DIY Tips

Preparation is Key

14 May 2015

You know the saying – fail to prepare, prepare to fail. The saying is very applicable to many areas of life. One of these is the general maintenance of our home, as you can’t just float along expecting all parts of your home to take care of themselves.

Preparation is key

Fortunately, preparing your pool for winter just got a lot easier - we have your step-by-step guide right here. All it takes is four easy steps!

Step 1: Physically clean the pool
Get the dirty work over and done with first up! If your regular maintenance routine has fallen by the wayside, you might need to really scrub some pool surfaces. Take note of any stains, or signs of scale on the pool walls or equipment, as this might need chemical treatment.

Step 2: Determine the balance of the pool water
There are a few different levels that influence the overall health of your pool water – these include pH level, chlorine level and mineral levels. The easiest way to figure out if any of these are out of whack is to bring in a water sample to your nearest Swimart store, where they can analyse the sample and let you know if there are any issues.

They can also recommend a suitable product that will solve any problems that are evident after testing. Alternatively, if you have a test kit, test the water yourself at home.

Step 3: Check the equipment is working properly
Of course your most vital equipment, such as the filter, pumps, and pool cleaner, will be on the top of your list to check – without these, your pool will no doubt become dirty and unbalanced very quickly.

It is especially important to spend some time looking over your filter, as it needs to be running for around four hours a day to keep the pool water circulating. An ineffective filter that hasn’t been properly backwashed in a while, or isn’t set to the correct flow rate, can cause all sorts of problems.

While you’re checking things, it’s a good idea to also have a look at your pool heating system, the pool lighting, plus all of your pool accessories, such as leaf rakes/scoops, brushes and hoses, and see if they are all still in good working order.

Step 4: Use shock treatment
To give your pool a boost of protection for the winter months ahead, shock the water with an extra big dose of sanitiser or appropriate shock treatment.

After administering the correct dose, it is important that you run both the pump and filter for several hours to ensure it has been well distributed throughout the pool. It is best to wait 24 hours before jumping back in the water.

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