Attempting to Winterize/Close Your Inground Swimming Pool? Here are the 5 Most Common Mistakes.

Each year, many pool owners throughout the world attempt to properly winterize their inground swimming pool (To watch our popular Pool Winterization Video, Click here). And unfortunately, each year many pools sustain damage over the winter because pool owners make simple mistakes when attempting this task. This being said, I wanted to write a brief article on the 5 most common mistakes we see from pool owners who attempt to close their own pool.

• 1. Clean the salt generator- Over the course of a pool season, scale of some type typically develops on the metallic plates found within the cell of a salt chlorine generator. Such scale is removed my mixing a water/muriatic acid solution and letting it soak in the cell, dissolving any scale that has built up over time(see factory directions with your salt system for details). Customers will often forget to this at the end of the pool season and then find that their salt systems to not work properly in the spring.
• 2. Heater Winterization- With their long coils, heaters can easily hold water if not properly blown out and drained. If the water freezes over the winter inside a coil and it busts, the repair is very, very expensive. Do yourself a favor and do not forget this important step.
• 3. Clean the Filter: Whether it's the grid of a DE filter or the pleats of a cartridge, your pool's filter needs to be cleaned well at the end of the season. When filters of any type are allowed to set all winter with waste and debris caked within them, they are often rendered nearly useless in the Spring. This is especially true with cartridge filters.
• 4. Gizzmo in the Skimmer Line: Many pool owners put a regular plug in their skimmer line but clearly the ideal gadget for this task is a Gizzmo, which is a long, green tube that threads into the skimmer line and is hollow in the middle with a cap on top(again, see video). This inexpensive device allows for all the air to be pumped out the skimmer line without the chance of water getting back in.
• 5. Turn off all electrical components!!!: It amazes me how often I see pool owners forget to turn off the electrical to their filter system. When this occurs, the pool pump will turn on after the pool has been winterized, which in turn means the pump will run without water running through it. This burns up the motor quickly and obviously will not be covered under warranty. This is why all breakers having anything to do with the pool should be set to off position over the winter, along with the pool's timer.

Although there are many more mistakes that can be made with an inground pool winterization, these are the most common mistakes to be aware of if you decide to close your own pool. Also, because each pool is different, some pools are much more complex to winterize than others. If you have any questions or comments regarding pool closings, please don't hesitate to make a mention below.

And as always, happy swimming!

Marcus Sheridan, http://www.poolschool.us/

How to Close/Winterize a Fiberglass Inground Pool (Video)

By Marcus Sheridan, www.PoolSchool.us

The following video shows the main steps to the proper winterization/closing of an inground fiberglass pool. Because of time, the video is unable to show certain steps, so I'll just list them here first, then display the video. If you have any further questions regarding a proper pool winterization, don't hesitate to comment below:

10 Steps to a Proper Inground Pool Winterization/Closing

**Note: Before taking these steps, it's important to raise the sanitzer levels of your pool the day before you close it. This means that if you use regular chorine, you'd add enough bags of shock to get the chlorine above 10ppm. If you have a salt water system, just hit the boost button. I also recommend adding 1 bottle of Algaecide 60(make sure it's a quality version not from a Big Box store) per 15,000 gallons of pool water. Finally, it is a good idea to have the ph in a range of 7.0-7.8**

• 1. Take out eyeballs of existing returns.
• 2. Drain pool water down to bottom of skimmer (do NOT drain below this point).
• 3. Take off salt water cell and clean.
• 4. Drain pool pump and filter system (take off plugs).
• 5. Blow out return lines and plug each line (an air compressor or a shop-vac can be used to accomplish this).
• 6. Place gizmo in skimmer.
• 7. Blow out main drains and skimmer line, then plug the top of the gizmo
• 8. Cover pool
• 9. Make sure ALL electrical components are turned off (breakers should be in off position)
• 10. If you have a cartridge filter, make sure the filter is taken out and cleaned very well, then stored in a dry place.

 

Gunite Pools versus Fiberglass Pools: Which Looks Nicer?

 

Gunite Pools versus Fiberglass Pools: Which Looks Nicer?

Because fiberglass pools in America started out as plain white shells without any tiling, colored finishes, and cantilevered decking, they were stigmatized with the ‘bathtub' label, which is why many consumers still to this day mistakenly perceive concrete/gunite pools to be a much more aesthetically pleasing product.  But such a perception is not true throughout the world. Let me give you an example.

The first time I spoke with the Australian owners of Leisure Fiberglass Pools I told them that I was quite impressed with the look and luster of their pools. In fact, my statement to Paul Pusztay, one of their owners, went something like this: "I really like what you've done with your pools. With their deep, rich colors, unique seating patterns, and classy designs, they will compete incredibly well aesthetically against concrete pools."

Upon hearing this statement, Pusztay gave me an odd look/grimace and said something like, "What do ye mean mate?"

"I mean you've got a pretty pool, that's what I mean. Many uniformed people here in America feel like fiberglass pools have a second rate look about them" I said.

"Ahh, now I see your point" said Pusztay. "I was just a little confused because in Australia it's a totally different viewpoint. There, the concrete pool builders are trying to make their pools look more like fiberglass. The last thing we want to do at Leisure is look more like concrete."

And as these words started to sink in, it all started to make sense- I knew that Australia was about 20 years ahead of the American market with the fiberglass pool industry, but I had no idea that the perceptions of two nations regarding swimming pools could be so very different, which explains why resendential fiberglass pools outsell residential concrete pools in the Australia.

 But back to my original question: Which pool looks better?

Well how about I answer this in simple terms- Both gunite and fiberglass pools can look boring or fantastic, but the look of the project will really come down to the following items.

• 1. Decking/Patio Around the pool
• 2. Landscaping other than decking
• 3. Color of the pool
• 4. Shape of the pool

Although there are certainly more factors, those are what I consider to be the most important 4 components to your pool's appearance. Therefore, the actual answer to the question is that it all depends on these variables. There really is no clear cut winner.

So when will fiberglass catch up to gunite/concrete here in the United States? Well let me just say that out of the 80 or so fiberglass pools our company will install this year, more than 50 of the customers were ONLY looking for fiberglass. They were educated, they were informed, and they also knew that fiberglass did not have any aesthetic drawbacks versus gunite. In fact, just like those wonderful people from ‘Down Under', many preferred the deep and rich colors that fiberglass had to offer.

So to close my little article, I'd like to make a prediction. Here it is:

Within the next 10 years, fiberglass pools will have a larger share of the inground swimming pool market than concrete/gunite pools.

Yep, that's what I believe and it's also what has already happened in Australia, so it only makes sense that it will happen here in the United States. But, as always, time will tell. Time will tell.....

 

By Marcus Sheridan, Co owner of River Pools and Spas and author of the popular eBook: "How to Buy a Fiberglass Pool the Right Way, From the Right Company, at the Right Price."

 

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Steps to a Proper Pool Closing

A Look Ahead: Pool Closings

By Marcus Sheridan

 

Every year I see quite a few mistakes that homeowners make when closing their pools. Although it's certainly not impossible to close your pool yourself, one does need to understand the basic steps to this important process. An improper pool closing can lead to major filter system and plumbing damage, potentially costing the homeowner thousands in unnecessary expenses. The following steps show the basics to a proper pool winterization.

1. Brush, shock, and sanitize the pool thoroughly. Add 10 ounces of Algicide 60 per 10,000 gallons of pool water. Add one bottle of metal remover/sequestering agent.
2. Vacuum any debris off the pool's bottom. This is especially important with any leaves, as they are responsible for most staining that can occur over the winter.
3. Allow pool chemicals to filter for 24 hours
4. Drain water down as necessary. (This is not needed on all pools)
5. Remove all plugs and water from pump and filter system. (This includes any heating element you may have, ie heat pump. Please put these plugs in such a place so as to not get lost over the winter. J )
6. Blow out pool's plumbing lines and plug all lines. This is best done with an air compressor and includes adding a "gizzmo" to the skimmer.
7. Remove any handrails or ladders.
8. Cover pool and secure down. For vinyl or tarp covers, remember to place a pump in the center of the cover so as to pump any rain water off.