Winter may give pool owners a bit of relief when it comes to swimming pool maintenance, but that doesn’t mean that pool cleaning should be completely forgotten. Fortunately there are a few quick things that every pool owner can do to help cut down on the amount of time they spend maintaining their pool now before spring.

1. Continue Cleaning Your Baskets

In order to keep your swimming pool maintenance duties at a minimum, regularly check and empty your strainer baskets (every one to two weeks will likely suffice). Doing so will help maintain your pool water circulation and reduce your pool’s demands for chlorine.

2. Be Aware of Cold Weather

During the day the temperatures may not drop as low as most of the country, but at night it’s not uncommon for temperatures to go close to becoming extremely cold. Continue to check your pipes and motorized parts for any water, and drain water from the heater, pump and filter if any is found. Frozen water can cause these components to crack and need replacing.

3. Don’t Drain Your Pool

Contrary to popular belief, draining your pool is not part of winter pool cleaning, nor is it even good for your pool. When you drain our pool you can cause all sorts of problems such as your pool surface cracking and the pool foundation floating do to surface water. Dropping your water levels up to 6 inches below the pool skimmer is fine, but keep your pool regularly filled to that point.

4. Use an Algaecide

For those who have completely closed their pool for the winter, an algaecide will surely keep the green gunk at bay for as long as possible. Read the directions for the algaecide to ensure that it will work with the winter weather conditions (i.e. some algaecides require the pump to run for 24 hours, something which may not be possible if temperatures drop too close to freezing).

Shasta Pools is a Phoenix pool builder who provides a variety of services including swimming pool remodeling, commercial pool building, and pool service and repair. Since its establishment in 1967, Shasta has helped over 80,000 families realize their dream of pool ownership. By providing exceptional value, quality craftsmanship and superior customer service, the Shasta team continues to fulfill the corporate mission of astonishing and delighting their customers and exceeding expectations. You can learn more about Shasta Pools & Spas by visiting them online, or by connecting with them on Facebook or Twitter.