At the end of the summer, when the leaves are turning pale and the nights are getting longer and colder, it is a good time to sit aside the swimming pool and start ruminating about the year passing by or planning for the next year upcoming with loads of new hope. It’s a wonderful feeling altogether–
Stop!
We hate to ruin the easygoing mood, but all moments can never be same. There are always some disturbing issues around. They may be just in front of your eyes. Your swimming pool can be one such issue. Yes, we are talking about the Swimming Pool Installation and the water in it. If you don’t drain your swimming pool in time, before winter sets in, you’re are supposed to have a gargantuan mess.
So, it’s time to act smart! If you love to spend money right in time in the right way, you may consider using an automatic pool cleaning robot like the Dolphin Nautilus to keep your swimming pool spotless during the summer months. If you wish to act further smart, we can help you to preserve your pool through the winter months also in a smart way. We can assure you that our suggestions will be handy for your swimming pool maintenance so that the pool gets ready before the spring rolls around.
The Right Tool for the Right Job
It has often been said, and we too ascribe to it that you need to use the right tool for the right job.
For example: using a hammer to change the tires on your car isn’t going to work. You need a lug wrench to get the job done.
You should apply that same philosophy to your swimming pool maintenance. If you wish to prepare your pool for the winter, there are certain tools, including chemicals that you need to use in the right order to get the cleaning done properly. You need the following tools:
- Pole with Brush
- Pole with Skimmer Net
- Shock
- Flocculant
- Clarifier
- Pool Vacuum
- Sump Pump
- Pool Cover Floats
- Pool Cover
Just in case there is any question, these tools are listed in the order you’ll be using them. The same pole will be used with both the brush and the skimmer net.
Step-By-Step Guide to Drain Swimming Pool
01. Scrub the Entire Pool
Assuming you’ve kept your filter pump in good working condition and it is cleaned regularly, you shouldn’t have to worry about cleaning it again.
Grab your pool pole, put the scrub brush on the end of it and give the whole pool a good hard scrub down. Get the sides all the way to the top. Scrub the entire bottom of the pool too. Take the brush off the pole and put the skimmer net on it so that you can scoop as maximum of the floating leaves and accumulated debris out of the water.
02. Add Chemicals
Shock the swimming pool and use some flocculant to catch all the debris floating in the water and make it drop to the bottom of the pool. Next, put clarifier in the water to turn it crystal clear.
03. Vacuum the Swimming Pool
Using your pool vacuum, clean up all the debris that has fallen to the bottom of the pool from the flocculent and as the end result of thorough scrubbing. Even if you’re using an automatic pool cleaner, you might have to manually vacuum the corners and edges of the pool where it can’t reach.
04. Filter Pump
The initial part of draining the water can be done with the swimming pool’s filter pump. Turn the valve control to backwash and it will drain the water until it gets below the level of the skimmer.
05. Sump Pump
Now a sump pump has to be used for pool draining. Attach a hole to the outlet of the pump and position the far end of the hose at a storm sewer or a downhill edge of your property. Continue draining the swimming pool until half the water is gone. Now you can remove the sump pump from the pool.
06. Pool Cover
Inflate the pool cover floats – like giant pillows – and put them in the water. The top of the floats should be higher than the rim of the pool. Put the pool cover over the pool and pull it tight before fastening it in its place. The floats will prevent too much rain from collecting on the cover during the winter.
Storing Your Tools
If you like the idea of beautifying your backyard and garden area, use a multipurpose seating box to store your tools during the winter. It provides seating facility when the lid is down besides providing a convenient storage space without having to put up a big shed for all your tools.
Wash all your tools thoroughly and air dry them before storing in the box for the next use in winter. The sump pump and hose should be the last items you put in storage because they’ll be the first tools you will have to reuse in the spring to remove rainwater from the pool cover.
Use the right tool for the right job and enjoy!