This was my 1st season with our pool. With temps avg only in the 70s for the next two weeks, I think it's time to shut my pool down. Our pool was completed in Nov '06 so the pool builder winterized it after it was installed. Is this something I can do myself. If so, what are the steps to winterize a SWG pool? Thanks.
Time to winterize
- Thread starter Teed
- Start date
You will get some great advice on this (advice on this from me would not be GOOD!) from someone soon. In the meantime, check out the "start up and closing" section and read the "stickies" there.
duraleigh said:
duraleigh...I live in Suffolk Virginia. 45 minutes west of Virginia Beach.
It is best to wait to close until the water temperature is below 60 degrees. In Suffolk VA I wouldn't expect the water to be quite that cold yet (though it might be).
Just "up the road a piece" from me....same climate. Have you considered not closing at all? That's what many of us do here.
Essentially, you simply maintain the pool as always, keeping proper chlorination and vacuuming, etc. About the only difference is making sure you run the pump continuously on those nights when you expect it to freeze. Gives you a nice clean pool to look at all Winter with little additional maintenance.
Essentially, you simply maintain the pool as always, keeping proper chlorination and vacuuming, etc. About the only difference is making sure you run the pump continuously on those nights when you expect it to freeze. Gives you a nice clean pool to look at all Winter with little additional maintenance.
duraleigh said:
After reading some of the post in the start-up/closing section, I might just leave it open all year. I'll keep you posted.
thanks!!
Jason, I have seen you post several times here about the water temp being below 60 degrees before closing. I am not trying to be rude or ignorant but why 60 degrees? Is that a breaking point that will not allow the algae to grow any more? I have removed the steps and started to run the pump during the night for 5 hours or so and I think the water temp is like 68. Am I asking for trouble to start up or will I be ok? Last check a few days ago FC was 23 ...
duraleigh said:
you can leave the pool open all year, why would i close it then, your about a three hour drive from here, does it get much colder in your climate then here, your west of me too. were right on the coast that might make a difference. but just maintain it how i would in the summer, i leave the pump running 24/7 all summer so i would just keep it on then.
As the water gets colder all of the chemical reactions slow down and algae grows more slowly. There isn't any sharp cutoff, but around 60 degrees things have slowed down enough that it is fairly unlikely for anything significant to go wrong. If you close while the water is warmer you are much more likely to get significant PH shifts and/or for algae to grow.
RT,
Your climate is a little milder than mine and, personally, I would not close a pool up there. You can probably adjust your run time down to a few hours each day as the water temps get colder but that's a big pool so use some common sense on what's enough filtering to keep your pool clean.
Likewise, you can close if you want but I see little point in your area.
Your climate is a little milder than mine and, personally, I would not close a pool up there. You can probably adjust your run time down to a few hours each day as the water temps get colder but that's a big pool so use some common sense on what's enough filtering to keep your pool clean.
Likewise, you can close if you want but I see little point in your area.
duraleigh said:
thanks for the info, i think i might just leave it open then, for some reason this is the most simple pool i have ever taken care of, it may be my first pool, but my former neighboors all had pools and i watched their house for them, even though they had all the equipment to keep it clean all that did was slow me down, took me one hour each day to tend to their pool, here its about 5 min, i wouldn't mind keeping it open, i wouldn't dare swim but its nice to look at, thanks for the info.
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