Property owners in Chattanooga, Tennessee often wonder if they can handle swimming pool winterization by themselves to save money. Around Hamilton County, once the hardwood leaves start dropping and the first real chill hits the air, it is time to close the swimming pool. Rushing through the Swimming Pool Closing process or missing an important step can cost thousands of dollars in cracked plumbing when spring arrives.
Alpha Pools Chattanooga explains where to draw the line between a weekend do-it-yourself project and a call to a professional swimming pool contractor.
What You Can Realistically Do Yourself
Homeowners do not need a contractor license to get a swimming pool ready for the cooler months. In fact, a lot of the upfront grunt work is something property owners can knock out on a Saturday afternoon.
- Scrubbing the walls and skimming every last leaf off the bottom so they do not stain the plaster or vinyl liner.
- Balancing the water chemistry, including pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness, so the water does not turn corrosive or scale up.
- Adding closing chemicals and winter algaecide to the swimming pool.
- Pulling out ladders, handrails, and surface skimmer baskets.
Doing these chores saves labor costs and keeps homeowners closely connected to how the swimming pool is holding up. Alpha Pools Chattanooga advises making sure those chemicals run a full cycle to mix through the water before locking things down.
When You Need to Call a Pro
This is where swimming pool maintenance gets risky. If a homeowner makes a mistake on the mechanical side of winterization, major headaches appear when swimming season rolls back around. Alpha Pools Chattanooga receives plenty of emergency calls in the spring from property owners who tried to shortcut the plumbing phase.
Property owners should bring in a professional if they are not completely confident about blowing out underground plumbing lines. If any water is left trapped inside those PVC pipes when a hard freeze hits the local valley, the pipes will crack under pressure. Alpha Pools Chattanooga uses heavy-duty commercial blowers to clear out every drop, plug the returns properly, and install gizzmos in the skimmers to absorb ice expansion.
Heaters and variable-speed pumps also require specific draining procedures. Missing a drain plug on a costly salt system or heat pump means the expanding water will split the housing wide open.
Getting the Timing Right in Chattanooga
Timing is very important for Swimming Pool Closing in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Closing too early while the weather is still warm leads to fighting a green swamp by Halloween because the winter algaecide wore off. Waiting too long means freezing fingers while trying to hook up winter plugs during a sudden November frost.
Property owners should aim for late October or early November when water temperatures drop consistently below 55 degrees. Hitting that window allows homeowners to do the cleaning and balancing themselves, while Alpha Pools Chattanooga handles the blow-out and heavy lifting to keep swimming pool equipment safe until spring.