Swimming is an excellent way to spend leisure time. But like most people, you may discover that a dip in the pool in winter leaves your teeth chattering and your body shivering with cold. Just because it’s cool doesn’t mean you should leave your pool out of the swim. Don’t simply turn OFF the filter and forget about your pool till the end of winter. As a pool owner or property manager, this is something you simply do not want to ignore. With minimal effort you can ensure your pool is kept clean and beautiful. Here is quick guide to keeping a basic maintenance.
As a pool owner or pool keeper, one has to keep a basic maintenance schedule. If you ignore these basics for even a few days, you can wind up with problems. Most property manager or pool keeper fails to keep up with required pool maintenance, which can result in expensive repairs in the future.This is one of the primary reasons that many people choose to hire a professional for pool maintenance. Here is quick guide to keeping a basic maintenance schedule.
- Daily Duties of Pool keeper:If too much debris builds up, it can cause problems with the filtration system, so skimming regularly helps avoid these problems. The pressure gauge must be checked to ensure that the water pressure created by the pump is within the specified range.
- Weekly Duties:Shock your pool in every two weeks to get rid of water-soluble bather waste. Check water levels for losses due to evaporation and splashing and Test the pH of the water either checking water quality or taking water sample to lab. Empty the pump strainer basket and skimmer basket once in a week. Keeping a close eye on your water quality is critical to making sure your pool is safe. Vacuum and brush the pool and tile-line.
- Monthly Duties: To ensure that your pool is sanitary and operating correctly clean the filter components on a monthly schedule. Stabilize the pool water with salt or stabilizer and Clean the salt cell or chlorinator.
Winterization of Pool
Winter is the season or time when people think least about pool but this is really the most important time of the year to pay attention to the pool. Closing your pool properly in winter can save you a lot of work when it comes time to open the pool for the summer. Winterization of pool helps to protect your pool from damage due to freezing water and save you a lot of work in summer when it is time to open the pool. If people are not using the pool in winter, it’s a good idea to be proactive and ensure your pool is right for summer.
Balance water chemistry: The first step in the winterization procedure is to make sure your water chemistry is balanced. By balancing your water chemistry you are protecting the surface of the pool from staining and deterioration. The easiest way to prepare your in-ground or above ground swimming pool for the winter season is to use an all-in-one chemical kit. Winterizing chemical kit helps to keep the pool blue and clear for the next season. If you are closing up your pool for the winter, you should always take precautions to protect from freeze damage which causes great damage to your pool, pool plumbing, and its filter system.
Blow out the water: Lower the water level until it is approximately four inches below the skimmer. This helps as it prevents water from getting into the plumbing where it might freeze, expand and cause plastic pipes to crack creating leaks. Blow out the water from your plumbing lines. Use the discharge of the shop vac to blow water out of each line from the filter system. As the water is purged from each line, you will need to put a plug in the lines at the pool end.
Drain all the water from your filter: Now, for the final step, you must drain all the water from your filter equipment. The filter should have a plug at the bottom that will allow it to drain. After draining the pump, turn it on for a brief second to get the water out of the veins of the impeller. It is a good idea to take the pressure gauge inside for the winter because water collects in its tube which can freeze and cause breakage.
Winter pool covers: Now it is time to dig out your winter pool covers and to put it on your pool so that you can keep out and debris that might fall in to it. There are several types of covers available for pool cover. However, before stretching the cover across the pool, you should install a floatation device in the center of the pool. This device can be a car or truck inner-tube or a large inflatable winter pillow. Do not over fill the tubes as they can expand and you do not want them to break. Once the cover is in place, you should run a sturdy wire through the holes that run along the outer seam of the cover. Pull the wire tight using a hand wench or similar tool so that the cover fits snugly around the pool. Once the cover is successfully placed, your pool is now ready to battle the winter elements.
With minimal effort you can ensure your pool is kept clean and beautiful in winter. As a pool owner or pool keeper, one has to keep a basic maintenance schedule. Closing your pool properly in winter can save you a lot of work when it comes time to open the pool for the summer. The main purpose of winterization of pool is to protect the pool and its equipments from damage due to freezing water. To begin to winterize the swimming pool, make sure that the pool water is clean. Any homeowner can winterize their pool properly and make their lives much easier when it comes time to open the pool for the summer. Once the pool is completely clean, a pool cover should be installed to keep it that way. Once the cover is successfully placed, your pool is now ready to battle the winter elements.