Pool Winterisation for Intex & Bestway Pools

Winterising your Intex / Bestway pool: dismantle and store or leave it out?

The most commonly used method of winterising a pool is to dismantle it and store it away over winter.

Dismantling and storing: advantages & disadvantages

Advantages

• The warranty remains intact
• Taking your pool apart gives you access to otherwise hard-to-reach areas that you can easily clean and check for damage
• Frost damage is highly unlikely depending on how it is stored

Disadvantages

• Dismantling and reassembling can cause additional wear and tear on the material
• Can be very time-consuming depending on the model
• The pool water will have to be completely emptied which is not ideal for the climate or your wallet
• Mould formation is possible in case of improper storage

Winterising an Intex / Bestway pool outdoors: pros and cons

Advantages

• Substantial time savings depending on the model
• Excess wear and tear of material is avoided
• Most of the pool water can be reused in the following season
• No storage space is necessary

Disadvantages

• With almost any Intex or Bestway pool: this voids the warranty / guarantee
• more expensive than taking it apart and assembling it again as some accessories are necessary for the winterisation process

Winterising a pool: Instructions for both methods

Winterising requirements differ depending on the type and size of the pool. In case of small pools with a low water volume, it is better to dismantle them and re-assemble in the spring. Larger Intex or Bestway pools in particular, on the other hand, are ideal candidates for winterising and leaving outdoors. If you are still unsure, it might help to read the following two steps to get a better understanding. Let's start with the classic method of dismantling the pool and putting it away in storage over winter.

Variant a) Dismantling and storage

Particularly in the case of smaller pools, it does not pay off to winterise them and leave them outdoors all winter long. First off, the amount of water that needs to be dumped is small. Secondly, it only takes 5 to 15 minutes to take them part and reassemble them.

Step 1: Drain the water

Most Intex and Bestway pools have drain valves at the bottom where you can connect a garden hose for draining purposes. For environmental reasons, we recommend that you drain your pool water into the sewer. Furthermore, in many areas, draining pool water into nature is strictly prohibited and there are hefty penalties for breaching the rules. Tip: You can drain your pool easily with an Intex submersible pump.

Step 2: Dismantling along with inspection

The dismantling process is fairly straightforward. There are only two points we would like to emphasise here: It is important to check the condition of the paint, especially in the case of frame pools by Intex and Bestway. If you find deep scratches, repainting is urgently recommended. This will prevent the formation of rust. Taking deep scratches seriously is of articular importance in case of saltwater pools. The second point is the pool cover. Many pool owners fold it up to reduce the amount of space taken up for storage. Please do not do this! Folding it up will create deep creases which will turn out to be a problem after the winter. Even if it is not optimal, do not fold the pool cover such that it takes up the minimum amount of space. Furthermore, makes sure it is clean and dry before putting it away to reduce the risk of mould formation and frost damage.

Step 3: Properly storing your Bestway or Intex pool over winter

If possible, store your pool in a dry place. It would also be ideal to keep it from freezing and preventing access to rodents. Note: We regularly see damage caused by rodents chewing on pool liners. Nevertheless, if you do need a new pool liner, we have several in our range.

Variation b) Winterising Intex or Bestway pool for outdoors

This method is usually recommended in case of large pools. Please bear in mind however that this approach unfortunately voids any warranties. This is because manufacturers and dealers cannot be held responsible for incorrect use.

Step 1: Deep cleaning

The goal of winterising your Bestway or Intex pool outdoors is not just to make sure that your pool "somehow makes it!" but should also be immediately usable afterwards. If you want to avoid hard-to-remove, caked-on dirt and the formation of disgusting green sludge, please read the following carefully.

a) Cleaning the pool yourself

Over the course of the pool season, a pool cover will normally accumulate some dirt. Loosen and remove this dirt which is usually organic in nature. Use an alkaline cleaner and leave it on for a few minutes to take effect before cleaning. CAUTION! Important safety advice: Never mix alkaline and acidic cleaners because this could lead to the release of toxic gases!

b) Make sure the water is clean

Run your filter system for 12 hours and try to filter out as much dirt from the water as possible. If you use a sand filter system with sand or filter glass, you can improve the filtration process with flocculant. All particles that then settle at the bottom should be carefully removed with a pool vacuum cleaner or pool robot.

Step 2: Winterise the pool by adjusting the water values

Your pool water will not be filtered for the next few months. If you don't make sure the water is clean, microorganisms will multiply massively which can be an unpleasant experience in spring and will entail a lot of cleaning before it can be usable again. So it is better to invest a little extra time to clean it thoroughly at this point rather than spend several unpleasant hours cleaning it after winter. Adjust the pH value to between 7.0 and 7.2. Avoid going below 7.0, as in this case the pool water will be corrosive and will cause wear and tear. Avoid pH values above 7.2 to allow the active chlorine to disinfect efficiently. Next point - chlorine. Measure the free chlorine value. Aim for a value between 0.4 to 0.8 mg of free chlorine per litre. Please do not let it go beyond this range as the negative effect of chlorine levels that are too high or too low can build up massively. If you can measure the cyanuric acid value, do so now. If the value is 40 ppm or higher, drain some water and replace it with fresh water until the value drops below 40 ppm. Aim to keep it between 8 and 40 ppm. Next, add some winter care product to prevent lime precipitation and algae growth.

Step 3: If necessary, lower your water level

For all Intex and Bestway pools that use the connections with stopcocks, the water level must be lowered below the stopcocks. The stopcocks on large connections are prone to frost damage. So remove the stopcocks, dry them and store them. For Intex or Bestway pools with 32 mm connections, replace the existing connections with black one-piece plugs. Partial lowering is also advisable if the cyanuric acid level is above 40 ppm.

Step 4: Winterise your Intex or Bestway pool with a cover

Needless to say, to prevent dirt from getting into your pool water, you will need to use a pool cover without any holes. Thus your pool will remain clean all winter long. If you do use a cover with holes, bear in mind that rainwater, which usually has a low pH value, will get into your pool and will carry dirt with it. This can throw your pool water values out of balance. Using an intact pool cover without holes along with pool cushions will prevent rainwater from collecting on the cover and weighing it down in the middle.

Step 5: Optional - use ice pressure pads for winter storage

Water expands when it freezes, exerting a lot of pressure on the pool walls. For inground steel wall pools, ice pressure pads are therefore used to greatly reduce the pressure exerted by the ice layer. Intex and Bestway above-ground pools are usually a little more forgiving and are often wintered without ice pressure pads