If you own a fibreglass pool, then you probably close it for the winter season, every year. One of the greatest joys of owning a pool comes around every spring and summer season. But by the time winter appears, swimming in the cold pool water can be less than ideal. Some people choose to invest in pool heaters, so they can use their pool throughout the year.
But for most people, the winter season is usually the time when they keep their pool closed down. How do you maintain your fibreglass pool through the pool season exactly? You’ll essentially need to maintain and monitor three things;
- The cover of the pool
- The water level of your pool
- What kind of water chemistry does the pool water have
When Should You Close Your Pool For The Winter?
Before you close your pool for the winter season, you’ll need to determine whether closing your pool is necessary at all. You can leave your pool open throughout the year, and there are certain advantages and disadvantages associated with this.
Depending on where you live in Australia, the winter months can get really cold. By the time April or May rolls around, you should already have closed your fibreglass pool perth for the season. In case you own a robotic pool cleaner, this can really help you through the summer season. But come winter, you’ll probably need to remove it.
Follow the instructions from the manufacturer on how you can safely remove the robotic pool cleaner. The manufacturer’s instructions will let you know what the lowest temperature that your robotic pool cleaner can operate at is. This is usually at a temperature that’s higher than at which you would close your pool.
Maintaining Your Fibreglass Pool Through The Winter
There are people that carefully tend to their fibreglass pools, even during the winter season. There are others who let the pool maintain itself. But which approach is better? You should neither be too anxious about the state of your pool through winter nor should you ignore it altogether. But what should you do exactly, to maintain your fibreglass pool through winter?
1. Maintaining The Pool Cover
A common tip that you’ll come across when it comes to maintaining your pool through winter, is using a pool cover. A pool cover helps prevent foreign debris from falling into your pool. If you add a few air pillows under your pool cover, then this can help keep the surface of the water in the pool from freezing.
A pool cover can be installed at any time of the year. If you don’t have a pool cover protecting your pool through winter, then the cleanup job you’ll have to do next spring will be more difficult. A pool cover keeps your pool safe from foreign debris falling in, and more, during the off-season.
2. Dealing With Rain And Snow
In case heavy snowfall has been forecast for your area, consider leaving your pool cover off. This is as pool covers aren’t usually designed for heavy weights to be placed on them. This applies to automatic pool covers as well. Note that if you have an automatic pool cover, then you might want to use it during the winter season. If you do this, then you could end up damaging its tracks, or other parts of its system, while trying to water it.
You should also ensure that any water on top of solid pool covers is pumped out. This is as your pool cover may collapse if too much water gathers on top of it. Consider also what might happen if you leave the pool cover on through winter, and there’s water piled on top of it. When you do eventually remove your pool cover for the summer season, all the dirty water piled on the pool cover will fall into your pool itself.
So all your hard work with maintaining the pool water is negated, and the pool water turns dirty instead. This negates the need to have a pool cover in place at all. So when it rains or if it snows, remove the pool cover. Then, when the weather is more stable, you can add your pool cover back on again. Remember to test the water chemistry before placing your pool cover back on top. You should also remove the pool cover from time to time, even if it doesn’t rain or snow, to check the water chemistry and maintain the water balance.
Sometimes, during the winter, the temperature can shoot up. This isn’t so great for your pool, as algae love warm weather and darkness. So if the weather starts to get warmer, remove your pool cover.
3. Maintaining The Water Level Of The Pool
By the time winter arrives, you should already have winterized your pool. You should have blown out the plumbing lines, and then plugged them as well. This helps prevent water from getting into the pool pump or the pool filtration system. But what happens when the level of water in the pool rises?
Having a few extra inches of water in your pool won’t affect it. But don’t drain it completely. Consider getting professional help, if you need to drain your pool. This is as otherwise, you could damage your pool, or even null your warranty.
4. Maintaining The Water Chemistry Of The Pool
Throughout winter, try to ensure that the water chemistry of your pool stays within the ideal range. This is why you should test the water in your fibreglass pool at least once every week. The pool water should be circulated as well. If you aren’t circulating the pool water, then you don’t need to add chlorine to the pool water. Adding chlorine can wait until the spring season when you finally turn your pool back on.
Conclusion
Even if you’ve winterized your fibreglass pool, you’ll still need to monitor it through the winter season. From caring for the pool cover to maintaining the water chemistry of the pool water, you’ll need to invest time and energy into keeping your pool well maintained. This sets you up for success when you next need to open your pool back up. This guide lists how you can maintain your pool through winter.