Do you find it hard to prepare your pool for cold months? Discover our easy step-by-step guide on how to winterize a saltwater pool.
Heating your saltwater pool, especially during cold months, may entail a lot of investments. The smarter choice is to winterize it when off-season.
There are some things you will need to remember how to winterize a saltwater pool since it has a couple of key contrasts with the chlorinated ones.
Fortunately, its closure is fundamentally the same as shutting down a chlorinated pool.
Contents
Why Do We Need To Winterize Salt Water Pool?
Typically, oceans that contain saltwater do not freeze and have higher freezing points.
Thus, do you need to winterize it?
The answer is yes.
Saltwater pools merely have a small amount of the ocean water’s salinity; hence,it is necessary to keep it from being harmed and damaged even if it is saltwater.
Second, a pool that is covered without running filters can result in algae growth, chemical buildup, or even bacterial development. This can then take a toll on your expenses further as well as in health. Because the process of winterization is time-consuming, we have prepared seven straightforward steps to guide you on how to winterize a saltwater inground pool.
Check out the 7 easy steps below:
How To Winterize Salt Water Pool (Inground Pool)
1. Cleanse.
Use a net to expel any trash on your pool. Decently scrub your walls with a nylon brush to clean every surface. Then use a vacuum cleaner and turn on the filter for about an hour.
2. Test And Balance.
While saltwater pools have sensors that notify you of the chlorine and salt levels, you must still manually use test strips.
3,200 ppm is the recommended salt range.
Also, keep in mind that before the pool closure, balanced water chemistry is a must as follows:
- 7.2 – 7.8 pH level;
- 80 – 120 ppm alkalinity; and
- 200 – 400 ppm calcium hardness
3. Use Winterizing Agents.
Anti-stains and chemicals which are made explicitly for saltwater pools must be added to avoid algae growth when your pool is covered. You also need to turn on your filter for a minimum of 8 hours to let the chemicals circulate before shutting your pool.
4. Pour Enzymes.
These slow-acting chemicals will expel any impurities from the pool. This is done to maintain the pool clean during winter.
5. Winterize Filter And Chlorinator.
In winterizing saltwater pool, you should clean and, if possible, remove your equipment and filter. Unplug it and drain excess water.
6. Do Not Miss The Stabilizer.
Earlier, you may have learned that CYA is not advisable for indoor pools.
So, How do you winterize a saltwater pool this time?
The case is now different. A higher amount of 60-80 ppm is even prescribed.
But why?
Well, saltwater turn its own salt into chlorine, and CYA acts as a complement additive. The aim is to make the process of turning salt into chlorine faster.
7. Finally, Cover The Pool.
Prior to covering the pool, use air pillows to keep the cover from sinking. They also prevent ice from harming the pool floor. When you have made sure about the cover, put water bags to keep it from unsteady movement caused by the wind.
Watch out for your cover from time to time and tidy up any ice and snow that settles on top.
Conclusion
You’ve already learned the seven easy steps on how to winterize a saltwater pool.
Doing so keeps you from unwanted pool damage from the freezes, leading to higher costs.
Also, you get to ensure that in following the guidelines above in properly closing your pool, you are not at risk of algae nor bacterial development that can wreak havoc to your health.
Furthermore, in using stabilizer the right way, you get to keep your water chemistry at its optimum level, knowing that it will be good to use for the next season.
