Weatherizing Your Pool: Tips You'll Be Glad You Followed Next Year

Come winter, when the temperature drops and it's just too chilly for a dip in the pool, the focal point of your outdoor space becomes a hollow shell of once vibrant life, and it's all too tempting to close the lid, pull over the cover and bid goodbye to the water until next year. But honestly, next year you won't forgive yourself for this.

If you want next summer to start off on the right foot and not with a complete clean-up of the pool, now is the perfect time to do the groundwork while the air is still dry and cool. This will make things easier when you uncover the pool and open it back up for next year.

Now is not the time for a quick skim; you need to give your pool a good clean before the temperatures drop too much. Scrub the walls, brush the steps, vacuum the floor to catch whatever's settled since August. The small jobs  - clearing the leaves, checking grout, scrubbing off film  - make all the difference when the water warms up again.

Another bonus to giving your pool a deep clean before saying goodbye for the year is that you can check for any damages and get them fixed off-season, so it's ready to use come the warmer weather again. Whether you need pool tiles for next summer or for an overhaul, get these ordered now to get a head start on pool season.

Pool owners are used to balancing water, but by the end of summer, it can be all too tempting to put this off until next year. But make a point of it now - you'll be glad you did.

• Test your pH, chlorine, and alkalinity levels.

• Check the correct balance - not too acidic, not too hard to avoid damage over winter.

• Add a winter chemical kit or shock treatment

• Run the pump for a day to circulate properly

It's quick and easy, and can be a timesaver when all you want to do is throw the cover off and jump in next year.

A loose tarp won't cut it. You need a properly fitted pool cover that blocks sunlight and debris. That one simple step stops algae before it starts.

If your area gets heavy winds, make sure to use clips or water bags to hold the cover tight. In milder climates, mesh covers are a solid choice - they let rain and snow through so you don't end up with a swamp sitting on top. The goal of a good cover is to keep it clean, tidy, and quiet until spring.

You might think that the job is done once you've cleaned and covered your pool, but now is the ideal time to take a close look at what is and isn't working, what you need to change, and how you can make things better.

Take a walk around the pool, notice where the light hits, where the seating doesn't quite gel with the surroundings, and how you use the pool. Whether you want to update tiles, add a new fence or deck around the pool, or you want to update pool security features or even add new features to the pool, take a look at what you want to change and put things in action now or next year.