Do You Have to Winterize Your Pool in Texas?

With how mild our winters can be here in North Texas, pool-owners may be wondering, "Is it even necessary for me to winterize my pool?" Our answer is  to some extent, yes. Temperatures here in DFW can get close to, at, or below freezing which can wreak havoc on your pool equipment. 

Here are a couple of things we'd recommend you do to get your pool ready for those cooler temps.

Decide whether to leave your pool open or cover it.

This largely depends on what your backyard situation is like. If you have a lot of trees surrounding your pool, it can be beneficial to put a cover on it so that the fallen leaves don't affect the chemistry of the pool water. We have seen leaves stain plaster before if not taken care of promptly. If your pool is in a more open area, you can certainly opt to leave it uncovered which will provide a beautiful view even in the winter!

Consistently clean your pool.

With no one swimming in it, it can feel unmotivating to get out there and clean your pool regularly. We recommend scheduling some time for yourself every couple of days to get out there and brush and skim the pool to remove dirt and debris which will ultimately extend the life of your pool pump.

Continue to run your pool's pump.

Speaking of your pool's pump, make sure it's continuing to run during the cooler months. If you have water features to keep your pump running, turning them on is a great idea for ambience while sitting outside. According to Willsha Pools, you should run your pool pump for 6-10 hours at a time for proper water circulation depending on the size of your pool.

Invest in a freeze guard.

We all know that there have been instances where DFW gets well below freezing (hello, Snovid 2021). If you choose to keep water in your pool in the winter (which we guess most of you will), you should make sure you have a freeze guard installed. It's basically a thermostat that override your pump timer and will turn it on if the air temperature reaches a certain threshold. Experts recommend that you set the freeze guard to turn your equipment on if the air temperature reaches around 37° just to be safe.