Winter is here and after months of sunbathing by the pool, it’s time to cosy up inside with some hot chocolate. Before you go into hibernation, it’s important to close your pool for winter to avoid damage over the cooler months. Here are four steps for winterising your swimming pool so you can have peace of mind knowing it’s protected. 

Step 1. Clean The Pool And Filter

The first step of winterising your pool is to clear out pool toys and debris and do a deep clean. You’ll need to brush and vacuum the pool walls to remove algae buildup on the interior coating that could contaminate your pool water if left unattended over winter. 

Our ecoFinish interior coating is resistant to stains and algae buildup, so pool cleaning is simple with a Plungie. If you want to save some time and energy on this step, we recommend investing in a robotic pool cleaner.

How To Clean A Cartridge Pool Filter

Our range of equipment packages includes a cartridge filter, which can be easily cleaned before closing your pool. Before you get started, turn off your pool pump to ensure it doesn’t accidentally turn on during the process. 

Next, remove the cartridge and hose off dirt and debris. Finish by soaking it in a mixture of water and filter cleaner to remove grease and other contaminants. 

Step 2. Test and Balance Your Pool Water

Balancing your pool chemicals is key to keeping bacteria at bay over winter. The most important chemical levels to test are chlorine, pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness. You can pick up pool water test kits at most reliable pool supply stores and hardware stores. Once you’ve tested your pool water, adjust your chemicals accordingly so they can continue killing viruses and bacteria. 

Step 3. Shock Your Pool 

Shocking your pool is a great preventative measure to take before closing your pool for winter. Come summertime, it will also make opening the pool much easier. After all, no one wants to lift the pool cover and find a pond where their pool used to be!

This process involves drastically increasing the level of free chlorine, or the chlorine available to kill contaminants in your pool water. Shock treatments are available for purchase at pool supply stores and most hardware stores.

Controlling Algae In A Pool

Algaecide should always be added to a pool after a shock treatment to prevent algae growth. It’s best to wait until chlorine levels have returned to normal (roughly 24 hours) to do so otherwise the free chlorine will destroy the algaecide along with the other contaminants. 

Algae love phosphates as it’s one of their food sources. Adding phosphate remover will help starve the algae and go the extra mile to prevent blooms over winter.  

Step 4. Cover Your Pool For Winter

The final step in winterising your pool is to cover it up. This stops leaves and other debris from littering the pool so you don’t have to brave the cold to remove them. You can add a Premium Pool Blanket to your Plungie order to help keep it clean and increase your water temperature by up to 8°C. That’s going to help save on heating costs during the cooler months.

How Often Should I Check My Pool Water?

After you close the pool, it’s best practice to check the water once a fortnight. This will ensure your water chemicals stay balanced and give you a chance to stop any algae growth in its tracks.

Keep Your Water Warmer With A Plungie

Concrete swimming pools are known for being strong and durable — but did you know that they can help maintain your water temperature? Concrete has a high thermal mass, meaning it’s able to absorb, store and release heat from the atmosphere. This property helps reduce fluctuations in your water temperature, so you can keep swimming as the weather turns cooler.

Our range of add-ons can also help keep your swimming pool warm this winter. We offer 13kW, 15 kW and 20 kW Inverter Heat Pumps that can be added to your order. Pair this with a Premium Pool Blanket to insulate your pool and you’ll be laughing.

With the cold weather fast approaching, it’s time to go forth and winterise your pool. If you require any support in relation to your Plungie products, our friendly team is here to help — simply fill out our product support enquiry. 

If your property is missing a pool, download a Plungie brochure to get the process started today. We’ll make sure you don’t spend another summer without the sounds of splashes, laughter and family fun!