Where to store a pool sand filter

How do you look after a sand filter so that it works properly next year too? You will certainly ask yourself this in autumn, when you are getting ready to winterise your pool.

Filter in the cellar

The temperature in the cellar should be at least 5 °C, so it is enough to drain the filter tank for the winter.

So how do you drain the tank? Set the valve to an in-between position (anywhere around the dial where it does not click into the notches on the valve). Leave it there all winter so that the inner seal does not deform. Then loosen the drain screw at the bottom of the filter tank. You will need a fairly shallow bowl for this, because the valve sits quite low to the ground. Or you can fit a hose to the drain valve and let the water run straight into the drain. There is quite a lot of water in the filter, so be ready for that.

Then there is the pump. It cannot freeze, but the water in it can go stale over the winter. Take out the coarse debris basket and rinse it. Loosen the pump at the screw fittings and pour out all the water from it. Then put it back in its place. And your pool is winterised.

Filter in a shaft next to the pool

If the shaft is not kept at a temperature of at least 5 °C, drain the water from the filter tank and the pool pump, because even a small amount of leftover water can damage it in frost, especially plastic parts and seals that are not designed to work at low temperatures, advises Chlorito, specialists in pool chemicals and equipment.

You also need to drain all the pipes in the plant room. The filter tank may already be empty, but in a hard frost the damp sand can freeze and damage the filter tank. It is a good idea to remove the filter tank and the pump and store them somewhere in the garage or cellar. Most people do not want to do this, so at least wrap the tank and the pump in insulation wool and put a polystyrene board over the outside of the plant room hatch.

Filter standing freely next to the pool

Take the sand filter apart, drain it and move it somewhere warm together with the pump and accessories. Remember that all your outdoor pool equipment must come indoors before winter.

Filter in a garden shed

If the shed has no heating, the same applies as for a filter in a shaft by the pool. Drain the water from the filter and the pump, and either insulate the pipes well with wool or remove them. Then move the sand filter somewhere warm.

The same procedure as for the filter and pump applies to all other pool equipment. If it is somewhere it can freeze, it must be drained and either well insulated, or removed and stored somewhere warm.

Once you have finished reading our article, get inspired by our others, for example how long to run your pool filter or how to be your own boss.