The “Before.”
Step #1 Draining the pool
Yes, we need to drain the precious summer’s life blood of pool water in order to blow out all the lines. You wouldn’t want pipes bursting in January, would you? Drain it below the returns for the maximum clean out.
It’s going to take a long time to drain your pool by suction and/or gravity. Perhaps you ought to let the professionals try.
Step #2 Remove the rails
This is straightforward enough. They’ve done their duty for the season, send them off to their long winter’s nap. The cover fits better when you don’t have to stretch it over hand rails, too.
Step #3 Fill the skimmer with anti-freeze.
Water will find a way into your skimmer one way or another. Better fill the lines with anti-freeze for protection against the ice of winter.
Step # 4 Check the filter and blow out the lines
Sometimes the filter needs cleaning, sometimes not, but it should always be checked. After that, blow the remaining water out of all the lines and add anti-freeze. Consider it winterized.
Step #5 A Final Cleaning
If you slowed down on the clean-up of your swimming pool because you knew someone was coming to close it, we understand. Clearwater Pools and Spas (or hopefully the company you hired) will be glad to complete a final cleaning before your pool is put to bed for the winter.
Step #6 Adding Chlorine
The chlorine will lose its efficacy long before winter starts, but it does help keep down any algal growth for a couple of weeks. The upside is your pool will be covered and that will also inhibit the growth of plants that love to colonize your pool. Call it a courtesy.
Step #7 Covering the Pool
Essentially, the last step is to cover the swimming pool (preferably with a safety cover and not a tarp). This is done for several reasons. 1) It keeps the leaf litter out. 2) It adds a measure of safety to the pool. 3) It limits evaporation that might occur on (relatively) warm and sunny winter days. This reduces your water bill in the spring.
Step#8 Farewell to Summer
You probably had many good times in your pool, but if you live in a temperate zone, you simply can’t use your pool year-round.
It’s October, it’s time to pull out the Autumn/harvest/Halloween decorations. It’s time to close your pool (perhaps by hiring it out). It’s time to say good-bye to summer and embrace the next season.
See you in the spring!
Contact ClearWater today
for a FREE estimate!
734.502.5060
info@ClearWaterMichigan.com
