It’s the Time of Year to Start Thinking About Closing Your Pool

When the temperatures start to drop in the mornings and evenings and the leaves begin changing colour, it’s the time of year to start thinking about closing your pool again. If you don’t start preparing it now, you could end up having to drain and clean your pool in freezing cold weather – and no one enjoys that!

To ensure that you have everything on hand to easily close your pool when you’re ready, review our list and follow the steps to make sure it’s clean and mildew-free come spring time.

Choose a Favourable Date

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to close your pool by the Thanksgiving weekend in October when the weather is still manageable. That way you won’t have to worry about your hands and feet freezing during the process.

Although it should only take about two to three hours to close down your pool, you’ll need to start at least one week before in order to balance the chemicals. So make sure you take this into consideration when planning your date.

Organize the Tools and Materials

Before you begin winterizing your pool, be sure to have enough pool chemicals to balance the chemistry and shock the pool, winter algaecide, pH test kit, a winter cover, skimmer, pump,and a pool vacuum.

Add the Chemicals

About a week before you close the pool, you’ll need to balance the water chemistry to prevent algae growth and staining of the liner. This will include adjusting the pH to 7.2 and 7.6, the calcium hardness to between 175 and 225 parts-per-million (ppm), and the alkalinity to between 80 and 125 ppm.

Once the pool is balanced, you’ll then need to shock the pool to kill any bacteria. Once completed, you’ll need to wait a few days until you can finish it off with the winter algaecide to prevent any algae from growing during the wintertime.

Drain the Pool

Before you start to drain the water, remove all components first including the ladders, water features, and skimmer baskets. Then skim the pool to remove any debris before using the pump to lower the water level below the skimmer.  Once the water is at the level outlined in your pool manufacturing instructions, continue to drain all the water from the pump, water heater, filters, and the hoses attached.

To finish up, remove the drain plugs and use a wet vacuum to remove any water that could freeze inside the pool to prevent damage. Don’t forget to shut off the filter pump, drain pump, filter heater, and any other equipment and store away to prevent freezing.

Clean and Cover

Cleaning your pool before you close it down will ensure that it’s in good condition when you open it up again in the spring. To give it a good one over, start with the pool brush and wash the sides. Then use the vacuum to remove any water or grime that’s leftover.

Now it’s time to officially cover your pool with a winter cover and store all the components in a dry area. Cover the pump as well to protect it from ice and water damage. Voila – your pool is closed till next season – don’t miss it too much!