How To Close A Salt Water Pool For Winter

When the conditions gets colder, you need to start thinking about endmost your puddle for the season. If y'all are a saltwater pool owner, winterizing your puddle will look slightly dissimilar from winterizing a traditional chlorine puddle. Notwithstanding, thankfully, the process is quite like. And then if y'all are familiar with endmost a chlorine pool, endmost a saltwater puddle should exist a straightforward and logical process. Winterizing your saltwater pool is necessary to protect your pool equipment from stains, damage, and algae growth brought on by the harsh wintertime.

Concerned about how to go almost winterizing your saltwater pool? Not to worry! Here is my helpful stride-by-stride guide to winterizing your saltwater pool. For your friends with traditional chlorine pools, y'all tin betoken them towards my main guide on how to winterize a pool.

Supplies Checklist

Before you begin, make sure you have all of the supplies needed to winterize your puddle. This manner, you tin can avoid panicking if you find out halfway that you're missing something of import. You lot will need the following:

Brush
Pool vacuum
Salt testing strips
Pool testing kit
Winterizing chemical kit
Non-toxic antifreeze (optional)
Air compressor
Skimmer plug
Air pillow (optional)
Pool embrace

Step-by-Step Guide for Winterizing a Saltwater Pool

Winterizing your saltwater pool is an essential office of pool maintenance every wintertime. Every bit the temperature gets colder, it can start to damage the pool's surfaces and the pool water. Past winterizing, you tin ensure that you lot'll accept a beautiful and prophylactic pool to swim in by the leap.

Step 1: Make clean the pool

Earlier you brainstorm the winterizing process, it is crucial that you lot thoroughly clean the puddle. Make sure to brush and vacuum the entire swimming pool and clear it of all debris. The cleaner the pool when y'all shut, the cleaner it will be when you open up information technology again equally the weather warms up in the spring.

Step 2: Test salt levels

Saltwater chlorinators are notorious for their sensitivity to cold weather. They can become unreliable in the winter, indicating lower salt levels than are there. For an accurate table salt level reading, use a salt testing strip. Most likely, you will not need to add more salt (I recommended keeping salt levels on the lower end when winterizing the pool).

Step 3: Test the water

You should also test the other aspects of your h2o chemistry, including pH, full alkalinity, and calcium hardness.

Footstep four: Balance the water

Once tested, make certain to residual the water chemistry correctly. The ideal pH levels prevarication betwixt seven.2 – vii.8. Total alkalinity should be between eighty to 120 ppm. Finally, the calcium hardness of the water should be between 200 and 400 ppm.

Step v: Add together winterizing pool chemicals

Your local pool shop should stock a winterizing kit for your pool. These kits include algaecide to prevent algae growth. Follow the manufacturer's directions exactly.

In The Swim Pool Closing Kit

In The Swim makes a great winterization kit that includes all the chemicals yous need to shut your above basis or inground puddle.

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I may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at zip additional cost to yous. This in no mode impacts my research procedure or opinions.

Step 6: Let the pool filter

Permit the pool filter these chemicals and circulate the water for at to the lowest degree 8 hours before you fully close your pool.

Step seven: Lower the water level

Lower the water level to merely below the skimmer line. This is due to rain, melted snowfall, and anything else that may cause h2o levels to rise during the off-flavor.

Step 8: Winterize the saltwater chlorinator

Empty and clean your saltwater chlorinator (SWC). Follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to winterize your SWC properly. For about, simply removing it and storing it in a dry location is enough.

Step 9: Drain and make clean all equipment

Y'all should too remove and drain all other equipment in your pool including any handrails, ladders, and other components of your pool that should be stored somewhere dry over the colder months.

Footstep 10: Winterize the skimmer

Utilise an air compressor to commencement force all the water out of the pool lines. Once all the water has been cleared, plug your skimmer with a skimmer plug. Doing this volition prevent damage to your pool plumbing. If you lot plug your skimmer correctly, no water should enter the pool plumbing over the winter.

Footstep 11: Add some antifreeze

Every bit an additional footstep to forestall harm to your puddle, add some non-toxic antifreeze. This is simply necessary if you alive in very cold areas where the water is at take chances of freezing. This is fantabulous insurance in case the skimmer plug is damaged or if you're unsure if all the water has been pushed out of the plumbing.

Step 12: Comprehend the pool

Do one last skim of the pool to remove as much droppings as possible. Once done, you lot can then cover the pool with a pool cover. As an optional stride, you tin can add a couple of air pillows onto the water before covering the pool to prevent the comprehend from sinking.

Throughout the winter, you should continue to treat your pool past clearing debris and snowfall off the pool cover, checking the h2o chemistry and water levels, and calculation pool chemicals as necessary.

Any further questions? Allow me know!

Oftentimes Asked Questions

When should I shut my saltwater pool for the winter?

When yous should close your saltwater pool for the winter highly depends on your local climate. Almost saltwater systems will get-go to fail once the temperature drops beneath a certain level. Then this tin can range from annihilation betwixt October to never. I recommend winterizing your pool when the temperature reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the average temperature in your surface area is beneath 65 degrees, it is fourth dimension to starting time closing your pool before the temperature turns to freezing. For most regions in the n, this means winterizing the pool in late Oct and early November.

Equally an additional tip, make certain the water is cool enough to winterize before starting to shut it. Warm h2o volition make information technology easier for algae to grow, and the chemicals in the water will not final every bit long.

How much does it toll to winterize a saltwater pool?

There are a few one-time costs when winterizing your saltwater pool. If you lot're a new puddle possessor, y'all will need to purchase an air compressor, a skimmer plug, air pillows, and, of grade, a puddle embrace. The costs for this equipment vary:

Air compressor – $50 to $300
Skimmer plug – effectually $20
Air pillow – $x to $20 per pillow
Puddle encompass – $50 to $200

You will likewise need to buy chemicals such as a winterizing chemical kit and antifreeze. Expect to pay around $30 to $50 for the winterizing kit and $10 to $20 for antifreeze.

In addition to the above, you can also hire a professional to winterize your saltwater puddle. For this service, await to pay around $200 to $300. This is a great pick for those that do not have time to close the puddle properly. It is also a skillful pick for new pool owners to learn how to winterize the pool past observing a professional.

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Bottom Line

Winterizing your saltwater pool is of import, particularly if you live in colder climates. It is necessary equally non only is saltwater equipment unable to handle the cold, simply it besides prevents expensive damage to your pool. To ensure that you have a clean and safe pool fix for use by the fourth dimension the warmer months gyre effectually, you lot should properly winterize your pool and pool equipment.

Especially if you're a first-time saltwater pool owner, winterizing your pool may seem like a daunting task. But you lot now know that information technology'south similar to closing a traditional chlorine pool. Alternatively, there is always the pick of hiring a professional person to winterize your pool if needed.

Source: https://poolresearch.com/winterize-saltwater-pool/