Given that the winter months are creeping in it is a good time for swimming pool owners to start closing their pool as they are not likely to be using it. It is necessary to ensure you winterise your swimming pool for several reasons. You should try and keep the water in your pool as clean as you possibly can over the winter season so that it will be easier for you to get the pool up and running again when the warm weather comes back. You also want to protect your pool equipment from potential damage as a result of the water in your pool freezing in the cold weather. If the water freezes in your pool then it can cause damage to pumps, filters and can crack the plumbing as it expands. This can end up being rather costly when you come round to using your pool again and find that you have leaks all over the place.

When you are shutting down your pool for the winter the first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have balanced levels of total alkalinity, calcium hardness and pH. Ensuring that the water is chemically balanced will protect the top of the pool from staining and etching. A good way to do this is to use a winter swimming pool chemical kit and this will help to keep your water clear and blue until you use it again.

Anyone that is currently planning to shut down their swimming pool for the winter will find these tips on winterising your swimming pool useful.

Lowering the level of the water so that it is below the entrance to all the plumbing that leads to the pump and filter is a good idea. Doing this will stop additional water from entering the cleaning and heating system of the pool when it isn't being used. This helps as it prevents water from getting into the plumbing where it might freeze, expand and cause plastic pipes to crack creating leaks. It also helps to protect the water filter and pump from becoming damaged, which could result in you having to buy brand new parts.

Make sure that you have cleared out all of the water from your pump, heater, plumbing and filter. You can typically drain your filter by pulling out the plug at the bottom of it. It is important to remember to open the air valve so that all the water flows out. You follow the same process when draining the pump but it is a good idea to turn the pump on briefly to clear out any remaining water. You need to remove any chemicals from the feeder as these will damage your equipment.

You need to take off your summer swimming pool cover and use a pressure washer to clean it although be careful with older covers as the pressure washer could damage it. You should now put a winter cover on the water to keep out any debris that fall in to the pool. If you are more worried about your children and animals falling in your pool then you should get a winter safety cover for your pool. These safety covers will make sure that any animals, children or adults are safe if they accidentally fall into it. Safety covers like this can save lives as a regular cover will simply become entangled in a normal cover which could result in them drowning.