The cold is rolling in and one potential headache on the horizon is dealing with your swimming pool. Instead of breaking your credit card budget in the summer to bring your pool back to life, there are some tips you can follow to save yourself time and money by maintaining your pool during winter. With some simple pool maintenance in the colder months, you can ensure that your pool remains in good condition and that you aren’t left with a messy swamp to deal with when summer returns. 
1. Cover Your Pool
One of the most overlooked tasks in winter is to enshroud your pool with a high-quality cover. This prevents debris, such as leaves and dirt, from entering the water and reduces the risk of algae growth. Additionally, it helps retain heat and prevent water evaporation, and we all know how costly water has gotten. By purchasing a better pool cover, you’ll be saving on water down the line and the time required to clean our debris. At Builders they have various pool cover options and the great thing about this investment is that it’s a one-time purchase that you’ll keep thanking for years to come.
2. Maintain Chemical Balance
Checking your pool’s chemical balance more regularly throughout winter, and keeping the chlorine, pH and alkalinity within recommended ranges prevents the growth of algae and bacteria. Look at purchasing products such as BLU52 Big Pool All-In-One Pool Solution which will keep the water clean and sparkling or easily check your water quality with BLU52 Easy Test Strips. The strips are just as accurate as liquid kits but are faster and easier to use. The test pads of the strips are suitable for the testing of chlorine, pH, alkalinity and cyanuric acid and they change colour to indicate the levels in your pool water.
3. Monitor and Adjust Water Levels
Keep an eye on your pool’s water levels during winter. Fluctuations in weather and rain can cause the water level to rise or fall significantly. Adjust the water level as needed to ensure it stays within optimal range. This prevents damage to the pool shell (especially if made from gunite) and deck, ensuring that you won’t have a huge amount of filling up to do that can be a massive cost and take time.
4. Clean the Pool
Before closing your pool up for the winter, thoroughly clean the pool by skimming the surface, brushing the walls and floor, and vacuuming any debris. This helps prevent organic matter from decomposing and causing issues like algae growth and staining. You can pick up a HTH Pool Brush Curved that fits easily onto your nets pole from Brights for only R114.95.
5. Maintain the Filter and Pump
Many people will stop the pump in winter, and although it saves some cost, it could haunt you in the long run. If you run your pump for 6-8 hours in the summer, you can halve the amount in winter due to less usage and it will maintain clarity. Running your pump for a few hours each day maintains water circulation and filtration. Clean the filter regularly to prevent clogs and maintain its efficiency. If your filter needs replacing then now is the time to do so, at Builders you can (at time of writing) save yourself a massive R700.00 when purchasing a Bluechem Pool 3 Bag Filter.
6. Protect Pool Equipment
Winter weather can take a toll on pool equipment. Disconnect and drain hoses, pumps, and other equipment to prevent damage. Store smaller equipment in a dry, safe place, and cover larger equipment to protect it from the elements. If your space does not have a built-in storage solution, consider a portable garden shed that will protect not only your pool equipment but general garden tools as well. Check out options such as the Keter Store It Out Max Storage Unit at Builders. Forking out cash for a durable storage unit might be an expense now but it may be more affordable than having to replace equipment in the future.
In short, properly maintaining your pool during the winter months requires a bit of time and effort, but it pays off in the long run. By following these tips and tricks, you can prevent your pool from turning into an eyesore and save yourself the hassle and expense of extensive repairs and large amounts of chemicals in the summer. Added to this, your RCS store card could allow you to take advantage of these deals at a wide variety of DIY retailers without cutting into your monthly expenses.
