Close Your Pool Without Any Problems This Winter

Owning a pool definitely has its perks. You can go swimming during the summer season whenever your heart desires, host pool parties with your friends and family, and spend relaxing hours waterside. However, owning a pool also means the responsibility of maintenance, which includes keeping it safe and protected throughout the winter before it’s ready to be opened again in Spring. Knowing how to properly close your pool during the winter season is crucial. 

Whether it’s an inground pool you’re looking to close or an above ground pool you wish to winterize, read on to find out how to keep your pool protected this coming winter.

Test Your Pool Water

The first step is to test your pool water using an at-home testing kit or test strips.  Then balance the water level based on the results. By doing this, your pool remains protected from any sort of surface damage caused during the off-season. Factors such as pH, total alkalinity, and hardness need to be balanced out. The pH needs to be between 7.2 and 7.6, the total alkalinity between 80 to 150 ppm, and the total hardness between 175 to 275 ppm.

Cleaning the Pool & Filter

The next step is cleaning the pool and the filter. Use a pool skimmer to clean the pool and get rid of any floating debris. After this, thoroughly brush the surface and run a vacuum on the floor of the pool, and empty the skimmer baskets. Then properly clean and backwash the filter. Be sure to use a filter cleaner to chemically clean the filter media.

Chemical Treatment

After cleaning comes the pool chemical treatment. Following the dosing guidelines provided by the manufacturer, shock the pool in order to get rid of the contaminants and increase the residue of chlorine. Make sure to use a pool shock that’s of prime quality so that the water’s pH or the hardness of the level of calcium does not increase and the area remains protected during the off-season. Give it a minimum of 24 hours for the water to be circulated in order for the product to spread throughout the pool.

Then, to keep your pool safe from the growth of algae during the off-season, add some algaecide as per the instructions given on the label with regards to pool closing. Be sure to pick a product that does not stain the surface. Again, keep the pump running for 24 hours so that the product is thoroughly circulated in the pool water. 

Final Steps

As the treatments are completed, switch off all the pool equipment. You can also partially drain your pool to reduce the water level. Remove the drain plugs, the pool pump, hoses, and chlorinator. Store all the equipment inside during the winter season. 

Finally, there’s an eyeball fitting on your return line which will have to be removed, and then plug it with a rubber plug and wing nut. Proceed to drain the pool about six inches below the skimmer and put on a skimmer cover. Inflate the air pillow and place it at the center of the pool. Lastly, put on the pull cover and keep it tight and secure using winter cover clips. 

Your Coventry Pool Closing Experts

A properly winterized pool will open up beautifully in the spring, therefore it’s important to make sure you complete each step the right way. Give the pool closing experts at The Pool Doctor of Rhode Island a call to help with any questions you may have throughout the process or to schedule your pool closing today.