Prepare your above ground pool for the winter: how to preserve your pool in the winter

The complete guide to prepare your above ground pool for the coming winter. Find out how to maintain your swimming pool before dismantling and collecting it and practical advice on how to winterize your above ground swimming pool, the liner and the sand pump.

After a long summer, in which our above ground swimming pool allowed us to relax and enjoy relaxation in our garden, the time has come to dismantle the swimming pool in order to carry out maintenance before retiring it for the cold season. Let's find out together what it means to do pool maintenance, based on the type of pool you have.

To allow ours above ground swimming pool To survive the long winter unscathed, it is necessary to carry out simple, quick and fundamental maintenance of its components.

Taking care of our swimming pool with a rigid or tubular structure will allow us to find it in perfect condition when summer arrives, ready to be put into operation again.

Have you already winterized your above ground pool? Check that you have carried out all the steps for correct maintenance.

Maintenance and storage of swimming pools with rigid structure and lining

For swimming pools with a rigid structure and lining, such as the Sequoia Graphite INTEX pool, for which a complete dismantling of the entire pool structure would be excessively onerous, it is advisable to respect these simple rules for professional pool storage:

• Empty the pool to approximately 2/3 of the total capacity, keeping the water level below the pump nozzles; the pool must not be completely emptied for 3 reasons:
  • Emptying the pool completely is not recommended, since this would cause the liner to collapse completely, giving rise to creases in the PVC sheet which would compromise its durability over time;
  • Drinking water costs money, throwing it away is not advisable for the sake of your wallet;
  • By emptying the pool, we only partially reduce the amount of water we will have to treat saving on the quantity of chemical products to be used.

   

  Indeed a swimming pool like the Sequoia INTEX Spirit it contains approximately 16800 liters of water, wasting it completely would be useless, not very ecological and above all very not economical.

• Disconnect all hoses, remove the skimmer and pump; wash pipes and skimmers with water and let them dry completely to prevent the formation of mold or algae due to residual humidity.
• Carry out a pump cleaning cycle, by backwashing; modern sand pumps for above ground swimming pools are equipped with a function called, countercurrent washing, which allows you to clean the sand filter simply; inside the pump instruction manual it is indicated how to carry out the procedure, which essentially consists of reversing the flow of the pump. Sand pump flushing should be done for 3-5 minutes or until the water that comes out is clear. Once the pump has been washed (the backwash), it is necessary to check that the sand inside the filter is almost dissolved, without accumulations or granules and that the level is correct; the pump must then be cleaned with a specific cleaner descaling detergent and the sand level will need to be restored properly. Clearly during bad weather the pump can be kept sheltered and disconnected from the pool.Place the control lever in the backwash positionIf your pump doesn't allow for this convenient sand filter flushing feature, why not take a look at this one Bestway Flowclear sand pump? 
• The pool must finally be covered with a special covering sheet, the cloth must be of dark colour to not allow the passage of light which stimulates the proliferation of algae; swimming pool covers are perforated to allow the passage of water, to prevent excessive weight from tearing the cover, clearly this means that dirt and contaminated agents can come into contact with the water, which must then be cleaned in spring.Note: there are special sheets equipped with integrated pumps that allow the pool to be hermetically sealed; this clearly more expensive solution allows for effective coverage of the pool.
• Before covering the pool, it is advisable to wait until the temperature drops below 15°, then proceed an intensive chlorination treatment; once the chlorine has run out, treat with anti-algae and cover the pool. Don't know how to carry out an intensive chlorination treatment? Read our guide on routine maintenance and water treatments for above ground swimming pools.

Maintenance and storage of above ground swimming pools with tubular structure, self-supporting and inflatable.

If your pool belongs to one of these categories, we recommend that you dismantle it (or deflate it) for storage during the cold season; Here are just some simple maintenance procedures to carry out to ensure a long life for your pool:

• The first step consists in remove the liner from the tubular structure, taking care not to damage it and to fold it correctly;
• Wash the liner thoroughly also with the anti-algae liquid to avoid unpleasant surprises in spring.
• Allow the towel to dry completely And put it away, in a distant dry place and away from sunlight. Sunlight is the most aggressive agent for plastic objects.
• Once the liner is in place carefully check the tubular structure of the pool, if it has traces of rust or corrosion, treat with appropriate anti-rust products.