Fall is upon us and it might be time for you to start thinking about winterizing your pool. Here are a few of the basic steps to winterizing and protecting your pool & plumbing.
First start with a balanced pool and typically you will want to have these items on hand.
- Shop Vac
- Winterization plugs for the return lines.
- A gizmo type device for the skimmer.
- RV/Marine antifreeze which is safe and non-toxic.
This process does not apply to all pools only those in regions where there is a good chance of the water freezing and causing damage to the underground plumbing and mechanical equipment, milder regions might be OK with just a cover for winter.
- You will first start by removing any leaves or debris from the surface of the pool, and the draining the pool down approximately 4-6″ below the skimmer.
- It is not always necessarily to drain the pool below the returns but might be helpful depending on your particular winter conditions
- Set your multiport valve to backwash so it is in the open position & drain the water from your filter and pump making sure the breaker switch for the pool equipment & heater are in the off positions. You can store the 2 plugs removed from circulation pump within your skimmer basket in the pump until it is time to start your pool up again in spring.
- Make sure all of your valves are in the open position and If you have a tablet feeder make sure it is empty.
- Remove your skimmer basket and using a shop vac remove as much water out of the line as possible then install a winterization tube/Gizmo. This device will protect your skimmer from ice expanding and cracking the skimmer enclosure. Generally, these devices will have 2 threaded surfaces and the ability to be screwed into the bottom of your skimmer and accommodate the 1-1/2″ or 2″ female thread in the bottom of the skimmer.
- Using a shop vac remove as much water as possible from your return lines then install rubber expansion plugs which you can get at your local hardware store.
- Pour approximately 1 gallon of the non-toxic RV/marine antifreeze into the winterization tube that was installed earlier in your skimmer allowing some to flow out and sit at the bottom of your skimmer.
These are just a few basic tips for winterizing your pool, There is also a substantial amount of information online that can also help your shutdown & winterize your pool effectively, for your particular region.
Remember to balance the pool water and have a chlorine residual in the water and add a non-copper based algicide as per directions on the container
We will look at Hydrostatic Pressure and complete pool draining in a subsequent blog.
You can also read Ed’s Basic Winterizing Tips HERE.