Closing Your Swimming Pool for the Off-Season
Now the weather’s starting to turn a little cooler, the days of lounging by the pool are coming to an end. In order for your pool to stay in working order, it’s important that you close your pool properly at the end of the swim season. By properly treating your pool, you will ensure that your pool is protected all winter long and that no damage will happen during the off-season. CLosing your pool properly will also make the opening it a quicker process in the summer.
The best way to close your pool is with a pool cover. The cover will protect your pool from the winter elements and help make sure that nothing causes any damage. However, before you place the cover on top of your pool, there are a few things you need to do.
First, you’ll need to balance your pool’s chemicals. The pH levels, alkalinity, and calcium hardness should all be balanced with one another about 5 days before you are ready to close your pool completely. Give the water a shock of chlorine and, for good measure, add a winterizing algaecide. This will make sure that your pool does not discolor or begin to smell during the winter months.
The day you are ready to close your pool, it’s important to remove all objects from the water. This includes your filters, pumps, decorations, ladders, baskets, etc. It also means brushing and vacuuming the pool bottom and skimming the surface in order to get rid of all debris.
Once your pool is sparkling clean, the next step is to lower the water level. You can use your pool pump to bring the water level down to below the skimmer. Check your pool cover for directions on just how far below the skimmer the water should go. At this point you need to drain all of the pool equipment, ensuring there is no water inside the filters, pumps, chlorinators or heaters. Finally, you need to winterize your plumbing by drying out the lines that deliver water to your pool.
At this point you are ready to place the cover on top of the pool. Pool covers come in two varieties, mesh and solid. No matter which kind of cover you choose, make sure that it fits snugly in your pool. There should never be any gaps where debris can enter.
Once your cover is on, you can feel secure that your pool will be safe and protected all winter long. All you have to do is wait for the day when the weather warms back up so that you can take the cover off and once again enjoy the water.
