What Is in a Winterizing Kit for Pools?

Winterizing Kits

• Swimming pool winterizing kits are intended to prevent a pool from developing problems with its water and its surfaces while left unattended. Pool winterizing kits contain a long-lasting algaecide, a superchlorinating shock chemical and a rust and scale-preventing chemical, at minimum. If you don't want to use a chlorine shock winterizing chemical in your pool you can substitute a non-chlorine super-shock chemical instead. All pool winterizing kits also contain some sort of timed-release chemical floater that contains an oxidizing agent.

Winterizing Aim

• The individual chemicals provided in a swimming pool winterizing kit are meant to last for months in a pool's water. Winterizing a swimming pool also protects its pipes and equipment over the cold winter months. Additionally, winterizing a swimming pool makes it easier to open it after winter ends. The water in the pool, after winterizing, will remain reasonably clean, free from algae and ready for sanitizing in the spring.

Purpose of Chemicals

• Swimming pools shut down for the winter often aren't filtered. Unfiltered swimming pool water inevitably develops algae. The algaecide or winterizer in a pool's winterizing kit prevents a winterized pool from experiencing algae contamination. Anti-staining chemicals in pool winterizing kits prevent winterized pool water from acting on pool surfaces and staining them. Lastly, special chlorine or non-chlorine shock in a pool winterizing kit blasts pool water, disinfecting it one last time before it's shut down for the winter.

Considerations

• Enhanced pool winterization includes using a special non-toxic "pool antifreeze." Pool antifreeze is intended to help protect pool plumbing lines from cold winter temperatures. Some enhanced pool winterizing kits include enzyme compounds to reduce any oils in a winterized pool's water. Pool conditioners or flocculants are often used in enhanced pool winterizing kits to maintain water clarity over the winter. Once a swimming pool's been chemically winterized it's covered over so that the water's protected from debris.