With how mild our winters can be here in North Texas, pool owners may be wondering, “Is it even necessary for me to winterize my pool?” Our answer is to some extent, yes. Temperatures here in DFW can get close to, at, or below freezing which can wreak havoc on your pool equipment. Here are a couple of things we’d recommend you do to get your pool ready for those cooler temps.
Keep Your Pool Clean
With no one swimming in it, maintaining your pool can feel unnecessary. We recommend scheduling regular weekly maintenance of brushing and skimming the pool to remove dirt and debris which will ultimately extend the life of your pool pump.
Run Your Pool Pump
Make sure it’s continuing to run during the cooler months. You should run your pool pump for 6-10 hours at a time for proper water circulation depending on the size of your pool. Running your pool at night is a good idea to save electricity and help combat those cold weather nights.
Leave it Open or Cover it?
If you have a lot of trees or your pool collects a lot of debris, it can be beneficial to put a cover on it so that debris doesn’t affect the chemistry of the pool water. Covers also have the added benefit of helping your pool retain heat. If your pool is in a more open area, or a cover is not something you want to deal with you can certainly opt to leave it uncovered.
Invest in a Freeze Guard
If you choose to keep water in your pool in the winter, you should make sure you have a freeze guard installed. It’s basically a thermostat that overrides your pump timer and will turn it on if the air temperature reaches a certain threshold. It is recommended that you set the freeze guard to turn your equipment on if the air temperature reaches around 37° just to be safe.
Keep an Eye on the Weather
Knowing what is forecast is the best way to be prepared for bad weather. Make sure to know when extended periods of cold and freezing temperatures are coming. This will give you an opportunity to protect your equipment.
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