Seasonal Care
Generally, summer care for your pool is easy to maintain as you use it. When winter and cold weather come, the temperature changes and brings debris from the Autumn season, and then Winter ice and snow, depending on where you live. You may feel tempted to drain the pool, but you should not.
Above-ground pools are typically set up and filled immediately with water. As it is filled with water, it takes on a firm shape supported with metal poles. If you empty an above-ground pool, you will need to take the entire unit apart to store it away in a climate-controlled space. Before storing it, you will also need to ensure it is dry to prevent the buildup of mildew or mold.
It may be best to keep the water inside your pool and cover it. You may need to remove water from the cover due to snowmelt-off or rain, so make sure you unplug any electrical equipment used with your pool.
Consider checking out this video on YouTube that provides winterizing pool tips. And, of course, you can always ask your local pool supply store or professionals:
Regular Maintenance and Cleaning
If you regularly maintain your pool, it is unlikely you will not need to drain it or do major repairs. Cleaning your pool regularly will keep it clean so that you can use it consistently.
The Importance of Cleaning
According to the pool chemical’s instructions, if you maintain the proper chemical balance in your water, you’ve got a good start. You may be inclined to think that chlorine and other chemicals are keeping your pool sufficiently clean. Unfortunately, that is not entirely true.
The chemicals you add to the pool are designed to clean the water, and as a result, the chemicals will come in contact with the walls and floor of your pool for some cleaning power, but they do not naturally “scrub” these surfaces.
Over time, these “additives” from nature and people will build upon the walls. Eventually, the chemicals in your pool water cannot keep up, and you’ll be swimming in dirty water.
Additionally, these chemicals do not tackle leaves, bugs, and more than land in the water. These chemicals also do not remove the lotion, hair products, dirt, and natural body oils from the people enjoying the pool. Pool Care Handbook
Equipment To Clean the Pool
It is a good idea to have pool cleaning equipment already on hand so that you use them regularly instead of waiting until there is a more extensive and time-consuming cleaning issue.
The following recommendations for cleaning tools come from Amazon.com, along with suggestions on how often you should clean various parts of the pool.
Vikii Swimming Pool Pole Telescopic
Telescopic poles are great and versatile so that you can attach different things to the end, such as skimmer nets, brushes, and more. This expands from 6 to 16 feet (1.82-4.87 m) to adjust for your cleaning needs. This pole is made from aluminum and is corrosion resistant.
Sunnyglade Skimmer Net
This sturdy plastic tool attaches to your telescopic pole and is likely to be used often to scoop up and catch leaves, bugs, and other floating debris. Flat skimmers such as this product allow you to shake debris out and away from the pool.
Please note bag skimmers will hold more but need a little more help from you to empty it. I recommend you get a sturdy skimmer net to last you all season long or longer since you will likely use it a lot. I also suggest that you skim daily to keep debris out of your pool.
LALAPOOL Heavy Duty Cleaning Brush
You can attach this nylon-bristled brush to your telescopic pole and scrub the walls and floor of your pool to eliminate dirt and algae buildup.
Please note your pool brush should be designed for use on the type of pool walls that you have. For example, unpainted concrete can be cleaned with a stainless steel or nylon brush, gunite can be cleaned with stainless steel, and fiberglass, vinyl, or painted concrete can be cleaned with only nylon bristles.
I recommend you get a sturdy brush that will last all season long and hold up well with exposure to the pool’s chemicals.
It would be best if you plan on scrubbing the walls, ladders, and all of the nooks and crannies at least two times a week to keep algae away. The process of brushing pushes the algae into the water, where chlorine and other pool chemicals will effectively kill it.
Please note if you don’t clean twice a week, brushing will not eliminate algae, and you will need to take more significant steps to remedy it.
Urchindj Pool Vacuum Head
This triangular-shaped vacuum helps you get into corners of both inground and above-ground pools. This vacuum attaches to a telescopic pole.
You may want to add some compatible accessories paired with this item, such as the Poolmaster 33430 Heavy Duty Pool Vacuum Hose for connecting the vacuum to the Hayward Vac Pool Skimmer for all over simultaneous cleaning. Generally, it is a good idea to vacuum your pool every other day.
You could also consider a robotic pool cleaner instead, saving you time and energy and might be well worth the investment. Consider the DOLPHIN Nautilus Automatic Robotic Pool Cleaner. This version will drive around your pool (up to 33-feet or 10.05 m) and suck up debris for you.
Finding a vacuum with a good warranty is a good idea. When shopping for a vacuum, look for ones that are gentle enough to ensure no damage is done to the walls of your pool.
Other Areas To Clean
In addition to removing debris and algae, there are a few other places to clean to promote pool longevity.
- Pool Deck: Spray your pool deck, or sweep it, pushing debris away from the pool. When people leave the pool, they drip water with chemicals onto the deck’s surface.
- As a result, the chemicals dissipate, leaving an opportunity for bacteria and algae to settle in.
- You may also need to sanitize your pool deck. To resolve this, you can use Scotts Outdoor Cleaner from Amazon.com to hook up to your hose and spray. You can spray and scrub with a surface-friendly brush or pressure washer for deeper cleaning.
- It would be best to clean your pool deck once a week when used heavily and then clean your deck when you start your swim season.
- Pool Filter: If the filter is dirty, then the pool water will be, too. It is essential to know what kind of filter you have and follow the instructions for keeping it clean regularly.
Keeping a pool clean and maintained regularly will save you money in the long run so that you don’t end up needing professional cleanings or costly repairs.
You may want to set aside a specific day each week to combine the weekly cleaning tasks into one day. As a result, you will not need to empty your pool, risking further damage.
Check out Pool Maintenance Made Easy (Second Edition) on Amazon.com by John Brace. This book provides a step-by-step guide for maintaining your pool, as well as helpful information for seasonal tasks to help keep your pool in great shape.