Winter is a dicey season for many pool owners. Many pool owners don’t know that they should handle and treat their pools differently during winter than they would during summer. This usually leads to the pool getting damaged due to carelessness or inadequate pool maintenance knowledge.
In this article, you will learn all the steps you will need to maintain your pool properly during the winter season with these swimming pool maintenance tips.
How to Care for your Pool during Winter
The following are steps you need to observe in caring for your pool during the winter season. Although some of these steps also apply during the warmer months of the year, that doesn’t diminish their importance in any way.
Treat your Pool
Many pool owners assume that clear water equals healthy water which is a big lie. It is not uncommon for pool water to be clear during the winter season because of how difficult it is for certain organisms such as algae to survive in the cold weather. You need to exercise caution and treat your pool as much as you can in this period.
Test the PH levels of your Pool
As earlier mentioned, the fact that your water looks clean and clear doesn’t mean it is healthy for you or your skin. The pH level of any pool should usually range between 7.0 to 7.4, once your pool’s pH level is above this range, then you need to take the necessary steps to return it to the normal range. You need to maintain the chemical balance of the pool by adding chemicals to stabilize the pH balance of the pool from time to time.
Winterize your Pool
Your pool can get damaged during the cold winter season if it is not properly taken care of. The decking and tiling of the pool could begin to chip off due to the harsh weather. Also, because water expands when the temperature decreases, the pipes in your pool could burst if you don’t winterize, and than you will need pofessional pool repair in Gilbert. This could lead to more serious damage and repair costs.
Chlorinate your Pool
The chlorine levels of your pool should never drop below the standard minimum level. It is the chlorine in your pool that helps you to keep bacteria and other microorganisms at bay and control their activity in your pool. You need to chlorinate a pool at least three times a week during the winter period, this is a deviation from the everyday requirement in hotter seasons since bacteria are not as active in cold weather as they are in warmer temperatures.
Close the Pool
Closing a pool means that you are no longer going to use the pool throughout the winter period or at least for a stipulated time frame during the cold season. To close a pool, all the necessary parts of the pool are properly taken care of and the aforementioned steps are implemented. After this, a pool cover is drawn over the pool to cover its surface after which the cover is tightly secured to the deck of the pool.
Conclusion
Though, the steps we have discussed in this article are easy steps that you can do yourself. However, if you’d like some help from professionals that are good at what they do, then you should contact us so we can get the job done for you with our expertise.
If you’re looking to clean to your pool with DIY techniques, you’re not alone. Most pool owners experience this necessary procedure at least once during their swimming pool ownership. While DIY is possible, keeping your pool clean is going to require a lot of chemicals and hard work. Therefore, most homeowners in Arizona opt for professional pool repair services.
In order to ensure that you’re protecting yourself and cleaning your pool properly, here are 17 pool chemical safety tips you can use for your weekend DIY pool cleaning project:
1. Wear protective gear such as gloves, masks, goggles, and appropriate clothing when handling chemicals.
2. Store chemicals in cool, dry, and well-ventilated places.
3. Never store liquids directly above dry chemicals. If the containers leak, the chemical reaction that can occur could be devastating.
4. Never mix acids with chlorine solutions because this releases deadly chlorine gas.
5. Store chemicals in the original manufacturer’s carton, jug, or box it came with.
6. Read safety labels on the chemicals and follow the instructions. Adding too much or too less chemicals can result in unsafe pool water that has the potential to create serious skin irritations.
7. Keep any food and drinks away from your chemical storage space.
8. Use an assigned scoop or tool for each chemical because using the same tool to measure out other chemicals is dangerous.
9. Always add chemicals to the pool water, never the opposite. Adding moisture to chemicals can spark a chemical reaction that releases toxic gases.
10. Keep any chemicals away from children and pets.
11. Use test kits often to keep chlorine and PH levels within the recommended range.
12. Never smoke when handling chemicals because the dust and chemicals might be flammable.
13. If you need to dispose of chemical spills, call the proper officials. Improperly disposing toxic chemicals down the drain or sink can damage water piping, poison the groundwater, and surrounding ecosystems, which is hard to filter and not recommended.
14. Prolonged skin contact with chemicals causes burns, and you should immediately wash your skin off with cold tap water.
15. Never use chemicals after their expiration date. Partial or complete decomposition of a chemical makes it release toxic gases and other by-products.
16. Never mix chemicals together because this can create a chemical reaction and can be a dangerous situation.
17. Only use water to put out a chemical chlorinated product fire. Adding more chemicals might make it expand and get out of control.
Do You Really Need Chemicals for Your Pool?
In short, the answer is yes. Chemicals are essential for a number of things from sanitizing and keeping your pool disinfected to the prevention of the transmission of harmful bacteria and germs. Pool chemicals also aid with the “hardness” of your pool water, ensuring the plaster on your pool’s surface doesn’t corrode.
If you didn’t use essential chemicals such as chlorine and bromine, there’s a good chance that you or a family member could become seriously ill every time your swimming pool is used. It’s wise to keep bottles of chlorine, bromine, bleach, calcium, and other chemicals handy that are specifically designed for cleaning pool water.
Why Consider Hiring a Professional Pool Cleaner?
It can be a real hassle to maintain your pool, especially considering there’s a wide range of chemicals that each have their own specific amounts and ratios to use. When it comes to safe pool water, it’s always best to hire an expert such as Gilbert Poolman for a routine pool filter cleaning.
If you have a swimming pool in Gilbert or Chandler, Arizona, Gilbert Poolman is the most recommended pool cleaner in the area. We are fully insured and licensed to conduct pool cleaning services in the state of Arizona. Additionally, we’re a family-owned business with local roots that takes pride in providing premium pool cleaning services coupled by excellent customer service for anyone who owns a swimming pool.
Many pool owners assume that clear water equals healthy water which is a big lie. It is not uncommon for pool water to be clear during the winter season because of how difficult it is for certain organisms such as algae to survive in the cold weather. You need to exercise caution and treat your pool as much as you can in this period.
Your pool can get damaged during the cold winter season if it is not properly taken care of. The decking and tiling of the pool could begin to chip off due to the harsh weather. Also, because water expands when the temperature decreases, the pipes in your pool could burst if you don’t winterize, and than you will need pofessional 
Closing a pool means that you are no longer going to use the pool throughout the winter period or at least for a stipulated time frame during the cold season. To close a pool, all the necessary parts of the pool are properly taken care of and the aforementioned steps are implemented. After this, a pool cover is drawn over the pool to cover its surface after which the cover is tightly secured to the deck of the pool.
In order to ensure that you’re protecting yourself and cleaning your pool properly, here are 17 pool chemical safety tips you can use for your weekend DIY pool cleaning project:
In short, the answer is yes. Chemicals are essential for a number of things from sanitizing and keeping your pool disinfected to the prevention of the transmission of harmful bacteria and germs. Pool chemicals also aid with the “hardness” of your pool water, ensuring the plaster on your pool’s surface doesn’t corrode.