Proper pool maintenance can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you’re tackling it on your own. Most pool owners know just how vital it can be for their pool’s health (and more importantly, their own wallets). Some may not know that it is crucial to adapt your pool care to your local climate, especially in the winter. The level of preparation you ought to make for winter can vary depending on where you live. But it’s important to understand the worst case scenario of what happens when you don’t winterize your pool.
Damaged Equipment & Structures
- Freezing water expands, regardless of whatever container it is in. If that container happens to be your pool or any equipment attached to your pool at best you’re looking at some warped pipes. At worst though, you could end up needing to replace all of your pool’s systems.
- Ice won’t stop at just damaging your pool equipment. Depending on your climate, a hard freeze could crack the interior of your pool altogether.
- If the walls of your pool are damaged enough, there is a chance it won’t hold water and will drain into your yard. Depending on the soil composition, it may or may not be able to handle absorbing thousands of gallons of water.
Unhygienic Conditions
- In the event your pool and its systems aren’t catastrophically damaged after winter, you probably won’t want to swim in it anyway. Pools that go through the winter without proper winterization prep in the fall can often see booms in algae growth.
- An abundance of algae left unchecked for long periods of time makes general maintenance that much harder. Not to mention it’s not exactly conducive for a pleasant swimming experience. Balancing your pool’s chemistry is also much more difficult when dealing with algae.
- The bright side is that, at the very least, bacteria probably won’t be much of a problem in cold climates during the winter. Without a good pool cover though, your pool will still likely collect unwanted debris like bugs and plant life.
Not Sure How or When to Start Preparing Your Pool for Winter?
If you’re not quite sure when or how to start getting your pool ready for the coming winter, don’t worry. While the consequences aren’t pretty, it isn’t a tough process to learn about. A good place to start is our guide on pool winterization in Minnesota. While it’s a shame to close your pool up for the winter, it’s all part of proper pool maintenance and our experts are here to help.
