If you are moving into a new home you just purchased and it comes with an in-ground pool, here are some items to be aware of about how to maintain it, winterize it, get it ready for summer, and more.
Caring for Your Pool
When you move into a house with an in-ground pool – especially if the house is new to all its owners – there are several things that need to happen right away in order to care for your pool properly. One of the first steps after closing on your home will be changing all the water in the pool because nobody has been caring for it since last season or maintenance was done by another owner beforehand. Before going ahead with any chemicals though, test out your water to see what is in it currently.
Once you have the water tested, you can move on to adding fresh water and chemicals or begin preparing for winterizing your pool if you live in a climate where the pool is going to be closed for a while until summer comes back around.
Depending on the type of filtration system you have, will also depend on how often you test the water, add chemicals, etc. Saltwater pools, if you have one, require much less maintenance than a chlorine pool. Both have their advantages, but I personally like saltwater for its low-maintenance approach.
What You’ll Need for a Pool
When it comes time to fill up your new home’s pool with some good quality water, make sure that what you use is going to be safe enough for human contact. Water should always smell slightly of chlorine when coming out of the filter so take notice during maintenance if there are any unusual smells or elements found. If something seems off about the smell, it might be worth another test is done by professionals just to be sure there aren’t any issues.
Water should also be clear and properly balanced pH levels to help prevent skin and eye irritation when swimming, otherwise, it can end up stinging like a bitch. If you’re testing your pool water yourself, the general rule of thumb is that if it’s slightly yellow/green then you need more chlorine, or if it’s cloudy then you may need pool shock to kill the bacteria quickly and clear up the water.
When To Close Your Pool for the Winter
Although some climates get cold enough to close in-ground pools during fall months, other areas don’t come around until winter actually hits face-to-face with everyone. When closing your pool for the season, make sure all covers are secure before frost begins to set into place because a broken or faulty pool cover can let cold air in and moisture out, which will probably result in a large chunk of your pool’s water being lost.
Before shoveling snow all over the place be sure to close down your pool filtration system and pump, then cover the pool, be sure that it is actually closed first because you do not want to go through the pain of not properly closing down your filtration system for winter only to crack the pipes that filter and feed the pool water. That would be a maintenance nightmare.
Preparing Your Pool for Summer
Most places where pools exist during summer months open them back up around late April or early May, but some places may move up the date a little bit depending on how warm it is during that time. If you move into a new home with an in-ground swimming pool and want to use it over summer, make sure everything about it is running properly before anyone gets in for a dip because you don’t want any issues after people are already out there having fun.
Pool maintenances should take place at least once or twice per week throughout the season while equipment related to the filtration system should be checked every day before anybody uses it because nobody wants to end up swimming with hair, oil, or anything else that could clog up the drain spouts causing water to stop flowing through. Don’t forget about chemical balances too as those need to be tested and added as needed.
What You Need to Know About That House With the Pool You Are Moving Into
Once you move into a new home with an in-ground pool, make sure all of your paperwork is done on time and information given to you by past owners or tenants is available for reference. Keep up with pool maintenances at least once or twice weekly throughout the summer months while equipment related to filtration should be checked every day before anybody gets in because nobody wants to end up swimming with hair, oil, or anything else that could clog up the drain spouts causing water to stop flowing through.
When To Close Your Pool for the Winter
This is subjective, but we close ours up just before it gets cold, and as the leaves falling from the trees become a pain in the butt to get out of the pool every day…
If your pool closes for the winter months, make sure all covers are secure before frost begins to set into place because a broken or faulty pool cover can let cold air in and moisture out, which will probably result in a large chunk of your pool’s water being lost.
Good luck with your new pool, enjoy it and keep everyone safe in and around the pool area!