In south Louisiana it takes a while for the cooler weather to arrive, but when it does it’s hard to ignore the temperature drop.  This is especially true if you’ve been enjoying a mid-October swim.  Even though the sun can warm up during the day, and some humidity may return, lower temps overnight and more comfortable daytime highs can make, a keep your pool water on the chilly side.  This means a couple of different things, the first, and most obvious one is that you’ll be using the pool less, if at all.  The second is that if you have a pool heater, this is the time of the year to kick it on.  Here are a few tips on how to keep your pool clean, and how to use your heater this fall and winter.

Keeping Your Pool Clean

• Trim the trees and bushes near your pool. This will help keep debris out of your pool as the leaves begin to fall, and during the wind and the rain.  With trimmed branches and hedges you won’t have to skim as often.
• Check and clean your pool’s filter. After a long, active summer it’s a good idea to clean any debris out of your pool filter.  This will keep the water cleaner, and put less stress on the pump.
• Remove any debris from the pool. Leaves, sticks, and other debris can accumulate algae and sink to the bottom of the pool.  If left there these objects can stain sides and bottom of your pool.
• Adjust the pump. Since you won’t be using your pool as much as you did during the summer, you can run your pump less during the day.  Not only will this give your pool’s equipment a break, it will also reduce your energy bill.  While it was necessary to run the pump for 8-10 hours a day in the summer, you can get the same results about half of that time during the fall and winter.

Keeping Your Pool Warm

If your pool was built with a heater, this is about the time of the year when you’ll begin to use it.  But what can you expect when you turn it on?  Heat pumps work the most efficiently when the temperature is about 50 degrees.  A pool takes 24 to 72 hours to raise the water temperature by 20 degrees.  Your spa however, can reach the same temperature within an hour. 

Lucas Firmin Pools builds and services custom designed pools in the Baton Rouge area.  In addition to building customized gunite pools, Lucas Firmin Pools also offers service and maintenance plans to keep your pool cleaning and running all year round.