Wintering a pool with shutters: all you need to know
The end of autumn is the time for thinking of wintering your pool. It's a vital thing to do to prevent your pool from freezing. By installing a pool cover/shutters and by carefully following all wintering steps, you'll ensure your pool equipment and water are well protected throughout the winter.
Benefits of pool shutters for wintering
Keep your water cleaner with pool shutters
Even if, below a certain temperature, the spread of algae and micro-organisms slows down, dead leaves and dust can continue to dirty your pool water. One of the main advantages of pool roller shutters (and pool enclosures) is to protect your pool water from dirt and from rainwater, as shutters are a really effective solution.
Stop your water from freezing
Wintering a pool equipped with shutters also means your pool water won't freeze. You can opt for passive wintering, by draining the machinery and pipes, and lowering the water level. If you prefer active wintering, then you let your filtration system continue to run. Pool shutters are designed for both types of wintering and provide your equipment with extra protection.
What are steps for wintering a pool with shutters?
Clean the pool and treat the water for wintering
The first thing to do when the cold season comes around is to remove all impurities from your pool by cleaning it. For shock treatment against micro-organisms and algae, as well as limescale deposits, it's essential to treat the water with wintering products. These treatment products are compatible with all the usual filtration systems and cleaning products that are chlorine-, bromine- or active oxygen-based.
Drain the pipes
If you live in a region that suffers from severe weather and frost in winter, it's advisable to opt for passive wintering for your pool with shutters. In this case, you need to lower your water level, drain all the pipes in your equipment room and plug them to prevent them from being damaged if stagnant water freezes.
Install wintering floaters
These ever-so easy-to-use, highly-affordable anti-freeze plastic floaters should normally be installed diagonally and will be partially immersed in your pool water. They ensure ice doesn't form in your shutter-equipped pool.
Install wintering plugs and gizzmos
To prevent damage caused by freezing, a gizzmo, a plastic tube of around 30 centimetres, needs to be inserted into each skimmer. By absorbing any expansion caused by freezing water in your pool, the gizzmo protects the skimmers and, as such, the pool walls. You'll also need to plug all skimmer pipes, discharge nozzles and pool vacuum socket with wintering plugs.
Clean the pool shutters
You need to check that the roller works properly and clean your roller shutters with a high-pressure cleaner to prevent dirt and mould from becoming stuck between the PVC slats, for example.
Close your shutters and prevent access to the shutter start-up unit
It's necessary to roll up immersed shutters in some regions. In any event, you must remember to shut down all power supply to your pool shutters, if they're motorized, of if you have an automatic cover.
Protect your pool shutters during wintering
It's advisable to install a protective cover over your pool shutters to protect them from severe weather and also to be able to remove any dirt or snow that piles up more easily over winter. This cover shouldn't be overly waterproof, to avoid condensation. In the event of a freeze, do not try to use the roller (winder) and leave the cover as is, irrespective of whether it's rolled out over the pool or rolled up. Protecting your pool with shutters well over winter will make it easier to get your pool up and running again in springtime.
