A swimming pool generally needs special care in the winter to prevent it from being damaged during the season. Pools are expensive, and you need to protect your investment with some winterizing. To help prevent pool repairs in Doylestown, PA pool owners can take a number of precautions to keep their pool in good condition no matter how cold it gets. Taking care of your pool in the winter is just as important as taking care of it in the summer. Seasonal precautions are a must so that you can swim again when the summer rolls around.
Winterize the Pool on Time
The winters in Pennsylvania are bitterly cold, and that means that every outdoor pool needs to be winterized when the temperatures start to drop. It’s important to winterize your swimming pool as soon as possible to prevent a deep freeze. When the time comes, you will need to drain all the water from the pool. Then, clean the pool and get rid of any debris inside. It should be clean and free from insects, leaves, etc. Then, you will need to protect the filters, pipes, and other parts so that they won’t experience damage from a freeze.
Until it’s time to drain the pool, you can keep your pool covered so that some heat will be retained. This can prevent a freeze in the early part of the fall. There are a number of types of covers that you can use to keep the heat in. While many people winterize through draining and cleaning, there are other alternatives to keep your pool from freezing during the winter.
Heated Pool Maintenance
If you have a heated pool, you may not want to shut it down in the winter. The heater can keep the water from freezing all winter, but only if it’s turned on. Instead of warming the pool during certain hours of the day, you can turn your heater on at least 12 hours a day so that the water won’t drop to a freezing temperature. The heater is often used overnight while a solar pool cover can keep the water warmer during the day to prevent freezing. When you prevent the water from freezing, you can avoid the extensive damage that a freezing pool can cause.
Keep the Water Circulating
Another way to help avoid freezing is to install a freeze protector inside the pool. This will cause the water to automatically circulate at all times when the temps drop down past a specific level. With the water constantly moving, it won’t freeze like it would if it were sitting still. You should also run the filter pump 24 hours a day while the temperatures are low. This can help keep the water warmer as the filter pump circulates it. This can help keep the pipes from getting frozen. If this happens, it can cause a lot of expensive damage to the system. You should also insulate the pipes that run to and away from the pump. Using a heat source in the pump area can also be very helpful for avoiding freezing.
Move the Jets
If you’re keeping your water in your pool, or you haven’t gotten around to winterizing yet, you can angle all the jets so that they are pointing upward toward the surface of the water. This keeps water moving along the surface and makes a freeze less likely. You should also keep the water at the proper level rather than letting it get low, which can lead to a freeze.
When in need of a pool company in Washington Crossing, PA pool owners can count on Scott Payne Custom Pools for the help they need with the winter weather.
