subject: Winterizing Pool Chemicals - Quick Buyers Guide [print this page] As the days begin to grow colder and the leaves begin to change color, it's time to begin preparing your swimming pool for the coming winter. Pool winterization is extremely important because it will help to protect your investment by preventing damage from debris, algae and inclement weather. At the same time, properly preparing your pool for the winter season will allow you to enjoy a pain-free spring opening, as the swimming pool and the pool water will remain cleaner. For these reasons, no swimming pool should simply be left to suffer through the winter months unprotected and untreated.
While the entire procedure of swimming pool winterization involves several steps including clearing all water out of the plumbing to prevent freeze damage and covering the pool with a winter pool cover, water chemistry is also an extremely important step that cannot be overlooked. By treating your pool water with winterizing pool chemicals, you will be controlling the presence of algae and other contaminants in the water. By keeping the pool water clean throughout the winter season, winterizing swimming pool chemicals ensure that you will have less work to do in the springtime and also protect your pool liner from stains and other damage, thereby maintaining its appearance and extending its lifespan.
Preparing your pool for the off-season with winter pool chemicals can be a very straightforward process, especially when you take advantage of the convenience of winterizing pool chemical kits. Swimming pool chemical kits contain premeasured chemicals and different kits are designed for different pool sizes, removing any guesswork and allowing you to winterize your pool without any confusion or hassles. Chlorine-free winterizing pool chemical kits are also great because they provide effective water treatment without causing any staining or bleaching.
Swimming pool chemical kits designed for pool winterization typically include a shock chemical, a time-release chemical floater, a stain elimination chemical, an algaecide and a chemical designed to remove oils and grease from the water. While chlorine is likely the first chemical that comes to mind when pool owners think about shocking their pool, there are other options available. Chlorine-free winterizing pool chemical kits feature a powerful non-chlorine shock chemical. These powerful oxidizers burn off impurities, kill contaminants in the water and remove carbon dioxide, which is one of the main food sources for algae. At the same time, non-chlorine shock will not reduce the effectiveness of other chemicals and will not damage the pool liner, unlike chlorine-based chemicals.
The non-chlorine shock chemical is used in conjunction with a time-release chemical floater. Time-release chemical floaters are specially designed to discharge the oxidizer at a specific rate so that the chemical will continue to be released into the water for weeks after the pool has been covered for the winter. This means that the oxidizer can continue to keep the water contaminant-free throughout the winter and you can enjoy convenience and peace of mind knowing that your pool water is being properly treated on an ongoing basis without any effort on your part.
Stain elimination chemicals and algaecides are also very beneficial winterizing pool chemicals and are found in all the best winterizing pool chemical kits. These winter pool chemicals are specially formulated for use during pool closings and help to eliminate metals and minerals from the pool water which commonly cause stains and waterline build up on pool liners. By preventing the stains from occurring, you will be saving yourself the cost and effort of removing such stubborn marks. Algaecides or winterizers are also very advantageous components of swimming pool chemical kits as they provide a strong defence against algae growth. Since algae blooms can be very difficult to get rid of once they appear, it's important to prevent algae growth before it starts with an algaecide.
Finally, premeasured kits of winterizing swimming pool chemicals typically include a product such as Winter Sorb that is designed to cleanse the water of oils and grease. During the swimming season, body oils and lotions build up in the water and can create stubborn residue and scum at the waterline. Winter Sorb and similar winterizing pool chemicals absorb lotions and oils to help keep the water sparkling clean and clear and to prevent unsightly and hard-to-remove waterline build-up. Not surprisingly, by keeping your pool water free of grease and grime, oil-removing winter pool chemicals significantly reduce the amount of cleaning required during spring pool openings.
While using winterizing swimming pool chemicals to prepare your pool for the winter season is extremely important, the process of treating your water for the off-season is relatively straightforward. This is particularly true when you use winterizing pool chemical kits. With their premeasured, specially formulated chemicals, kits of winterizing pool chemicals provide a very convenient way to ensure that your pool will be protected during the winter months.
