Winter maintenance begins after the pool is closed for the winter, and before it is opened again in the spring. A typical day of winter maintenance includes checking the water level, the tautness and soundness of a winter safety cover, and inspecting the deck, yard, and surrounding pool area for signs of damage.
Keep in mind that winter safety covers are made of mesh, to varying degrees of thickness and durability. When it snows or rains, that rainwater and melting snow will drip through the mesh cover into your pool. Whether you closed the pool yourself, or had a licensed company do it, the water should have been pumped down below the skimmers and antifreeze poured through the skimmed to prevent your skimmer from freezing. We do not want that water level to rise high enough again to get into your skimmer and skimmer line before spring opening. Monitoring that water level regularly will go a long way to preventing unwanted ice damage, and the possible need for hefty repairs when you open the pool again.
Over the course of the winter months, the safety cover needs to be checked for integrity. The weight of snow, leaves and other debris piled on top can stretch and loosen the cover and the springs or straps that secure it over the pool. Regular removal of these heavy materials is a preventative discipline. You also want to be checking the cover over for holes or tears, either from the aforementioned weight pulling seams loose, or from other things puncturing the cover. This could come in the form of sticks or rocks falling on it, people or animals walking across, or even mice and other critters chewing on the material. These little holes can quickly become large safety concerns. There are patch kits available through our and other pool stores, and your winter maintenance service provider will be able to make any temporary patch repairs in a short amount of time. However, these patches are temporary fixes, and the whole cover will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
The average New England homeowner is not hosting backyard barbeques in January, so it’s no surprise that when things break or fall into disrepair during the winter, many times it isn’t caught until springtime. Regular inspection of the pool area, deck, fence, gates, and yard will keep your yard secure from accidents, and make spring opening and getting ready for summer activities much easier. Nothing slows your summer momentum like finding an ever-growing list of to-dos when all you want to do is relax and spend time with friends and family.
Whether you do it yourself or have a licensed pool service company perform regular winter maintenance, these regular checks and insurances are essential to a safe winter and an easy spring.
To learn more about winter services that Denscot Provides, please follow the link here.