When winter in, the benefits of wintering and the entire detailed process to help Hibernate your pool.
When should I winterize my pool?
We must prepare to winterize the pool before winter starts. It is necessary to prepare the pool for the lower temperatures. In this way you will protect your pool from frost and other formations of nature associated with the colder season, putting the entire Winterization procedure into practice.
This technique allows you to put the pool to sleep during the winter months.
With this temporary numbing of the pool, it will allow its water to remain healthy and ready for when the time comes to reactivate it.
Bearing in mind that winterisation is a very important process for your pool it is recommended that the first winterisation is carried out under the supervision of a technician, in order to avoid any associated problems.
Why winterize and what are the advantages of winterizing the pool?
As pool maintenance specialists we 100% recommend winterising your pool. One of the biggest advantages is that you can use the water throughout the winter so you don't have to refill it all over again the following summer. This way, you will be able to save on your water bill and for the environment.
Pool maintenance with the most suitable products for this winterization process ensures the cleanliness of the water, having a healthy and transparent water all year round. By taking good care of your pool, you will also save on its maintenance in the subsequent summer season.
Thus, we recommend choosing a wintering product for your pool suitable and reliable for this process to be efficient and long-lasting.
How to winterize your pool?
BEFORE YOU START WINTERING:
It is important that you do a prior cleaning, since if there is dirt present at the time you close the pool, the probability of the appearance of bacteria and especially algae, is very high. Although bacteria and algae do not develop as easily in low temperatures, they will have all winter to do so, so you might as well be safe.
Attention to remove not only larger trash, such as leaves, but brush also the liner, where there is a high concentration of dirt.
We recommend cleaning the bottom of the pool with a pool aspirator, whether it is manual, hydraulic or electric.
POOL WATER TREATMENT
Make sure the water is in perfect condition, to do this start by performing a shock treatment with Chlorine Shock from Ecopool or Dichloro from CTX which will attack the organic particles in the water preventing excessive combined chlorine concentration.
Let the product take effect about 2 hours with the filtration running. Analyse the pH of the water and confirm that it is balanced: between 7.2 and 7.4.If it is not correct, you can correct it with a corrector such as pH- available from CTX and ECOPOOL or pH+also available from CTX and ECOPOOL.
REDUCE THE WATER LEVEL
One of the indispensable steps is to Reduce the pool water level. We recommend that the water level is at the minimum height of the skimmers. With the low winter temperatures, the pool water can expand and can damage the plastic of the skimmers and even the tiles. Currently, there are bronze skimmers and in INOX with high quality and more resistant than plastic skimmers.
ADDICATE A WINTERING PRODUCT
There is a specific product widely used for the Piscimar brand winterization process: IVERNET 6M or IVERLINER (ideal for salt pools). This product acts as a bactericide, preventing the appearance of algae, bacteria and fungi in the pool water. The ideal time to pour this product will be when the pool reaches a temperature of 15ºC.
You can dose the product into the pool tank with the filtration system running, wait an hour with the filtration system active for the product to be effective and well distributed throughout the water.
Attention: There may be possible incompatibilities between substances already present in the water and the winter treatment to be applied. Likewise, it is important not to ignore the specifics of the region of the country where the pool is located.
It is important to repeat the addition of the Winterizer in the middle of the winter season. If temperatures are higher than usual in the wintering season, you should increase the chemical doses.
TIP: It is important not to purchase white label chemicals or some unknown brand.
DRENE THE POOL PUMP, FILTER AND PIPES
Before turning off the entire Hydraulic system it is essential that you thoroughly clean the pool filter. There are 3 types of filters: Cartridge, Sand and Diatomite. Follow the instructions of the Filter corresponding to the one in your pool.
Cartridge Filter
You should remove the cartridges so that they are washed with an acid solution. Afterwards, you should brush them carefully and examine their condition. If warranted, you should have them replaced so as to prevent damage from occurring during the summer season.
Sand Filter
Some debris such as hair, accumulates throughout the summer with daily use. If they do not come off with simple washing, it is necessary to eliminate them by introducing a specific chemical product. This product will help the sand to keep well the following year. There may also be a need to replace the Sand of the filter every 4 and 4 years.
Diatomite Filter
To eliminate diatomites, it is essential to carry out a prolonged flushing, repeating several times. However, it is not only the pump that should be switched off during wintering: all extra equipment such as cleaning robots, heating systems, fountains or waterfalls should be switched off during the wintering period. Apart from helping to save on the electricity bill, it will also prevent premature wear and tear of the equipment.
COVER
Finally, to prevent dirt from falling into the pool, it is recommended to use a Winter Cover. It is necessary to check the pool regularly to prevent water from accumulating on top of the cover and make sure that the pool is always properly protected.
If you do not have a cover and do not wish to purchase one, it is essential to maintain your pool, regularly removing leaves and various debris that are deposited in the pool. This task should be carried out throughout the winter using a leaf catcher.
The leaf catchers are a very useful accessory because the debris can lead to total clogging of the suction pipe and filter. This can happen due to decomposing leaves, insects and other such debris.
Important: Do not leave the Summer Cover in the water during winter. Ice or frost could lead to its deterioration.
It is feasible not to winterize the pool ONLY in cases where the intense cold does not last long, which will not be the case in countries in Europe. In this case you can keep your filtration running for 2 to 3 hours a day. In warmer countries as the circulating water does not freeze, you can keep your pool in perfect condition.
HOW TO INVERNMENT SALT POOL?
If the water temperature is higher than 15°C, you should use the equipment for enough hours, since the lower the temperature is, the less filtration hours are needed to maintain the chlorine between 0.5-1.0 ppm, adjusting the pH between 7.2-7.4, manually or automatically.
If the water temperature is below 15°C, you should start by turning off the salt electrolysis and extracting the chlorine generating cell, clean it with Electrolytic cell descaler to remove any fouling that may have remained on the plates.
Then, you should store the chlorine-generating cell in a dry place. If you have pH/Rx control and regulation equipment, you must carefully remove the pH and/or Redox electrodes (probe), place them in a preservative solution in their original packaging or in a container in a dry place, protected from the weather. The pH and Redox electrodes undergo natural "ageing", depending on how they are used. The useful life is 6 months to 2 years.
After this process, you should follow the classic winterization treatment
Logically, this whole process becomes time-consuming and very laborious, but it will greatly prolong the life of your pool. And as with any other task, you can always call on the professional services of a company with specialized technicians.
Not forgetting that the best solution to problems and to save is always Preventing! During the period when the pool is deactivated, you can count on quality products for the treatment and preparation of your pool water!
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