Winterizing your pool: 5 mistakes to avoid

When autumn arrives, don't hesitate to winterize your pool. This maintenance routine is essential for the long-term preservation of your equipment and water quality. If you don't winterize your pool properly, you risk damaging the hull, pipes, walls and liner. For a successful winterization, here are the five mistakes to avoid, so you'll have a healthy pool next spring.

Mistake #1: skipping the winterizing stage

Leaving your pool in full water without proper winterizing maintenance could damage your equipment and cost you dearly in repairs. Indeed, in the event of a severe freeze, the entire piping system could be damaged. Secondly, the deterioration in water quality could permanently alter the lining of your pool. Lastly, restarting the system could be very complicated if you want to get back to balanced water next season. To winterize your pool properly, the first things to do is to decide on the type of winterization to use: active or passive winterization ? You will find all infos in this article.

Mistake #2: Wintering at the wrong time

When the water temperature reaches a constant 12°c, it's time to winterize. Winterizing too early in the season encourages the growth of algae and bacteria! Watch out, then, for the hours of cleaning and the bill for maintenance products. Conversely, winterizing too late, when the water is below 10°c, is a risk for your equipment.

Mistake #3: completely empty the pool

First, let's talk about ecology: emptying your pond completely in winter is neither useful nor environmentally friendly. You'll have to refill it next season! Secondly, water exerts pressure on the entire structure of your pool. When the pool is completely drained, the pressure is cancelled out. This greatly weakens the structure of your pool. You also run the risk of a liner coming unstuck, and of cracks appearing on hulls or masonry pools. In just a few weeks, and under the effect of prolonged cold, cracks can turn into leaks, some of them very serious. The final deterrent: cost! Depending on your local water rates, a complete emptying of the pool can seriously add to your bill.

Mistake #4: Superficial pool cleaning

Whether you opt for passive or active winterizing, winterizing doesn't just concern the water in your pool. One of the basic step of winterizing is to carry out a thorough cleaning of your pool and equipment. Cleaning the filter, baskets and skimmers, emptying the pumps, not forgetting the addition of an anti-freeze winterizing product are all necessary. Just a little elbow grease to clean the water line, bottom and sides of the pool. Finally, don't forget to winterize your ICO and keep it in a clean, dry place.

Mistake #5 : Leave the pool unprotected

After servicing your pool, we recommend covering it with a winter cover. A cover protects the pool water, keeping it clean until next spring. Take care to use this cover only when the water temperature is below 12°c! If the water temperature is too high, the water may be altered and algae may form. This protection is therefore specific to cold weather.