Don't Shut It Down Completely
In most of Australia you do not drain the pool for winter. You don't pull the pump (unless you're in a genuine freeze area — rare). You just slow down. Aim for:
- Pump 4–6 hours a day
- Free chlorine still 1–2 ppm
- pH still 7.2–7.6
The Winter Routine
- Fortnightly test — pH and chlorine. After big rain, test the next day.
- Empty baskets whenever you walk past. Winter winds dump leaves.
- Brush once a fortnight — algae still starts on walls.
- One shock a month if the water looks dull or you're heading away.
- Keep the waterline topped up. Low water starves the skimmer and burns the pump.
Covers, Leaves and Rain
A cover cuts debris and evaporation, but a cover sitting in a soup of leaves creates a tannin stain and a mosquito farm. If you cover, skim the top. After heavy rain, your chemistry is diluted — that's when winter green pools start.
Salt Cells in Winter
Cooler water means the cell produces less chlorine. Don't just crank it to 100% and forget it — check a chlorine test. Some owners add a little liquid chlorine in the coldest months rather than cooking the cell. If you winterise by switching the cell off, you must dose chlorine another way.
Going away for winter? Shock, add a dose of algaecide, set the timer to 8 hours, and ask a neighbour to empty the skimmer once a week. That's usually enough in Brisbane. Tropical north QLD still behaves like summer — don't under-dose.
Opening Up in Spring
Test everything, clean the filter, brush, and shock if there's any hint of green. Don't wait until the first 32°C Saturday. A weekend of prevention in September beats a three-day green-pool rescue in October.
