You might not think much about your swimming pool during the chilly Ohio winters, but proper pool maintenance is important all year long. By focusing on proper pool maintenance during the winter, you can protect your investment and ensure that your pool is ready to use when the winter warms up. These are some of the steps that you can take if winter pool maintenance is important to you and your family.

Have Your Pool Checked Out

Now is not a bad idea to have your swimming pool checked out by a professional. If you and your family experienced any problems with your pool during the summer, such as if you think there is something wrong with your pool filter or if your pool liner is damaged, then you may want to have the problem assessed and repaired right now.

After all, if you can get your pool in tip-top shape now, you will be able to put it to use as soon as the weather warms up instead of having to wait to have it repaired. You can also make sure that your pool is in good enough shape that it will make it through the winter without any major problems.

Even if you don’t choose to repair your pool before winter, you will at least have an idea of what is wrong with it. Then, you can budget and plan for any repairs that will need to be done in the springtime, which will help you avoid any nasty, expensive surprises when you least expect them.

Drain Out Some of the Water

You probably don’t want to drain all of the water out of your swimming pool for the winter. After all, you might not want to waste water when re-opening your pool for the spring and summer in a few months. However, you may want to think about draining a little bit of water out of your pool. You can drain the water so that the water line falls a few inches below the pool skimmer to prevent freezing. It is also important to drain any water out of your pool heater, pump and filter. This will help you protect these valuable, important parts from freezing-related damage during the winter.

Add the Right Products

As a pool owner, you probably already know that using the right chemicals and products can help you keep your pool in great shape. It’s not just important to maintain the right chemical levels in your pool when you and your family are using it; it’s also smart to add the right chemicals during the winter months, too.

An algaecide will help you prevent algae from growing in your swimming pool on warmer winter and early spring days. You will also need to make sure that chlorine levels are right for keeping your pool water nice and clean. Avoid adding too much chlorine, though, since this could bleach your pool liner over the long winter. Also, remember to check your pool’s chemical levels at least once in the middle of the winter; you might find that you will need to add additional chemicals to keep your pool clean and algae-free until it’s time to reopen it. Remember that your swimming pool professional will be able to help you with these maintenance tasks.

Keep Your Pool Covered

As a pool owner, you should know about the value of a good pool cover. If you don’t already have one, it’s worth it to look for a good-quality pool cover as soon as you can. Make sure that it’s the right size for your pool; it should fit snugly and securely but should cover the entire pool. Also, make sure that it’s thick and durable; you probably will not want to replace your pool cover too frequently if you can avoid it, and you’ll want to make sure that it does a good job of protecting your pool. Lastly, look for a pool cover that is easy to put on and take off; you will be happy that you made this a priority later on.

As soon as you close your pool for the winter, it’s time to put your pool cover on. The pool cover will help prevent snow, ice and rainwater from filling your pool. It will help you keep the chemical levels in your pool where they should be, and it will help you avoid having to clean limbs and debris from your pool throughout the winter months.

Although you might hope to put your pool cover on and forget about your pool until the weather warms up, you will need to check the cover from time to time. If you don’t clean it off throughout the winter, you have to worry about limbs, snow and debris adding too much weight and causing damage to the liner. Luckily, quickly cleaning it a few times throughout the season should keep it in good shape.

Also, remember that you can use your pool cover during other times of the year, too. For example, even after you reopen your pool for the summer, you can cover it with your pool cover when it’s not in use. This helps with safety, prevent water evaporation and helps keep your pool nice and clean.

Open Your Pool as Soon as Possible

You might be looking forward to enjoying your pool when the weather warms up, but you might not have thought ahead much about opening your pool. It’s smart to go ahead and stock up on chemicals and other essentials now so that you can open your pool for the season as soon as the time comes.

Believe it or not, it’s actually best to open your pool as soon as the temperatures start to rise in the late spring. Not only will this allow you and your family to get more enjoyment out of your swimming pool, but it will also help prevent algae growth once temperatures start to rise.

Preparing your pool for winter and keeping it in good shape until summer might seem challenging, but it’s not as hard as you might think. If you need help with taking care of your swimming pool this winter or any time of year, contact us at Omni Pools & Scapes. We help with everything from installing your dream pool to maintaining and repairing your existing pool.