If your pool is not prepared for the hard Minnesota winters, you could be facing some damage due to sub-freezing temperatures. But avoiding wintertime pool damage is fairly easy if you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease before the snow, ice, and freezing temps arrive.

What do you need to do? Read on for our top pool winterization tips so you know how to keep your swimming pool in great shape throughout the winter season.

Everything Starts With Maintenance

For your pool to stay in excellent condition year after year, it’s important to practice routine cleaning and maintenance. You can tackle the job on your own if that’s something you know you’ll keep up with, or you can hire one of our expert technicians to perform weekly or biweekly cleaning and any necessary equipment repairs.

When we care for your pool, our maintenance checklist includes the following:

  • Pool cleaning
  • Check pH, chlorine, and alkaline levels
  • Adding special chemicals
  • Cleaning the pool filter
  • Saturation Index Tests

Does Your Pool Need In-Depth Repairs?

Beyond basic maintenance, we may find that your pool could use a few repairs. For instance, are there any cracks along the surface? Freezing temperatures can turn small cracks or chips into much larger ones, and the damage won’t take long to set in. 

In addition to the pool surface, we can also make sure that other pieces of your pool equipment remain in solid, functional condition. These items may include:

Install a Winter Pool Cover

Without a cover, a pool is vulnerable to the outside elements and freezing temperatures. We can install an automatic cover that will protect your entire pool from snow, ice, hard winds, and debris from trees and bushes.

With an automatic pool cover, you’ll find that you don’t need to use your pool heater as often, which can help you cut down your electricity bill. You also won’t need to make sure the cover is properly secured. A retractable cover will stay put all winter long with just a touch of a button, so you won’t need to worry about it coming loose during windy winter storms.

Is Your Current Mesh Pool Cover Damaged?

Mesh covers are weather resistant and provide a solid cover for your entire pool. They are flexible enough to keep from tearing but rigid enough to withstand Minnesota winters. If you currently use one of these pool covers, then you’ll want to make sure it’s in good condition before winter weather sets in.

At Royal Pool & Spa, our technician can assess your mesh pool cover to determine if it is still usable during the winter months. In some cases, a damaged cover may be repairable, but only if the damage is minor. However, if the cover is too costly or can’t be repaired, we recommend a total replacement.

Drain Some Water

Before you finish winterizing your pool, make sure you drain a few inches of water to help prevent expansion-related damage throughout winter. Just like the water in an ice cube tray expands when it freezes, the water inside your swimming pool will do the same when temperatures consistently stay below freezing.

If there’s a bit too much water in your pool when freezing occurs, the water’s expansion can put excessive pressure on the walls of your pool, as well as any equipment you leave inside it. If that happens, you could end up with a damaged skimmer or return jets come spring, and in a worst-case scenario, you could even find yourself with damaged plumbing pipes or cracked pool walls.

How much water should you drain to prevent damage? Generally, you only need to remove a few inches to get the waterline to a safe level. If you make sure the water stays below the skimmer and return jets, you should be good to go.

Need Your Pool Winterized? Contact Royal Pool & Spa!

From parts replacement and equipment repairs to routine maintenance and pool cover installation, you can count on Royal Pool & Spa to help you prepare your pool for the cold season. We provide a wide range of services and products for both residential and commercial pool owners throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

To schedule service or learn more about what we can do for your pool, give us a call today at 651-779-7606. You can also request a service quote online, and we’ll get in touch with more information!