Category Archives: Pool Closing and Winterizing

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Winter Cover Accessories Explained!

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 Cover Pump

If you own an above ground pool, you probably use a winter cover. With the abundance of options available with your cover, you might find yourself slightly confused about what to buy. I am here to help! Below is your guide to winter pool cover accessories for above ground pools!

Pool cover pumps are used to remove water that builds up on your pool cover. They are available in manual models, where you will have to monitor the pumps progress and unplug it when the water is drained, or in automatic models, which sense and automatically start when water is on the cover and cut off automatically! While cover pumps are not absolutely necessary, they will drastically reduce the amount of time it takes and the burden of removing your cover.

Air pillows are placed under the cover on top of the water. They absorb freezing water’s pressure to protect your pool walls and liner. They also reduce excess rain, snow, and leaves on your winter cover. Using an air pillow under your winter cover will make draining the water off the top of your cover much easier.

There are also several option available when deciding how to keep your cover in place. Pool cover wall bags are fillted with water and used to hold your cover in place during times of high wind. They are designed to lie on top of the cover around the inside perimeter of your pool.  Winter cover seal is very much like a large roll of plastic wrap. It is wrapped around the covered pool to keep wind from getting under your winter cover and causing damage and premature wear and tear. It is easy to apply and can be done by one person. Cover clips are handy fasteners that hold your pool cover in place. They grip your top rail like a clothes pin and hold throughout the winter season. The cover lock system is similar to cover clips, but more secure. It involves a two-part system that snaps together to ensure maximum hold, even in the highest winds.

With you understanding of these accessories, you will be thoroughly prepared to close your pool this season!

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Protect Your Pool Skimmer from Freeze Damage This Winter

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 Pool Skimmer Guard

When water freezes, it expands by approximately 9%.  When this water is in your pool skimmer, that expansion is just enough to cause damage.  Instead of repairing or replacing your pool skimmer each spring, protect it with a Skimmer Guard when you winterize your in ground or above ground pool in the fall.  This handy (and affordable) little gadget is made to absorb the expansion that occurs during a freeze, so it protects your skimmer all winter from damage caused by expanding water.  Instead of expanding outward and cracking the skimmer, freezing water will actually compress the Skimmer Guard.

Skimmer Guard proves to be an easy and inexpensive way of saving yourself the hassle and expense of dealing with a damaged skimmer each spring.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Chemicals, Pool and Spa Maintenance, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Winterizing Chemical Kits Make Pool Closing a Cinch!

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Winterizing Chemical Kit

 

Sometimes, owning a pool can be confusing! Like many pool owners, you are probably looking for easy solutions to answer your pool related questions. One question that many pool owners have been asking lately is “what chemicals do I need to add to my pool to close it for winter?”, and I have the perfect solution to share with you. You can now buy winterizing chemical kits that come premeasured for your pool size! They are the ultimate in hassle free pool closing. Available in chlorine and chlorine-free varieties, you can get them for any pool size. They even come with pool closing instructions. These are so handy that you will wonder why you ever worried with buying individual products.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing

Can a Winter Cover Siphon Drain Replace a Cover Pump?

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Pool Cover Siphon Drain

You’ve covered your above ground swimming pool with a winter cover and secured it in place, but what do you do about the water that inevitably accumulates on top of the cover over the fall and winter months?  Many people use Automatic Cover Pumps or Manual Cover Pumps to remove that water when it reaches a certain level.  These cover pumps are fast, powerful, and often expensive to purchase.  There is an alternative, though, that uses absolutely no electricity and costs a fraction of what standard cover pumps cost.

The Winter Cover Siphon Drain is a simple device that costs very little and uses human power to pump the water off of your pool cover. Squeeze the device to create a siphoning action; this pulls the excess water away from the pool cover, and the pump stops automatically when the cover is drained.  The Siphon Drain saves money and electricity, but it also requires more monitoring of the water levels on your pool cover and more time to drain that excess water.  If you, as the pool owner, feel that the extra time spent is worth the money saved, then the Winter Cover Siphon Drain is an excellent choice.  But, if monitoring the pool cover regularly is not desirable or possible, a standard Automatic or Manual Cover Pump would be most suitable.

Innovative Solutions, Pool and Spa Equipment, Pool Closing and Winterizing, Pool Opening

Think Ahead to Spring: Now Is the Time for Leaf Nets

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Leaf Nets

Now that it’s time to close the backyard swimming pool for the season, it’s also time to think ahead to next season.  Doing a quick job of winterizing and cutting corners will save you time now, but when spring rolls around and you see the damp and decaying layer of dead leaves that has accumulated on your winter pool cover for months, you’ll wish you had spent a little more time preparing the pool for an easy spring clean up.

One fast and simple way to prevent that disgusting layer of slimy, decomposing leaves and debris from building up on your winter cover is to use a leaf net.  A leaf net is a mesh cover that goes over your winter cover or safety cover.  Set it up before the leaves begin to fall this autumn, and remove it before your first snow.  The time and effort saved by collecting autumn leaves in a leaf net will go a long way in the spring when you are ready to prepare the pool for a new season of swimming.