Caring For Your Pool In Autumn
Winter may be fast approaching, but Autumn is the perfect time to prepare your pool so you’re not caught unaware by the chill. A good way to start is by identifying your cold tolerance when it comes to swimming. Some pool owners will swim right through winter, others will stop after Autumn, and some won’t even swim at all through Autumn! Whatever your style, here are some essential tips for keeping your pool healthy in the lead up to winter. Once Summer rolls around again, you can jump straight back in!
Use A Skimmer To Clean Your Pool
As you may have guessed, leaves are going to be falling in your pool no matter what season you’re in. The amount of leaves and debris may vary depending on your poolside area, and if you have flora surrounding your pool or not. But the rule of thumb is to always keep an eye as fallen leaves are quite common during this season. This also includes any kind of debris that may enter your pool and insects as well.
A skimmer is the perfect tool to deal with these light-weight leaves and debris. It’s a good idea to clean the pool as soon as you see anything floating on its surface. Otherwise, the leaves and debris could build up. Suddenly, what would have only taken you a few minutes will now take up to an hour – definitely not something you’d look forward to. Keeping your pool clean during the messiest season of the year is also a great way to keep your pool filter healthy. The less it clogs up, the longer it can clean; and the less money you have to spend on replacing it.
Set-Up Your Pool Cover Early For Winter
One great investment that will save you time, money and effort year round is a pool cover. This value practically doubles during the Autumn months. However, some pool owners won’t utilise their pool cover until the winter months. Although this is good if you intend to continue swimming during Autumn, if you think it will be too cold to swim then you should keep the cover on. Doing so will help your pool naturally retain heat and keep electricity bills down for your pool’s heater. Additionally, the pool cover will keep out plenty of the leaves and insects that we mentioned before.
Pool covers have evolved into a number of specialities to suit the needs of pool owners. There is a wide range of heated pool covers and automated ones on the market to make the process of covering your pool as easy as possible. You can get into contact with our agents at The Fibreglass Pool Company to find the perfect swimming pool cover option for you.
Pool covers can help your pool naturally retain heat and keep electricity bills down.
You Should Still Test PH Levels During Autumn
Speaking of pool covers, setting one up doesn’t mean you can just forget about your pool all Autumn and Winter long! This is a mistake that many first-time pool buyers make. Namely, that you don’t have to check your pool’s PH levels when the pool cover is on. In fact, it’s just as important to check when the cover is on as it is when it’s off. All kinds of external debris and dirt could be affecting your pool if you don’t have a clear line of sight on the water. So, make sure you regularly check your pool’s PH and alkaline levels throughout the Autumn months, even when the pool cover is on.
Track The Weather
As a follow up point, make sure to remember the importance of tracking the weather. Autumn can see some of Australia’s wildest storms hit the nation’s homes. At the very least, it will more than likely rain over your property a number of times. You may think that your pool is safe from external debris with it’s pool cover up, especially when you’re not swimming as much. But truth be told, even the absolute best pool covers cannot reliably keep out every drop of rain. Not to mention the debris that may wash into your pool from the downpour. Both of these scenarios can wildly throw off the balance in your pool’s PH and alkaline balance. Worse case scenario, it could encourage the bloom of algae. Avoid this by checking your pool after heavy rainfall or pre-emptively putting the cover on when you know a storm is about to hit.
Shock Your Pool
Shocking your pool is achieved by using a higher concentration of chemicals – such a chlorine – than you normally would to “shock” your pool clean. It is a great way to stay ahead of algae and keep your pool healthy. It is typically done in Winter months as swimming during a shock cycle is not recommended, but you may start early in Autumn if you don’t plan on swimming in these months.
There’s No Better Time To Install A Heater Or Spa
What better time is there to think about installing a heat pump or spa in your pool than Autumn? If you wait until Winter, you may miss out on valuable swimming time due to installation time. But doing so in Autumn will ensure your pool is heated and ready by Winter time. Spas and heat pumps can be installed either with your pool when you purchase it, or even post-installation. A heat pump will keep your pool at a swimmable temperature and a spa has plenty of benefits besides keeping you warm.
Pool owners may use their pools less in Winter, but this can often lead to neglecting pool care. By preparing during Autumn, you can ensure you’re going to get the most value out of your pool during the colder months. Plus, it’ll be ready day-one of Summer to jump back in. For more options or information concerning your pools heating or Autumn care, contact one of our agents here at The Fibreglass Pool Company today. Our range of heated pool options is large enough that you’ll forget it’s almost winter!
