Keeping Your Pool Clean After Summer

Arizona pool owners are lucky because we get to enjoy an extended swimming season. However, unless you have a pool heater, you probably won’t be using your pool as much during the winter months. Although you won’t be swimming, there are still maintenance tasks that can help you keep your pool clean after the summer ends.

Pool Chemical Levels During the Winter

Just like you monitor your pool’s chemical balance during the swimming season, you should continue to keep an eye on it throughout the fall and winter. Even when you aren’t swimming, the levels of these chemicals can change and you will need to adjust them when necessary.

The levels should be:

• Chlorine: 1-3 parts per million (ppm)
• Total Alkalinity: 80-120 ppm
• Calcium: 200-400 ppm
• Cyanuric Acid (CYA): 30-40 ppm
• pH: 7.2-7.5

You won’t need to add chlorine as often as you do during the summer, but you should still add it to the pool regularly. A few times a week is usually enough to keep your pool clean. Keep in mind that in Arizona, temperatures don’t generally drop low enough to inhibit algae growth, so chlorinating your pool over the fall and winter keeps it safe to swim in once it starts to heat up again.

Clean Regularly

Every few days, check for any debris in the pool and remove it. You should also vacuum the pool regularly to prevent any debris from building up at the bottom of the pool. Even if you cover your pool or all or part of the cooler seasons, you should remove the cover every so often to clean.

Should You Fully “Winterize” Your Pool?

In climates where freezing temperatures are common, winterizing is a necessary and common process. It involves lowering the pool’s water level, blowing water out of the plumbing lines, and covering the pool. This is to prevent damage to the pipes if the water freezes.

In Southern Arizona, fully winterizing your pool is not always necessary, but it can still be a good precaution for the coldest months. Temperatures are sometimes unexpectedly low. The difference is that you can start this process later. Late December or early January is the general guideline. If you are unsure whether you need to winterize your pool, you can check with a pool maintenance expert to get their opinion for your specific circumstances.

Pool Cover Precautions

If you choose to cover your pool, it’s important to keep in mind that algae grows best in warm, dark, moist environments. When the weather is cold, algae growth is inhibited. On warmer winter days, the area under your pool cover can be a prime spot for algae growth. To prevent this issue, consider uncovering your pool on the warmest days of the winter and as we mentioned before, make sure you are still adding chlorine even when you aren’t swimming.

Building a Pool in the Fall or Winter

While the cooler months of the year are not peak swimming season, they are a great time for pool building. When you start the design process early, you increase the possibility of having a new pool ready for next summer. If you are thinking about adding a pool to your backyard, now is the best time to start.

To learn more about new pool construction in Tucson, contact us today.