Houston Swimming Pool Maintenance: End of Season Tips
Prepare your Houston pool for the end of the season with these quick tips, and swimming pool maintenance will be quick and painless!
It’s almost that time again when the temperatures begin to dip and the leaves begin to change. This also means that it’s time to properly prepare your pool to be closed for the season. Properly winterizing your pool is essential in keeping the pool’s structure, plumbing, and equipment in tip top shape, so here are some of our tips on what you should do to close your pool this season:
WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO START CLOSING THE POOL?
Smart pool owners will begin testing the water of the pool one week before fully winterizing their pool. Regularly begin checking the weather forecast starting in September and make sure that you leave yourself enough time to close the pool before the temperatures sink below freezing.
TO EMPTY OR NOT TO EMPTY?
Not sure whether you should completely empty your pool or not? When in doubt, it’s always best to keep the pool full rather than drain it. Draining a pool without taking the proper precautions can result in the build up of hydrostatic pressure, which can completely destroy in-ground concrete pools.
HOW SHOULD I CLEAN THE WATER?
On the day that you plan on officially closing your pool, take the time to thoroughly vacuum all areas of the pool. Check your pool filter and see whether or not it has a “waste” indicator”. If not, make sure that the vacuum is kept only on the “filter” position.
Next, you’ll want to go about treating the water. This means balancing:
- pH levels
- Calcium hardness
- Total alkalinity
DO I NEED A WINTERIZING TREATMENT?
While they might not be necessary for your Austin swimming pool, winterizing treatments are a “must” for anyone who lives in a colder climate, as the water in your pool can become corrosive when temperatures dip below 28°F.
HOW LOW SHOULD THE WATER GO?
Depending on the type of cover that you’ll be placing over your pool, you should lower the water level as follows:
- Vinyl-Lined Covers: 1 inch below the skimmer mouth (or more if you receive heavy snow and/or rain during the fall/winter).
- Painted/Natural Finish Solid Material Cover: 6 inches below the skimmer mouth.
- Plaster Finish Solid Material Cover: 1 to 6 inches below either the tile line or the skimmer mouth (whichever is lower).
- Automatic Cover: Maintain a water level that is at around the same level as the bottom of the skimmer mouth.
ABOUT ELITE POOLS & SPAS
For over 20 years, Elite Pools & Spas have been providing new pool construction, pool remodels, pool repair and weekly maintenance services for Houston, League City, Pearland, Clear Lake & surrounding areas.
Elite Pools & Spas of Houston can work with almost any budget and give you a personalized vision of your very own backyard paradise. Whether you need new pool construction or remodeling services, Elite Pools provides the same quality and attention to detail to all of their projects. As a Hayward Warranty Station, they offer energy efficient pool products for your pool & spa.
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Ready to get started on your own backyard oasis? Contact the Houston pool builder experts at Elite Pools and Spas today!
