Is it better to leave private and community swimming pools full or empty out of season?

When the summer season is over, many private pool owners and residents’ associations are faced with the question of whether to keep the water in the pool or empty the pool.

However, people should know that completely emptying the pool for long periods of time is not recommended. Although leisure pools (hotels, camp-sites and rural houses) do not face this problem, private pools and community pools tend to be empty during the winter season.

HOW DOES HAVING AN EMPTY POOL DURING THE WINTER SEASON AFFECT IT?

• High or low temperatures can be a big drawback to the normal condition of our pool. Hot weather promotes surface cracking and cold weather causes it to contract, breaking up the material.
• The water acts as a stabilising agent, which is why we should always leave some water in the pool instead of emptying it completely. Earth movements produce cracks and crevices if there is no force to counteract the pressure generated by the different materials.
• Empty swimming pools are also a huge waste of water. In addition to being a waste of water faced with the water shortage situation we find ourselves in, filling it up every year is uneconomic. With the right care and water treatment systems, we can make sure it lasts all year round without the need to change it.
• Another serious drawback of empty pools is how dangerous they are. If they have no water, they will become an area where anyone can fall into. This, in the case of residential pools, is often directly related to falls by children and pets.

For all these reasons, we at Innowater recommend that both private and community pools are not emptied and that the water that remains in them is treated so that it can be easily recovered the following season.