- [Instructor] Thinking about keeping your pool open
all winter?
If you don't want the hustle
of winterizing your pool equipment or you don't like
the look of a winter cover in your backyard,
there're a few precautions you need to take
to keep your pool open in the colder months.
So here are eight steps to keeping your pool open
all winter long.
Let's dive in.
Well, real quick before we continue,
if you want more help taking care of your pool,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
@swimuniversity.com|cheat sheet.
It's totally free and will help you keep your pool
clean and clear all season long.
So first, should you leave your pool open in the winter?
Well, there're a few pros and cons
to leaving your pool open all year round.
Here are the pros to keeping your pool open.
One, you'll save time and money by not winterizing.
Closing your pool for the winter
means buying lots of supplies like winter covers,
safety covers, winter chemicals and water weights.
Not to mention the time it takes to close,
winterize and install everything.
Two, you don't need to reopen
or clean up your pool in the spring.
Leaving your pool open year round means not worrying
about pool opening expenses and headaches,
and that means no expensive pool opening chemicals
and treatments, and no algae blooms
that many pool owners experience when they open their pool
for the first time in the spring.
Three, pools are easier to maintain in the winter.
Algae has a hard time growing in temperatures
below 60 degrees Fahrenheit or 16 degrees Celsius.
So if you keep your pool open in the winter,
you'll need less chlorine or sanitizer.
And after all the leaves fall,
you'll get less organic debris falling into your water
in the winter.
And that means less work for your sanitizer.
And because it's cooler out,
you won't lose as much water and chemicals to evaporation.
Here are the cons to keeping your pool open in the winter.
One, your utilities are more expensive.
In the winter, utilities like electricity
and gas usually cost more.
And that means it's more expensive
to consistently run your pump or heater.
Two, salt chlorine generators and pool heat pumps
don't work well in the cold.
Heat pumps stop working well
when it's below 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside,
and salt chlorinators don't generate chlorine
when your water temperature drops
below sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
This means you'll need to use
an alternative sanitizer method like a chlorine floater
in the cooler months.
Three, your equipment could be damaged by a freeze.
You'll need to keep your water constantly moving
whenever temperatures get close to freezing,
but if your pump accidentally shuts off
because of a power outage,
your plumbing and pull equipment could be seriously damaged.
Four, you have to perform ongoing pool maintenance.
If your pool is open in the winter,
you'll still have to regularly skim, brush,
vacuum and balance the water.
Because your system is running,
you'll need to clean and backwash your filter.
So now that we've weighed the pros and cons,
here's how to keep your pool open all winter.
One, keep all the valves open.
Your pool valves need to be at least partially open
to keep your water moving freely through your plumbing.
Water that isn't moving is at risk of freezing
and damaging your equipment.
And this means keeping the valves partially open
in the skimmer lines, cleaner lines, drains,
returns, water features, and attached spas.
Two, keep the pumps running.
The goal during the winter is to keep your water moving,
to prevent it from freezing.
Keep your pump running whenever temperatures
start to drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit
or four degrees Celsius.
Even if the surface of your pool freezes,
the water in your pipes won't freeze
if all the pumps are running
and all the valves are partially open.
You should also run your pump in the fall,
if leaves and other debris are getting into your pool.
But if you don't have a lot of debris
and you aren't experiencing freezing temperatures,
you only need to run your pump for a few hours a day
in the milder, winter months.
Three, keep the water warm, especially in cold climates.
If you live in an area where temperatures drop
and stay well below freezing,
running your pump won't be enough.
You'll need a pool heater to keep your water
at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above,
to prevent your plumbing from freezing.
Regardless of where you live,
you can help retain heat in your water
by using a pool cover.
And if you live in a warmer climate
and you use your pool occasionally during the winter,
use a solar cover to help trap in heat.
And if you're not using your pool,
consider a more permanent cover to keep the heat inside
and keep debris out.
Four, install a freeze sensor.
If you don't wanna run your pool pump 24|7,
you can use a freeze sensor.
These sensors monitor air temperature
and or water temperature, and will turn on your pump
when temperatures drop too low.
Some newer pump models actually come
with built-in freeze protection control.
Five, winterize your water features.
If your pool has fountains, waterfalls,
or deck jets, consider winterizing
and closing the valves and turning them off
to reduce the risk of freeze damage.
Six, keep the pool clean.
It takes much less work to maintain a pool
during the winter, especially after the leaves fall,
but it still takes consistent cleaning
especially if your pool is left uncovered.
Skim your water at least twice a week
or more often if leaves are falling.
Brush the walls once a week
and vacuum at least once per week.
If you have a lot of leaves in your pool,
you may wanna consider buying an automatic pool cleaner
that's built for picking up leaves.
Seven, keep the water balanced.
While you may need less chlorine in the winter,
you still wanna maintain good water chemistry
to prevent damaging your pool equipment and surfaces.
Make sure your pH, alkalinity,
calcium harness and cyanotic acid levels
are in the proper ranges.
Test and balance your total alkalinity
and pH at least once a week while your pool is open.
Your total alkalinity should be between a hundred
and 150 parts per million,
and your pH between 7.4 and 7.6.
You'll also wanna test
and balance your calcium harness levels.
These should be between 175 and 225 parts per million
for vinyl liner pools, and 200 and 275 parts per million
for plaster or concrete pools.
Normal cyanuric acid or CYA levels
should be between 30 and 50 parts per million.
But you shouldn't need to add more CYA
to your pool in the winter,
especially if you're adding stabilized chlorine
to your pool.
And you won't need much chlorine in the winter
because there's less algae and less evaporation.
You can keep your chlorine levels at one part per million
during the winter months.
Once temperatures start to rise
to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher,
you may wanna increase your chlorine levels
to three parts per million
or start shocking your pool once a week.
Eight, monitor your water level.
Make sure that your pool's water level
is at least halfway up the skimmer,
so your pumping filter can run without sucking in air.
Now, what happens if your pump accidentally shuts off
in the winter?
If your filter or pump fails while the outside temperature
is at or below freezing,
you'll need to act fast to prevent damage.
Turn off the breaker to power down the pump and heater
in case the power turns back on.
Immediately loosen all of the drain plugs on the pump,
heater, filter and any other equipment.
Close the line valves,
and then open the filter air pressure release,
AKA the bleeder valve.
So if you live in a colder climate
where freezing temperatures are common,
it might be easier for you to close
and winterize your pool altogether,
rather than worrying If your equipment is gonna fail
or freeze in cold weather.
But if your winters are milder
and you wanna keep your pool open,
follow these steps to keep your pool protected and clean
in the off season months.
Finally, if you need more help maintaining your pool,
grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com|cheatsheet.
And if you found this video helpful,
leave a comment, hit the like button
and subscribe for more pool maintenance tutorials
throughout the season.
That's it.
Thanks again and happy swimming.