It’s that time of year again, winter time in Florida. We get all the time the question, how do I “winterize” my pool? Well in Florida the answer is unfortunately you don’t. The temperature does go down outside and inside the pool but not cold enough to “winterize” the pool. Some chemical may not need to be added every week, but there are some that do. As well as needing to keep up with filter cleaning and brushing. The further north you go is when “winterizing” comes in, but winter in Florida is a whole other thing. We take care of pools year round here. Service is still once a week to keep up with maintenance on pool equipment and chemicals. Some chemicals may not be used as fast in the colder water, but they are still used. So you do have to add chemicals in the winter season, just maybe not every single week. Chlorine is used up by not only bacteria but also leaves and other foreign materials that can get into the water. We may not see the beautiful color changes but we still get heavy leaf drops and the temperature goes cooler. It is also good to visually inspect your pool equipment once a week year round. In the cooler weather hoses can become brittle and crack and other parts can easily break so keeping an eye on things allows you to repair things before they get worse. Stabilizer levels can go up from all the chlorine tablets used in the summertime so take advantage of this and drastically reduce, or stop using tablets to allow the stabilizer levels to come back down.

Pools still evaporate in the winter time and you will have to add water to your pool due to the lack of rain. For all you DE filter owners out there, it is good to have your filter split and cleaned after the leaf drop at the beginning of the year, allowing your filter to work properly for the hot summer months ahead. Cartridge filter elements should be replaced around that same time. Remember folks, filtration is extremely important!  For all you salt system owners out there, make sure to inspect / clean your salt cell every three months to insure accurate salt readings and proper operations. Now get out there and enjoy the cooler temps because the heat will be back before you know it.

Let us know if you have any questions on the Florida winter!