How To Close Salt Water Pool

Never closed a table salt water swimming pool before? Not to worry! There are a few key differences compared to closing a regular chlorine pool, only it'due south still a simple process that virtually pool owners tin can handle themselves. To prevent algae growth, surface stains, and expensive pool damage, we've broken downwards the process of winterizing a salt water pool into 10 easy steps.

1. DO Not Add Salt

Water electrical conductivity decreases as libation weather sets in, which can cause a chlorine generator to point depression table salt levels. Many people see this and mistakenly add together more table salt to the pool, not realizing they may be overdosing the water. For the about accurate salinity reading in absurd temperatures, use salt test strips or a digital salinity tester instead.

Maintain salt levels within the manufacturer's recommended range at all times. However, when winterizing a salt water pool, it's best to go out salt levels a little on the depression stop of the scale. Salt tin react with contaminants in the water and leave cruddy pool stains, so avoid adding extra common salt to the pool in the weeks leading up to closing.

2. Balance the Water

In addition to checking salinity, test and balance other aspects of your water chemistry. One week before your endmost date, make sure pH is seven.2–seven.8, Full Alkalinity is between fourscore–120 ppm, and Calcium Hardness is betwixt 200–400 ppm. Arrange as needed, and allow the water to circulate.

Salt water is more probable to form mineral scale on pool surfaces if the pH, TA, and calcium levels are out of whack. Unbalanced water can decrease the effectiveness of your wintertime chemicals, then it's extremely important to keep these numbers in check. If the calcium level is college than 400 ppm, continue the pH under 7.6 to aid prevent scale formation.

3. Make clean the Puddle

To avoid difficulties in the leap, get your pool every bit make clean as possible before the cover goes on. Any dirt, debris or organic remainder left backside can stain a pool over the winter. Thoroughly skim, castor and vacuum the pool to remove as much debris as possible. Also clean out the skimmer. In the days leading upwardly to pool closing, run the filter longer than normal to ensure the water stays as clean equally possible.

A few days earlier closing, daze the pool to get rid of any lingering bacteria, algae spores and organic affair hanging out in the water. If y'all are using a pre-sized pool endmost kit, it will come with the correct corporeality of granular shock needed for your puddle.

4. Remove Equipment from the Pool

Diving boards, ladders, handrails, and slides should be removed for the winter. Some are ready far enough back that they won't interfere with the winter embrace or rubber embrace, and tin exist left as is. If the deck mounting brackets are besides close to the pool edge, remove to forestall stress and damage to your winter embrace or safety cover. Also remove any toys, floats or puddle cleaners when winterizing your salt water puddle.

v. Add together Winter Chemicals

There are many types of pool endmost kits bachelor. Some are even specifically labeled "table salt h2o closing kits," just the truth is that all winter kits are safety to utilise in salt water swimming pools. Not only are puddle closing kits extremely convenient, but they're also a toll-effective way to purchase winterizing chemicals. Some kits even include a WinterPill for maximum winterizing power.

Loftier chlorine tin can interruption down algaecide and damage a winter cover. Check h2o balance and chlorine levels i terminal time before adding your remaining winter chemicals. The pool should already be cleaned and shocked, and chlorine levels should exist back in the normal ane–iii ppm range. When adding a stain and scale inhibitor, permit the pump and filter to run for at least 8–ten hours to fully disperse the chemical. Winter algaecide is unremarkably one of the last things added earlier covering the puddle, after the h2o has been lowered and the puddle equipment has been disconnected. Waiting until the end keeps the algaecide more concentrated. If yous want to add the algaecide later, agitate the water with a puddle castor to help disperse it through the water.

6. Lower the Water Level

This step is optional for vinyl pools using a faceplate-type skimmer plug. If this is the instance for your pool, continue to the next step — there's no demand to lower your water level. If you have a D.E. or sand filter, get-go this process past backwashing the filter to articulate out dirt and debris from your filter, and get-go the cleaning process. While backwashing, exist conscientious not to allow the water level drib as well much. Don't allow the pump to run dry from lack of water in the skimmer — this tin can damage your pool pump! End lowering the water with a submersible pump, use the main drain, or siphon h2o from the puddle.

Above footing pools should be drained a few inches below the skimmer. Inground pools with mesh covers will need to exist near 12″ beneath the skimmer (to allow rain and snow to melt), and those with solid winter covers should be about 6″ beneath the skimmer. To forestall damage to your puddle encompass, the h2o should never be lower than xviii″ from the pool ledge.

vii. Winterize the Common salt Generator

Remove the common salt cell when winterizing your salt water pool. Start by turning off all circuits to pool equipment, including the pool pump. Unscrew the unions to disconnect the generator cell from the pool lines. Yous can supervene upon it with a temporary "dummy" cell to keep the line properly spaced and sealed through the winter.

Cheque for scaly deposits on the plates within the salt prison cell, and clean it well with a loftier pressure hose. Y'all can as well use a plastic or wood tool to gently scrape away any scale buildup. NEVER utilize metal to scrape the generator plates, and don't aggressively scrape at deposits. Doing so can damage the coating on the plates and shorten the lifespan of your generator cell. For peculiarly stubborn scale, you can utilize diluted muriatic acid to soak the cell. In one case dry and clean, store it indoors. If it's time to replace your salt cell, make a note to purchase one earlier bound opening.

8. Properly Drain and Clean All Equipment

Much like you did for the salt generator cell, y'all'll likewise desire to drain and clean all pool equipment – puddle pump, filter, heater, additional sanitizers or chlorinators, solar covers, etc. The ability circuits should exist turned off before getting started on any electrical equipment. Remove all drain plugs from equipment, and keep them open to permit proper drainage. Store the drain plugs in a safe place; many pool owners like to go on them in the pump basket.

Remove the filter cartridge or filter grids from your cartridge or DE filter, and clean them thoroughly with a garden hose and/or soak them in a filter cleaning solution. While cleaning your pool equipment, this is the perfect time to lubricate the o-rings. This keeps them newer longer, and the lubricant will help prevent them from cracking over the winter. Lastly, use a shop vac, a small compressor or a blower to remove any remaining water from equipment. If possible, store pool equipment indoors, safety from harsh winter conditions.

nine. Winterize Pool Lines and Skimmer

This is probably the nigh of import step when winterizing a salt water pool. Failure to properly winterize pool lines tin cause croaky pipes and expensive underground repairs. First, remove the eyeball fittings from all render lines, and remove the skimmer basket. Then use a Cyclone blower or a small air compressor to force all water from the intake and return lines. Once the water has been cleared, plug the skimmer with a collapsible skimmer guard, and plug the return lines with threaded pool plugs or expansion plugs. In one case the skimmer and returns are plugged, turn off the blower/air compressor.

Washed properly, no water should enter the pool plumbing. Fifty-fifty and then, not-toxic pool antifreeze is good insurance against damage in case of a faulty plug. It'due south also good to use if you lot're not certain the pool lines have been completely cleared. Follow manufacturer'southward instructions for calculation antifreeze to your pool lines. Exercise NOT exit antifreeze in puddle equipment — it can gunk up filter media and damage o-rings and gaskets.

10. Add Cover to Pool

Before covering the pool, practise one final skim to remove every bit much debris equally possible. The comprehend should be clean and costless of rips and tears. Holes tin can be patched with a rubber embrace patch or a winter cover patch. If an oil-absorbing sponge or WinterPill was included in your pool closing kit, toss them in the pool before the cover is installed.

For a solid winter cover, make full the water weights around the perimeter of the pool to agree the cover deeply in place. With a rubber comprehend, bring the anchors to the surface of the puddle deck and use the special installation tool to attach the cover straps to the anchors. For an higher up ground pool cover, use an air pillow underneath the embrace to break upwardly the ice, and use a cablevision and winch kit to secure it to the pool. Extras like cover clips or a wintertime cover seal will forbid wind from getting under and damaging an above ground pool comprehend.

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Final Tips

Fifty-fifty though the pool is airtight, there are still a few maintenance tips for keeping upward with through the winter. These will ensure an easier leap opening and a lower risk of damage to your pool and cover.

• Go along the cover clear of droppings.
• Use a pool cover pump to remove excess rain h2o and snowfall cook from the cover.
• Check water chemical science every 6-viii weeks if possible.
• Monitor the water level. Undetected leaks can wreak havoc on covers and puddle walls.
• Add chemicals equally necessary. Warm, fluctuating temperatures evaporate algaecide and sanitizer quickly.
• In the spring, apply Salt H2o Magic Monthly Maintenance to quickly become your puddle dorsum in pinnacle shape.

Source: https://blog.intheswim.com/10-steps-for-winterizing-a-salt-water-pool/

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