Winterize a Swimming Pool

Jonathan Broga: Hello! My name is Jonathan Broga; I am with Potomac Pool Service, Design and Construction. Today, I am going to be showing you how to winterize a swimming pool. We are going to break it down into several steps, how to lower the water, to appropriate level and where do you put the water, how to blow out the lines to get the clear water, to prevent freeze damage, how to drain your filter system to prevent above ground freeze damage. We will wrap up with special considerations for winter time maintenance and then how to install your winter cover, depending on the type of cover you have. In order to winterize the pool you will need some basic tools, some of which are common, some of which are specialized. Not every pool is the same, so the tools we use today may not cover every situation at your pool. If you have any doubts about what tools to use and how to properly use them contact a pool professional. The tools that we will be using today are vacuum hoses that we will be attaching to electric submersible pumps to drain the water. I also have a gas pump, if necessary, to lower the water along with the appropriate suction discharge hoses. We have our pool cover, our cover grommets and our winterization plugs. An electric drill with a properly sized iron wrench will save you time and effort, when lowering and raising your grommets if you have a safety cover. Additionally, we will have special tools to install the cover, basic hand tools such as needle-nose pliers, channel locks, flathead and Phillips Head Screwdrivers, an air compressor with appropriate hoses and fittings to tie into our plumbing system and then chemicals such as chlorine, algaecide and antifreeze. When winterizing a swimming pool, there are few simple basic safety considerations to keep in mind. Make sure that your equipment is in properly work in order and that your chords are plugged in the GFI-protected outlets. Understand the affects of compressed air and know when you are releasing pressure, what the affects of that released pressure will be. Additionally, use care around your heater, we are mixing gas, water, electricity and flame all in one place. Lastly, understand that every pool is different, no two pools are built exactly the same and the steps and processes that we specifically use for this pool today may or may not apply to your pool. However, the concepts are universal, using air to clean and clear lines, using chemicals to treat water and shedding your electrical system down the winter.

As for my background and experience, I am the President and Co-founder of the Potomac Pool Service, Design and Construction. I have been working in and around swimming pools for the last 17 years and we built the pool that will be winterizing today. So let's get started winterize your swimming pool.