Each
year, many pool owners throughout the world attempt to properly winterize their
inground swimming pool. And unfortunately, each year many pools sustain damage
over the winter because pool owners make simple mistakes when attempting this
task. This being said, I wanted to write a brief article on the 5 most common
mistakes we see from pool owners who attempt to close their own pool. Or you
can just call us at Swim Things and we can do it for you!
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1. Clean the salt generator- Over the course of a pool season, scale of some
type typically develops on the metallic plates found within the cell of a salt
chlorine generator. Such scale is removed my mixing a water/muriatic acid
solution and letting it soak in the cell, dissolving any scale that has built
up over time(see factory directions with your salt system for details).
Customers will often forget to this at the end of the pool season and then find
that their salt systems to not work properly in the spring.
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2. Heater Winterization- With their long coils, heaters can easily hold water
if not properly blown out and drained. If the water freezes over the winter
inside a coil and it busts, the repair is very, very expensive. Do yourself a
favor and do not forget this important step.
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3. Clean the Filter: Whether it's the grid of a DE filter or the pleats of a
cartridge, your pool's filter needs to be cleaned well at the end of the
season. When filters of any type are allowed to set all winter with waste and
debris caked within them, they are often rendered nearly useless in the Spring.
This is especially true with cartridge filters.
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4. Gizzmo in the Skimmer Line: Many pool owners put a regular plug in their
skimmer line but clearly the ideal gadget for this task is a Gizzmo, which is a
long, green tube that threads into the skimmer line and is hollow in the middle
with a cap on top(again, see video). This inexpensive device allows for all the
air to be pumped out the skimmer line without the chance of water getting back
in.
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5. Turn off all electrical components!!!: It amazes me how often I see pool
owners forget to turn off the electrical to their filter system. When this
occurs, the pool pump will turn on after the pool has been winterized, which in
turn means the pump will run without water running through it. This burns up
the motor quickly and obviously will not be covered under warranty. This is why
all breakers having anything to do with the pool should be set to off position
over the winter, along with the pool's timer. Although there are many more
mistakes that can be made with an inground pool winterization, these are the
most common mistakes to be aware of if you decide to close your own pool. Also,
because each pool is different, some pools are much more complex to winterize
than others. If you have any questions or comments regarding pool closings,
please don't hesitate to make a mention below. And as always, happy swimming!
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