Preserving swimming pool for the winter
main stages and rules
Depending on where the pool is located (indoors or outdoors), it may not operate all year round. Outdoor pools are usually mothballed when the cold weather arrives - they are prepared for winter. Of course, there are outdoor pools that are used all year round. But these pools are either covered with a pavilion for the winter, or the owner of this pool does not count the money. To operate an outdoor pool in winter, you have to spend ten times more energy on heating than you do to operate it in summer.
So let's look at how to properly decommission a pool and prepare it for conservation (wintering). The process is the same for plastic pools, composite pools or concretepools. By the way, we deal with the construction and turnkey installation of all types of pools 😉.
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Sequence of actions for pool preservation:
complete guide
⚪ 1. The pool is preserved in advance, during the period when it is already very cold to swim, but frost has not yet set in and the pool is not covered with fallen leaves or snow.
⚪ 2. The first thing to do before storing the pool is to give it a thorough cleaning: vacuum, clean the water line and remove any deposits from all the fittings. This is necessary to ensure that the pool looks normal in the spring and that the dirt left in the pool does not eat away at the finish over the winter.
⚪ 3. Then we rinse the filter (longer than usual, to thoroughly rinse the backfill). You can immediately turn off the water supply and close the make-up tap.
⚪ 4. When the filter has been washed, turn on the pool drain. We do not drain the entire pool, but for skimmer pools below the level of the side jets or in an overflow pool to the lower edge of the lamps (usually the pool is drained by 1/3). If the pool has side jets that are deeper than the main jets, it is necessary to drain the water below them.
⚪ 5. The pH level in the pool is equalised and winterising agent is added. The six-position valve on the filtration unit is set to the "recirculate" position. Run the pump for a few hours to mix the preservative throughout the entire volume of the pool. Water should only be taken from the bottom drain.
⚪ 6. While the water in the pool is mixing, drain the water from the pumps and pipes of the attractions. The power supply to the attractions must be switched off beforehand.
⚪ 7. Remove the spotlights from the pool bowl, dry them and place them in thick bags to prevent water getting inside. Cover the spotlight niches with pieces of foam plastic to prevent them from being crushed by the ice when it freezes.
⚪ 8. Drain the water from the skimmer line by unscrewing the skimmer line tap in the technical room. If all the water does not flow out of the line by gravity, use a compressor to blow it out. Next, screw a wintering plug or a special threaded expansion float into the skimmers.
⚪ 9. Stop the filter pump and close the bottom drain valve. Drain the water from the nozzle line. Blow out the remaining water from the line with a compressor, unscrew the front parts from the nozzles and screw in the winter rubber plugs in their place.
⚪ 10. If there are nozzles under the spotlights, they are closed with sealed plugs after the nozzle line is lowered and then the water level in the pool is topped up to the required level.
⚪ 11. We carry out similar operations with the vacuum cleaner line.
⚪ 12. Drain the water in the equipment room from the filter, pump, heat exchanger and other equipment in the equipment room. Drain the overflow tank (residual water) using a drainage pump.
⚪ 13. Pour 1-2 litres of bleach into the sand or multimedia filter from above. If the pool has a diatomaceous earth or cartridge filter, disassemble it and wash the inside completely. Set the six-position valve to the "winter" position. This is an intermediate position between any two valve positions.
⚪ 14. If the swimming pool is equipped with automatic dispensers or automatic dosing stations, remove the probes, rinse them in distilled water and place them in bottles containing a 3-molecule solution of potassium chloride (a bottle is supplied with the calibration fluids). The probes must be stored in a warm room. Therefore, if the technical room of the swimming pool is not heated in winter, they must be placed in a warm room.
⚪ 15. If the pool has a Necoin system, check that there is no water on the electrodes.
⚪ 16. Check for water in the heat exchanger, electric heater, UV lamp and other elements, and blow water out of the pipes where it cannot drain by itself.
⚪ 17. Close the flow and return valves of the boiler. Drain the water from the hot circuit of the heat exchanger and the circulation pump.
These are all the main actions performed during pool conservation. For more detailed advice please contact us directly.