Winter is not usually thought of as a time when your pool is in use. Your thoughts are focused on getting your home holiday, guest ready and the lists of holiday shopping that need to get done. Your pool is the last thing on your mind, but it shouldn’t be! If you don’t think about your pool at all during the winter, you’re going to have a bigger mess when winter is over and you’re ready to dive back in. To avoid all that hassle when the weather heats up, follow these 10 tips to keep your pool ready throughout the winter:
1. Buy a Pool Cover and Keep it Clean
A pool cover can help keep debris from collecting in the water during the winter. However, debris will collect on top of the cover during our rare Arizona winter storms. Be sure to regularly clean your pool cover to avoid having a large pile of debris sitting on top when the time comes to remove it.
2. Weather Watch
As stated before, Arizona will have a rare winter storm and a lot of wind. Mesh pool covers are common, but if it rains quite a bit during the winter, it can dilute the chlorine content in the pool, causing you to have to replenish it throughout the winter.
3. Raise Your Cover
One of the simplest ways to keep a mountain of debris from accumulating on your pool cover is to invest in an air pillow. The job of the air pillow is to raise the middle of your pool cover so that debris slides down and off the sides onto the pool deck. Of course, this is not guaranteed to keep all debris off your pool cover, but it does help reduce the amount.
4. Keep Your Water Pure
Along with keeping your pool free from debris, you should keep the water pure from the microorganisms that still grow despite the cold weather. How do you keep the water in your pool pure? By adding in special winterizing products that help reduce the growth of microorganisms.
5. Add Some Chlorine
Chlorine is a normal thing to add to your pool, but many people forget about keeping up the chlorine levels during the winter. If you want your pool to be ready when you are, then keep up your routine of chlorine addition. Don’t think that adding a lot of chlorine before closing up your pool will do the trick, either. It won’t last longer, it will only bleach your pool.
6. Add Some Algaecide
Chlorine isn’t the only chemical that can help keep your pool clean throughout the winter. Adding special algaecide can help resist the growth of bacteria in a pool and keep the water pure. Without the growth of bacteria, your pool will be ready to swim in when the cold is replaced with summer warmth.
7. Add Some Enzyme Chemicals
While many people think about the bacteria that grows underneath the pool cover and in the water, they forget about the non-organic materials that come from outside the cover. For example, pollen from trees is small and can easily slip underneath the pool cover, causing contamination. The use of enzyme chemicals can help break down non-organic materials and reduce the contamination of your pool.
8. Beware of Freezing
Something to think about besides bacteria growth in your pool is freezing equipment. If your pool equipment freezes, it can cause costly damages. Not only will you be required to replace the broken equipment, your pool will not be ready to use once the winter is over. You can avoid freezing equipment by draining the water to a level where it won’t go into the pipes and equipment and freeze.
9. Check-Ins
There is nothing more important than conducting regular check-ins on your homes pool. By having regular check-ins, you can see how well your pool is fairing and you can see if something is wrong and needs some attention. If you go without regular check-ins, something may break without your knowledge and cause serious damage to your pool and your property.
These few tips will not only help you enjoy the most out of your backyard retreat, but maintaining your pool is essential for the value of your home. For more information about how a pool affects your property, contact the Matheson Team today!
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-405-4228
don@azgolfhomes.com
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