WinterBrrrr. It won’t have escaped your notice that the weather has turned somewhat wintry. And that means that you need to think about protecting your pool from the colder climes of winter.

Here’s how to make sure your pool’s ready for all that Old Man Winter has to throw at it:

Start soon – don’t wait too long to winterise your pool. The sooner you act, the easier it’d be.

Balance the water – test your water and adjust pH so that it’s between 7.4 and 7.6, alkalinity to 80 and 120mm and calcium hardness to 180 and 220ppm.

Shock it – use a chlorine shock dose of around 10ppm free chlorine to protect the water

Let it circulate – allow the water to circulate for 24 hours or more to rid itself of any pollution.

Remove your equipment – take dispensers, steps, thermometers and any other accessories out of the pool and give them a good clean before storing them away safely.

Skim your pool – one last time, use a pool skimmer to rid the pool of any leaves, insects and general debris that’s found its way into the pool.

Close the valves to the skimmers – remove any other equipment that’s found within the skimmers.

Lower water levels – pump water out of the pool so that the water line is around 15cm lower than the pool’s skimmers.

Check your plumbing – ensure that your pipes don’t freeze and crack during frosty temperatures by either drying out the pipes or adding a specialist pool antifreeze.

Add Winter Guard – a product such as this is perfect for protecting your water during the colder months.

Check your circulation pump – some manufacturers will have a specialist frost protection system that keeps the mechanism working in freezing temperatures, but if your circulation pump doesn't you might want to turn it off.

Cover it up – protect your water with a purpose-made cover that’s strapped tightly to the sides of the pool

Check it – monitor your pool over the winter months to ensure that its covers are tightly-fitted and that the water is in good condition. If necessary, use shock treatments or pH adjustment kits in order to keep your water in decent nick.

Remember, just because you’re not swimming in it doesn't mean you should neglect your pool. After all, the more you look after it, the prettier and easier to use it will be in the spring.

(Image: Mr Hicks 46)