The homeowner decides it is time to shut down the pool for the winter – the kids are back in school, leaves are turning, and no one has used the pool for several weeks. It’s time to “winterize” the pool, to prevent problems from developing over the winter. But during the process, the homeowner doesn’t want to accidentally do something by adding chemicals which might stain the pool. So how can a pool owner perform a successful winterizing process without creating stains?
Read the instructions. According to Wisegeek.com, the first suggestion is to read the instructions on pool winterizing kits. The chemical treatment for winter is to introduce a mixture of winter chlorine, alkalizer, and powder to ensure that the pool stays clean over the winter. A number of manufacturers offer winterizing kits, and each has different directions. This is because some of the manufacturers recommend different products to accomplish the winterizing task. The nice thing about shutting down the pool for the cold months is that most pool winter kits are pre-measured – they have chemicals in proportions for just the size of pool in question.
Each of these winterizing kits will introduce extremely high levels of the chemicals into the pool. Some chemicals require that the pool filter be turned on while the chemicals are added. Some don’t require the use of the filter. Make sure to follow the directions for the kit that is being used – failure to do so could result in stains to the liner. If chemicals are incorrectly applied, it could result in a nasty surprise when the owner goes out to the pool in the spring. He could remove the pool cover to find an ugly stain on the pool liner, which would be difficult to remove, and require a lot of work to eliminate. Read the instructions.