Pool closing time is coming sooner than we’d like! Here are some pool closing steps, and reasons why properly balancing your pool before winter is so important!
Get a professional water test done within the week of pool closing.
- It’s important to get your water tested right before closing because if you close your pool with improper water balance, major problems can happen. Water chemistry levels drop throughout the winter, so we prefer to balance everything with higher ideal levels.
- Its important to clear up any existing problems (algae, cloudy water, staining) before closing, because it will get worse over the winter.
Perform house-keeping chores.
- Clean your solar blanket, you can just a product called BioGuard Stow Away. You can clean the blanket with this chemical and store it while wet, this will prevent the blanket from sticking together, getting damaged, and critters ruining it.
- Brush and vacuum the pool, as well as cleaning your water line.
- Chemically clean your filters. It’s important to clean them at the end of the season to get rid of the oils, chemical by-product, pollen, dust, etc. that rinsing doesn’t quite take care of. You also want to start the next season fresh. If you’d like to learn how to do this, click here.
Lower your water level.
- Use a submersible pump to lower the water to below the pool’s jets.
Use a winter chemical closing kit.
- It’s important to use proper closing chemicals to ensure you open up to a clean, clear, statin and scale free pool in the spring time! You can purchase a BioGuard closing kit here.
Winterize your pool equipment.
- Drain water from filter, heater, pump, hoses, and pipes.
- Make sure electricity and/or gas are shut off.
- Protect with BioGuard Hibernate Deluxe Antifreeze.
- Chemically clean the salt generator if you have one.
- The chlorinator should be drained and flushed but antifreeze should NOT be added.
- Keep all the parts removed from the pool equipment in a safe, easy place to find.
Raise the water level.
- Raise the pool water level above the pool just to 3” below the skimmer faceplate. This keeps the pool structure more stable and assists in preventing “floating” liners.
Cover the pool.
- Install the pool cover and optional leaf net. Use the appropriate sized water bags to hold the winter cover in place. These bags will minimize the possibility of the blanket tearing and/or falling into the pool. If you decide to not cover the pool or wish to use a mesh cover, you will need to add a second treatment of winter shock just before the water freezes.
