How To Winterize An Above Ground Pool With A Sand Filter
With the end of the summer season comes the grueling cold of the winter, which means no light clothing and less swimming. When the winter arrives, it needs to find your above-ground pool winterized to avoid the unnecessary costs when it is time to open up the pool again. All About Pools will teach you the steps you need to follow to prevent your above-ground pool from freezing during the winter.
Test And Balance The Water Chemistry
This should be the initial step of winterizing your pool as it sets the stage for the follow-up steps. It is important to test your pool to figure out if the chemical levels are suitable to stay for a long time. This will ensure that when you open up your pool during the spring, the water will be clear and not a cloudy green mess.
Here is how your pool should range;
- pH level: 7.2 – 7.6
- Total Alkalinity: 80 – 150 ppm
- Calcium Hardness: 180 – 275 ppm
- Chlorine: 1-3 ppm
- Cyanuric Acid (CYA): 60 – 80 ppm
Shock Your Pool
Several days after balancing your pool, you could shock it using non-chlorine pool shock to remove any contaminants that may lead to your pool turning green over time. Although this step is not mandatory, if you notice any murky water in your pool, you must perform it just to be safe.
Clean Your Pool
Make sure your pool is clean and in spotless condition before continuing with the winterization process. Remove all debris that may be present from your pool to avoid decomposition, which can lead to the contamination of your pool. Remove all the bugs and insects, and in case there are stains on the base or the walls of your pool, ensure you scrub them off using your pool brush. Similarly, you could vacuum your pool, Else, you can go for installing Pentair pool pumps that efficiently pulls all the untreated and dirty water from the pool to filtering equipment, and thereafter return the warm and sanitized water back into the swimming pool. which is a more efficient and effective way to ensure a thorough cleanse.
Remove Pool Fittings And Accessories
After cleaning your pool, now is the time to remove all the pool accessories available. Remove the ladder, skimmer basket, pool cleaners followed by return fitting removal, pool alarm, and pool lights, if any. Make sure you dry them and remove any water before storing them safely away from the winter colds.
Lower Your Pool’s Water Level
Winterizng your pool requires water levels to be at about 3 to 4 inches below the skimmer opening to prevent the harsh cold from freezing the opening. When using a skimmer plug to close off the skimmer opening, you will need to disconnect the skimmer line to drain the water. On the other hand, if you are not using a plug, drain the water and disconnect the skimmer pipe to allow it to drain. Afterward, close the return fitting with a plug.
Winterize Your Sand Filter System
Now that you are done with the pool, it is necessary to winterize your sand filter system as well to ensure it is in good condition when you use it during the spring.
1. The first step is to turn the valve into the backwash position and leave it for 2-3 minutes to let the sand filter clean itself. You can use the nozzle to monitor the state in which the water is in and when it is clear, turn off the system and switch the valve to rinse position for about 30 seconds to a minute. This allows the system to clean up all the debris inside to ensure they don’t erode it.
2. This next step involves the drainage of all the water from the system. To do this, switch the valve to winterize label or in the middle of two indicated points if not labeled. It is important to note that the system should be turned off each time you rotate the valve.
3. Open up the backwash port at the end of the filter tank to drain all the water in the system. Follow this up by disconnecting all hoses from the system and placing all the components in a safe place.
The winter period does not have to find you unprepared as this will greatly impact the state of your pool for the next season. Taking note of the steps we have provided above will ensure that you winterize your above-ground pool early and cheaply without the need to hire a professional.
