Guest Blogger: Laci from Royal Swimming Pools

While preparing to close your swimming pool at the end of Summer you may be wondering what chemicals you put in the pool? There's an easy way to close your pool for the Winter that even makes opening it back up the following Spring easier and faster!

When to Close (and Open) Your Swimming Pool

When should I close my swimming pool for the winter
Before discussing how to make closing your pool easier than you ever thought possible (just wait, it really is so easy), it's a good idea to understand WHEN to close your pool.

Algae is less active in colder water and more active in warmer water.

For this reason, it is always better to close your pool later in the season when it's already getting colder out, rather than earlier in warm weather.

Think of early-season closing as an invitation for algae having a late-season party in your pool just to trap it in there all winter. In case you didn't know, algae is a party animal; the-more-the-merrier type. So that party is just going to get bigger and bigger until it's time for Spring cleaning.

The earlier you close a pool the more likely the pool is to open up with algae issues, especially if there's a good bit of warm Autumn weather after your pool is closed.

This is important to be aware of in reverse as well. Open your pool early, not late, to help avoid having a closed pool during an early spring heatwave. A good guideline is: if you can plant your garden, your pool should be open.

Winterizing Chemicals: 3 Easy Steps

Okay, here it is! Are you excited?! Pool chemicals made easy!

1. Simply use 1lb (or 2 scoops) of E-Z POOL^® for every 5k gallons of water in your pool. Use our handy dandy Gallon Calculator to help out!
2. Circulate the pool for 30 minutes before to closing it.
3. Enjoy your winter and when Spring rolls around, open your pool! For best results, use Revive!^®, vacuum, and clean your pool.(See before and after Revive!^® images here).

Additional Winterizing Tips When Closing Your Pool

• Begin by testing your water and making sure that your pH, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium hardness is all balanced.
• Add a winterizing chemical kit to your pool. Make it easy!
• Make sure that you have drained all of your pipes and pool plumbing as water expands when it freezes and can cause your pipes to burst. You can blow the water out from these plumbing lines by using a shop vac or by back washing the pool filter.
• Lower the water level below the skimmer and plug the return lines.
• Make sure all pool equipment is removed from the pool and cleaned.
• Place a winter cover or safety cover over your pool. Here's more information on winter pool safety!
• Add air pillows to protect your pool walls as needed.
• Place a cover pump in the middle of the pool cover to drain any water that might accumulate on the cover.

One of our favorite ways to kick off the new year in the PoolCorp Retail Summit. PoolCorp is a wholesale distributor providing pool equipment and other backyard related products to it’s more than 100,000 customers worldwide.  The company boasts over 300 locations and employs nearly 4,000 people. The Annual Retail Summit is a chance for Pool Supply Retailers to check out the latest and greatest products from around the Pool & Spa Industry. APi participates in the show by speaking directly to suppliers about the benefits of offering products like EZ Pool, EZ Spa^®, and Revive at their stores and to their customers.

Here are some highlights of the 2017 PoolCorp Retail Summit.

 

This time of year is filled with opportunities to sit back, count our blessings, and hopefully pay those blessings forward. At APi we are taking the 30 days of November to focus on some of the opportunities that we’ve been given to help our communities, whether they are local, national, or international. We’re looking at how our employees and our company give back with hope that it will inspire you to help your community, in whatever way you can.

 

Life can be hectic. There are days where I just can’t imagine adding one more thing to my to do list. I’ve found that making time to give back to others helps me appreciate my own blessings that much more. I read once that if you are in a state of gratitude, you can’t be anything else at the same time. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that the more I focus on being grateful for the people and things I have in my life, the more I want to pay those blessings forward and help others. The more that I help others, the more grateful I feel and the less overwhelmed I feel by my life.

 

We’ve compiled a list of ways that our company as a whole and our team of individuals give back to our communities. We’ll be sharing tips on our Facebook page each day of November, with ways we give back to our community including random acts of kindness, volunteer opportunities, and charities that are near and dear to us.

 

One such organization is Aquatics Empowered, an association to help rural towns and their citizens gain access to aquatics facilities for water therapy. Their first worldwide fundraising event, Hot Tubbing for Hope, is being held November 15^th and 16^th at a pool or spa near you. They are asking everyone to spend time in a hot tub or pool, share pictures of family, friends, and pets participating, and donate to their organization. Donations received will go towards helping individuals with disabilities, seniors, veterans, children, and other charities in need of aquatic therapy resources. Pro Tip: Our EZ SPA^® line of products can help make your hot tub picture-perfect in time for the Hot Tubbing for Hope fundraising event.

 

We hope that you will join the APi family and participate with your own 30 Days of Giving, but even 1 small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life and in your community.