How to Close Your Pool in 9 Steps

how to close your pool

The dog days of summer may still be upon us, but it will be fall before you know it. Early September is still prime swimming time in Cincinnati, but soon your beloved pool will need to close for the winter season. Have you thought about how to close your pool?

Knowing when to close your pool can be tricky. Experts recommend closing your pool when the temperature outside consistently is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and the water temperature consistently dips below 60 degrees. If you close your pool while it’s still warm out, you may be dealing with algae growth and green, unsanitary water come spring. With the unpredictable weather in Cincinnati, you may need to play it by ear to determine when to close your pool.

When the right time to close your pool does come, closing your pool for the season can be a challenge. There are several steps you need to take to make sure your pool doesn’t get damaged during the freezing cold conditions of winter. While we always recommend calling in the experts if you’re not a confident DIY-er, this guide will help you winterize and close your pool properly in 9 simple steps.

Step One: Clean the Pool

The first step before you start to close your pool is to clean it thoroughly. You’ve likely kept up with basic cleaning throughout the summer, but you should give your entire pool an extensive cleaning before closing it for the winter.

First, skim the surface of the pool with your skimmer net to remove leaves and other debris that may be floating on the surface of the water.

Next, brush the sides of the pool with a pool brush, making sure to scrub away any dirt or grime that has built up, especially at the water level. Pay extra attention to the stairs and ladder, or other areas with poor water circulation. 

You should also vacuum the bottom of the pool with a pool vacuum to remove any debris that has settled at the bottom of the pool. Make sure your water is as clean and clear as possible. Any missed debris can clog the filtration system over the winter season.

Finally, clean out your skimmer baskets of any debris. You may also want to wipe or hose out the skimmer baskets if they’re slimy or dirty.

Step Two: Test and Balance the Water

While you’ve been testing and balancing your water chemistry throughout the summer, you will need to thoroughly test and balance your water one last time before closing your pool. It’s imperative your pool has the proper chemical levels before you start the winterizing process to make sure your water stays sanitary while your pool isn’t in use.

Use a standard test kit and then add the proper chemicals to balance your water chemistry to your pool’s standard levels. Take special consideration of your chlorine levels before closing your pool. If your chlorine is higher than 5.0 ppm (parts per million.) If it’s too high, it might interfere with other chemicals used to winterize the pool and prevent them from working properly.

Step Three: Add Winterizing Chemicals

About a week before you intend to close your pool, you should add winterizing chemicals to your water to ensure that the water chemistry stays optimal throughout the winter. The chemicals needed can vary based on the type of pool you have, but at the very least you’ll need two chemicals:

  1. A phosphate remover or algaecide to prevent algae growth
  2. A stain and scale chemical to prevent mineral buildup

Step Four: Shock the Pool

The night before you close your pool, use a commercial pool shock to give it a final blast of cleaning power. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and let the shock sit overnight while your pump runs to get the most benefit out of the chemicals.

Step Five: Reduce the Water Level

Before you put the cover on your pool or finish the other closing steps, make sure that you have an optimum water level for your pool cover type. If you have too much water in your pool over the winter, it can freeze and damage your skimmers or other parts of your pool.

The proper water level for your pool depends on the type of pool that you have and the cover that you’re using over the winter. In general, you want to keep the water level just below your skimmer or tile line, but no more than 18 inches from the top edge of the pool. Use a pool pump to

Step Six: Clean the Filter

Your pool’s filter can get dirty over the course of the summer, and you don’t want all the dirt and bacteria just sitting there all winter long. Before you close your pool for the season, turn off your pool pump and clean your filter thoroughly using your manufacturer’s instructions.

There are three types of pool filters: sand filters, cartridge filters, and diatomaceous earth (DE) filters. The cleaning process for each filter type may vary a bit, but in general, you’ll want to either backwash your filter or clean it with a hose and use cleaning chemicals if necessary to sanitize the filter before reinstalling it.

Step Seven: Empty the Pump Lines

It can get quite cold in Cincinnati over the winter, which means it’s imperative to empty your pool lines, pump, and filter of all water to properly winterize your pool. Water left in the lines over the winter can freeze, causing pipes to crack or burst and costing you money in damages.

This step is difficult, so it’s recommended to have a professional like Cincinnati Pool and Patio do this if you’re not confident enough to do it yourself. If you do want to attempt a DIY method, use an air compressor or shop vac to blow air through your system until everything is dry.

Step Eight: Remove All Pool Accessories

Before you cover up your pool and call it a day, remove all pool accessories from your pool so they don’t get damaged during the winter. Ladders and rails should be removed, as being exposed to winterizing chemicals for long periods of time can damage the finish on them. Dry them off thoroughly and store them in a clean, dry environment for the winter. Pool toys, slides, and other items should also be cleaned, dried, and stored away until next summer.

Step Nine: Cover the Pool

Finally, you will need to cover your pool for the winter and fasten it properly. The installation process of your pool cover will depend on the type of cover you use. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and make sure that the edges are sealed properly, so no dirt or debris can get into your pool over the course of the off-season.

Periodically clean off the top of your pool cover over the winter to keep it free of debris and snow using a soft broom or squeegee. Don’t use anything sharp, like a rake, to clean off your pool cover, or you risk puncturing the cover and ruining all your hard work of winterizing!

The Professionals with Cincinnati Pool and Patio can Help Close Your Pool

Closing your pool can be a lot of work but making sure it’s done properly will ensure that your pool opening in the spring will run smoothly. The experts at Cincinnati Pool and Patio can close or open your pool for you, so you know that it’s done right. Schedule your pool closing before our schedule books up for the fall or get in touch with us for questions about how to close your pool.

7 Easy Tips For Closing Your Pool This Fall

In Ground Pool Closed Tips

Closing Your Pool

With summer gone, it’s time for above ground pool owners to close down their pools. Winter brings frigid temperatures and ice can cause thousands of dollars of damage to pools that aren’t prepared correctly. That makes properly closing down your pool an essential part of pool maintenance. Here are our key steps to prepare you for closing your pool.

In-Ground Pools

The first task in prepping your pool for its winter nap is to make sure the water chemistry is correctly balanced to last through the winter without corroding or forming scale on the sides of your pool. This will also keep the thousands of gallons you have in your pool clean and ready to use next summer.

Next, cycle the water through the pump and filter for a few days until chlorine levels to return to normal. Then add winter algaecide.

On closing day, clean the pool one last time. Be sure to use a brush on the walls and the bottom to clear any leftover algae or silt. Drain water from the pump, filtering, and heating systems.

It’s a general practice to drain the pool below the mouth of the skimmer inlet. The idea is to keep water out of the filter and pumping system. While this sounds convenient, freezing may be an issue if you have tile at the waterline.

Above-Ground Pools

You’ll need to remove and store pumps and filters. Insert plugs into the pool filter water intake and outflow openings (usually in the pool’s sidewall). Disconnect all hoses from the pool and let it drain. Disconnect and drain all water heaters, filters, skimmers, automatic chlorinator, or salt chlorinator, and then store these in a warm, dry place like your basement.

Lastly, inflate and deploy the pool pillows and cover the pool. Be sure the cover is secure so that it won’t blow away and that there is enough support from the pillow underneath so that ice meltwater will drain easily from the cover. Otherwise, ice and meltwater can stretch and tear the cover and contaminate your pool water.

Closing down your pool may sound like daunting maintenance job, but it’s something that can be finished in the span of a week but a mistake could cost you thousands.

There’s a lot more to it than just slapping a cover on and calling it a day.

Let’s take a look at what you need to do to get your swimmin’ hole ready for its long winter’s rest.

1. Get the timing right

Closing your pool too early can encourage algae growth and make your job a whole lot harder when it’s time to reopen the following spring.

Make your life easier and enjoy your pool longer by waiting until late summer.

If your pool is heated, you can get away with waiting until October.

A good rule of thumb is to wait until the water is consistently lower than 65 degrees before closing.

Begin the process about a week before you actually want the pool to be closed.

2. Clean it up

Brush the sides and bottom of your pool and then vacuum it. A thorough cleaning before closing for the season will help to prevent algae growth and lighten your workload when it’s time to open it back up.

3. Test the waters

It’s best to take a sample of your pool’s water to a reputable pool store to have it tested.

You’ll want the pH to be between 7.4 and 7.6 and the alkalinity to be between 100 and 150 ppm.

Shoot for the top of these ranges when you’re closing your pool for the winter.

4. Add the chemicals

The winterizing chemicals you’ll add to your pool are:

  • A pH increaser and/or an alkalinity increaser.
  • Sanitizer, such as Chlorine or Bromine.
  • Chlorine shock.
  • Winter algaecide.

Keep in mind that the chlorine shock will destroy the algaecide.

The best course of action is to add the shock five to seven days before closing your pool, and then waiting to add the algaecide until right before you put the cover on.

5. What about the filter and pump?

Remove the drain plugs and allow the pump to drain. Remove the pump and all the hoses that are attached. If you have a chlorinator, that should be removed at this time as well.

If you keep all the drain plugs in the pump basket, you’ll know right where they are and you won’t risk them getting misplaced.

The hoses, pump, and chlorinator will last longer if you store them inside during the cold winter months.

No matter what type of filter you have, it will need to be removed and cleaned before storage. Filters should also be stored inside, with the exception of a sand filter, which may be too large and/or heavy to take indoors.

6. To drain or not to drain?

There is some debate about the validity of lowering the water level for the winter. This issue revolves around protecting the skimmer from cracking due to freezing temps.

For an above ground pool, removing the hose from the skimmer and using a winter skimmer cover plate will remove the need to drain the pool at all. The normal level will actually be better.

An inground pool is a bit different. Your best bet is to hire a professional to come and blow out the pipes. They can insert a rubber piece that will protect the skimmer from damage in the freezing cold. If this is done, you won’t need to drain the pool.

If you have tile on the sides of your pool, you should lower the water level to about 4 inches beneath the tile. This will prevent it from possible damage.

At this point in the process, it’s also the best time to remove ladders and any other accessories that can be stored.

7. Cover it up

An above-ground pool will need an air pillow beneath the cover.

You can use clips and cables to secure your cover.

An in-ground pool doesn’t require an air pillow but should use clips to secure the cover.

The long wait for spring

You’ve cleaned and scrubbed, added chemicals and covered up your pool.

Following these maintenance tips gives you the best chance of not having any unwelcome surprises come spring. Have any questions about closing your pool? Contact us here. 

3 Chemicals You Need To Open Your Pool

chemicals

3 Chemicals You Need To Open Your Pool

Pool season is almost here and as every pool owner knows, it’s better to be prepared than not. Most people will want to automatically start adding in adjustment chemicals, but this is a mistake.

The best and easiest way to open your pool is to start with a clean and fresh base. Here are the chemicals we recommend using before you open your pool.

Stain and Scale Chemicals

This chemical will prevent scale, rust, and other stains from appearing in your pool. This is a great prep to make sure your pool is clean right from the start.

Algaecide

Algaecide will help remove most of the oxygen from the water, to prevent any algae or other organic material from growing. The mixture should also kill any algae that are already currently in your pool from the winter season.

Chlorine

Last, but not least, you need to add chlorine. To open your pool, you’ll want to add double the amount of chemicals that you would do for a regular shock.

Doubling them will help kill any bacteria, algae, and anything else that was growing over the winter.

Next Steps

Your pool isn’t swim-ready yet, especially after you had just added all of these chemicals.

Give your pool at least 48hrs before you test the water again. Bring your sample to the pool experts, and we can help you decide what you need for your pool.

Contact us here or visit us at our Evendale location.

How To Open Your Pool

open your pool

How To Open Your Pool

We know there’s still time before pool season starts. But there’s no harm in being extra prepared when spring rolls around. There’s, unfortunately, some necessary tasks and work that needs to be completed before you can open your pool for the season. If only there were some ways to make this daunting task seem easier. Luckily, we are here to help you with two time-saving tips on how to open your pool.

Clean The Deck First

Always sweep and clean your decking before you begin to clean your pool. Nothing will frustrate you more easily than watching leaves from your deck blow into your freshly skimmed and vacuumed pool.

Use Your Pump

If you’ve had a cover on the pool for the winter, chances are some water has pooled upon it. You can utilize your sump pump to drain the water off before you try to move it. This will help to eliminate excess debris from falling into your pool and also make the cover much easier to move and open your pool. (You can also create a siphon effect with your garden hose to remove water from the top.)

Need help opening your pool this year? Contact us here!

How To Prepare For Your New Pool

pool opening

How To Prepare For Your Pool

Have you been dreaming about constructing your new pool but never had the time to make it happen? Now is the perfect time to start planning!

Here are a few questions you need to start thinking about to enjoy your backyard oasis!

What can I afford?

As with any large purchase or project, it is always a good idea to have a budget in mind. There are many components to include in your budget preparations – installation, decking, landscaping. Having a roundabout number in mind is a great step to take before visiting a dealer to get the process started.

How often will I use this pool?

Determining how you will use your pool can help determine what size you need, what special features you may want to add, and the overall feel of your space. Will you be using it mainly with your significant other, or will you frequently have family members and friends over for parties and get-togethers? Do you plan to play games, or is it simply for rest? These are easy things to think about to ensure that you have exactly what you want in your backyard space.

Do you have any questions about options, sizing, or if being a pool owner is right for you? Don’t hesitate to contact us here!