How To Winterize My Pool In California

Aside from feeling the undeniable cheerful holiday spirit, this is the time of the year when pool owners take steps to winterize their Californian pools. When the weather is chilly, and rain and snow may come as a surprise, apartments and hotels may close their pools. If you don’t plan on using your pool during the winter, winterizing your pool should be considered. If you are wondering, do I have to winterize my pool in California, it’s recommended that you do.

Do I Have to Winterize my Pool in California

Compared to when you are on the eastern coast, winterizing your swimming pool in California requires much less work. Check these tips on how to keep the pool from freezing in winter.

Why Should You Winterize?

If you think swimming pool winterization is just done for fun, you are wrong. There are specific reasons homeowners winterize their pools, including the following:

• It protects your pool against biting temperatures and prevents damage, such as bursting pipes.
• It saves you time, effort, and money on repairs, supplies, maintenance, and utility expenses.
• It preserves the good condition of your swimming pool, just in time for spring.

How Do You Winterize a Pool in California

To winterize your swimming pool, follow the basic steps below. 

1. First things first. Meticulously clean your pool and spa, and make sure to remove all dirt and debris trapped in the skimmer basket. Then, move all pool equipment away from the swimming pool.
2. Start to balance the pool water – check the pH and add the right chemicals when necessary. Once balanced, your pool can go without adding regular chemicals weekly until the warm weather arrives.
3. Look over your equipment and inspect if they are all well-functioning.
4. Clean the filter to make sure it gets the job done through the freezing temperatures, thus getting your pool water ready for spring.
5. To keep debris out of your swimming pool, place a cover over your pool and spa.
6. Though not required, it is a good idea to integrate a freeze protector to your pool system. A freeze protector can sense a decrease in temperature and get the equipment to work and start to circulate water. Remember, stagnant water is more likely to freeze than moving water.

What Happens When You Totally Drain Your Pool in Winter

Draining your swimming pool during wintertime is not advisable, but why is that? Well, when you drain your pool in winter, water can accumulate in the ground beneath and around the swimming pool during the rainy season. While this does not sound so critical in general, it may cause damage if your pool is empty.

Water build-up below the swimming pool shell can increase buoyancy, leading to an upward hydrostatic force. This results in the entire pool shell being lifted from the ground – something you never want to happen. Following the winterization process will keep your pool in good shape and prevent damage from occurring.

Questions

Should I Drain Pool for Winter?

While it is not recommended to drain your pool in winter completely, the standard is to drain below the skimmer level. This way, you can clean the plumbing system to prevent damage to your lines. Make sure to use a tight pool cover. Not covering the pool for winter will make it susceptible to collecting debris and water.

What Happens if You Don’t Winterize Your Pool?

The winterization process is simply a way to keep the pool from freezing in winter. If the water freezes, there is a possibility that the tiles will crack. However, it is also not advised to drain your pool as hydrostatic pressure from underground water can make it unstable.

In Conclusion 

Lower temperatures have arrived and will stay for some time. Continuous checking and servicing your pool during the winter is essential to ensure that it is in good working order. So, why do I have to winterize my pool in California? Because it is a great way to keep it well and ready for when spring comes.