Swimming Pool Efficiency – Winter Maintenance Guide

Summer and swimming season is over and you’re about to close your pool. But come spring, you might get a nasty surprise if you haven’t prepared it for winter.

To avoid disappointment and preventable pool expenses, you’ll need to take certain maintenance steps to winterise your pool until springtime. That way, when the cover rolls back, you’ll have a fresh pool ready to dive into on the first warm day of swimming season.

SPASA Australia (Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Australia) recommends the following 10-step procedure to prepare your pool for winter:

1. Backwash your pools filter thoroughly and clean with reliable pool filter degreaser & cleaner products.
2. Remove all debris from the skimmer basket and hair/lint pot.
3. Lubricate O-rings on all pool equipment with silicone lubricant.
4. Balance your pool’s total alkalinity level with bicarbonate of soda if level falls under 80-120 parts per million.
5. Set your pool’s pH to around 7.2-7.6. To lower pH, add muriatic (hydrochloric) acid and to raise pH, add soda ash.
6. Mix pool balancing pH chemicals in a full bucket of water and add to your pool to prevent acidic damage to pool surfaces.
7. Mix either 500g of granular-or-750g of liquid chlorine in a full bucket of water and add to your pool.
8. Add 750ml-1l of a reliable, long-term algaecide product to your pool. Use algaecides specifically designed to prevent algae blooms in closed pools on warm days over winter.
9. Set the pool timer for your filter system to operate around 2-4 hours per day during off-peak electricity times.
10. If you have a salt chlorinated pool, ensure cells are cleaned and lower setting controls to half production and a constant chlorine level of 1 to 2 parts per million during winter.

So, there you have it. After completing this pool winterising procedure, you can close your swimming pool and forget about it for the most part – except for a few regular checks &/or cleans, including:

• Check pool chlorine & pH levels every fortnight.
• Check pool water level is half-way up skimmer basket.
• Empty full skimmer basket.