Pool Closing and Winterization Instructions

Closing and winterizing a pool can take longer than opening and regular maintenance. Still, it’s worth it to safeguard your investment and have a far less complicated opening process in spring. This checklist approach will allow us to quickly give you the most relevant information.

Use this checklist to double-check your winterization efforts to ensure a pristine pool when spring arrives.

Remember that the water in your pool WILL freeze throughout the winter. A thin layer of ice or near-solid ice, depending on your location in the country. Only by making the pool into a gigantic Martini can we hope to prevent it from freezing over. If you want to know if any parts of your pool’s system need extra care, you should talk to a local contractor.

First, there are a couple of things to think about doing around two weeks before you close the pool. Use an effective Natural Enzyme product to “eat up” grease, oil, and other non-filtered organic waste accumulated in the pool. The second thing to consider addressing is the bio-film that forms on all of the pool’s surfaces (the pool, the filter, the piping, the lighting, the ladders, etc.). Significant issues, such as Chlorine Demand and poor water balance, are exacerbated by bio-films, which promote the growth of white water mold, pink slime, scale, and algae. If you’re interested in these topics, please read my previous articles.

Fix any water quality issues, including algae, cloudy water, or an unbalanced pH, BEFORE winterizing the pool. The situation will only worsen in the spring if nothing is done. It’s a common misconception that algae, white water mold, and pink slime perish during the winter.

The water in a vinyl or fiberglass pool should have a pH of 7.4–7.6, whereas a collection finished with gunite or plaster should have a Total Alkalinity of 80–120 ppm. Correcting calcium hardness to a range of 175–250 ppm is appropriate for all pools to prevent long-term surface deterioration. Plastering gunite pools within 90 days after closing them requires extra attention to water balance to avoid discoloration and mottling of the new surface.

Let’s tackle winterizing the pool one simple step at a time.

Any pools (lined with vinyl):

Put away the steps and deck furniture

The pool should be emptied of all leaves and other debris by vacuuming.

Use a high-quality gel-type pool surface cleanser for cleaning and protecting the water line. Vinyl liners should not be cleaned using common chemicals. A dirty water line might accumulate sediment during the winter, but with this cleaner, that won’t happen.

Empty the entire contents of the filter tank. Do not close the drain for the winter!

Put the pump’s gauges, eyes, drain caps, and other small parts in the basket. Next spring, you’ll have a good idea of where everything is.

Use a high-quality pool filter cleaner on your DE filter grids and cartridges. If you apply muriatic or sulfuric acid, the collected greases and oils will be set into the fabric of the DE grids or Cartridge material. Try an enzyme-based cleanser to effectively clean your filters without harming the environment.

It’s best to bring the pump and motor inside for the winter and keep them in an excellent, dry spot.

If your home has a heater, turn it off and winterize it properly. The winter weather will cause damage and freezing if this isn’t done. Make sure there is adequate drainage. It is recommended that a suitable, non-toxic pipeline flush be used to clean the heater. Anti-freeze. Put a mouse repellant around the heater if there are field mice nearby. The heater is a favorite place for mice to nest and gnaw on wiring.

Put a stopper or cover in place of the return eyeball(s).

Put away the skimmer(s) for the season. Types of Pools are Listed Below.

Cover up for the cold season.

Every solid cover must ABSORB to the surface of the water. Remember that any pool water under a mesh cover will soon rise to the surface. If your pool has a mesh cover, you may want to use TWICE as much winter shock and algicide as usual, to keep algae at bay.

Pools with mesh covers should not be drained to a depth lower than the skimmer.

If a pillow is going to prop up the cover, only fill it up approximately two-thirds of the way. A deflated air pillow results from overinflation, which causes air leaks.

Pool tools like the vacuum, net, pole, etc., should be stored in an easily accessible location. All debris and silt should be removed from automatic pool cleaners by washing them thoroughly.

IN-GROUND POOLS (for use with a vinyl liner):

The subsurface lines should be completely obliterated.

Put some Gizmos in the skimmers, or use an Aquador.

One gallon of non-toxic antifreeze per twenty feet of line pipe should be added to the pipeline.

The diving board, if present, should be stored in a horizontal posture.

When installing, make sure to retighten any safety covers.

If a safety cover is in place, a second application of Back Up Algicide should be made in the spring (before opening).

VERTICAL SWIMMING POOLS:

Use a sealing plate, such as an AQUADOR, to prepare the skimmer for the winter. Using a plate like this helps maintain a consistent water level, which supports the winter cover and prevents it from sagging.

[] Make sure the cable is snug around the cover.

Cover Clips should be used to fasten the cover further. Rolls of Pool Cover Wrap are another novel option for securing and weatherproofing the exterior. BOTTLES SHOULD NOT BE HUNG: If you hang bottles from the cover, they’ll rip it.

DURING THE WINTER BREAK:

Cover maintenance includes sweeping away leaves and other large debris.

[] Drain any standing water on the cover’s surface (a submersible cover pump is ideal). There isn’t much to do once the pool freezes over.

Owners of collections with a gunite or plaster finish should get any necessary information from their pool’s installer.

WARNING: WINTER IS COMING

All chemical winter survival kits are designed to function reliably for no more than four months. Additional shock and algaecide must be added to the winterizing procedure if the pool will be closed for an extended length of time (for example, closing before October 1 and opening after May 1). As a result, you won’t have to worry about algae or high chlorine needs when the pool first opens.

Closing and winterizing properly will make opening in the spring a breeze.