Steps for Winterizing Your Above-Ground Swimming Pool
The very first thing you need to do towards winterizing your pool is to make sure that the water is balanced. Check the ph, calcium hardness and the alkalinity to make sure they’re all in balance. This will prevent staining on the surface of the pool. You should also purchase a pool winterizing chemical kit at your local pool supply to add to the water.
A winterizing chemical kit will help to keep your water clean, it will remain clear until the spring. Just follow the directions on the packaging of the winterizing kit to make sure you do it correctly. You should never use a floater with a strong chlorine in it when winterizing your pool.
The floater can freeze and stick to the wall of your pool and bleach the color out and even damage the vinyl. You also don’t want to use bromine or chlorine tablets for the same reason. They can just sit on the bottom of your pool causing lot’s of damage and can also damage the vinyl that is above the water surface.
Water expands when it freezes, to prevent the damage this can cause you’ll need to lower the water level in your swimming pool. The water level should be below the opening of the skimmer. The skimmer can sustain a lot of damage if inside it freezes. Make sure that the water is just below the mouth of your pools skimmer.
Air pillows can also be purchases at any pool supply company. Air pillows are used between the pool cover and the surface of the water. These will support the cover and prevent it from laying on the water and becoming frozen to it. If the cover gets frozen to the pools water, it can cause tearing and ripping.
Now you need to completely drain all of your hoses and filter equipment. Insert a plug into the return, the place where the water is returned back to the pool after going through the filter. Disconnect all of the hoses on the pool equipment and drain them as well. It’s best if you can store the hoses inside a garage or storage shed until spring.
There should be a drain plug on the bottom of your filter. Remove the plug and let all of the water drain out of your filter canister. There should also be a winterize or closed position on the multi-port valve, set the valve to either position and remove your pressure gauge.
There will be either one or two drain plugs on the pool pump, remove both of them to drain the water out of the pump. Once no more water is coming out of the pump, turn it on for just a second to get all of the water out of the pumps impeller. Don’t let the pump run any longer than it takes for the impeller to expel the water. It will get too hot and quickly burn out the seal.
If at all possible, you should house the pump for the winter in a garage or somewhere out of the elements. If you have the space it’s highly recommended that you store all of your pool parts and accessories out of the cold winter weather.
If your pool is equipped with a chemical feeder, all of the chemicals should be allowed to run out before you start winterizing your swimming pool. If all of the chemicals have been used, then you can also drain the water from the feeder.
To keep up with all of the drain plugs that you’ve had to remove, place them in the strainer basket that goes with your pump. The pressure gauge should be kept in the house during the winter, moisture will gather inside the tube and if it freezes the tube can easily break.
After you’ve completed all of these steps, you’re ready to cover your swimming pool for the winter. The cover will keep dead leaves, bugs and other debris out of the pools water and also help prevent the growth of algae in the pool. Another great way to prevent algae growing in the pool during the winter is to choose a cover that is solid and even blocks sunlight! The warmth of the sun will promote algae growth.
Source:
http://swimming.about.com/od/poolandspamaintenance/a/ingroundpoolclo_2.htm
