comes around, so it’s well worth the effort. You can also contact your pool installer and have them come and do winter maintenance if you want to have a rest from looking after the pool.

If you live in a climate where the water is likely to freeze in the winter, you’ll need to do a lot more to ensure the pipes aren’t damaged or split by freezing water. It’s wise to get expert help to ensure your pool survives the icy blast of winter. With the correct help in closing down the pool for winter you’ll have much less trouble starting it up again for summer.