How to Properly Winterize your Pool

While we are all sad to see it go, summer is drawing to a close here in Minnesota, and that means it will soon be time to close your pool for the winter. Because of our harsh winter weather, you will need to take steps to prevent your pool and equipment from damage, and you should also correctly treat your water to set yourself up for a clean and clear rather than swampy opening in the spring.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, perhaps the first thing we should do is define what a properly closed pool is. A pool is properly closed when the:

• Water is clean and balanced
• Water is lowered to allow for snowmelt and fall and spring rains
• Water is prepared for winter with a winter shock and winter algicide
• Equipment (pump, filter, heater, etc.) has been drained of water and blown dry
• Ladders and handrails have been removed and stowed
• Pool has been covered to minimize debris entering the water and in some cases to act as a safety measure to keep children and animals from accidental drowning.

When is the best time to close a pool?

Ideally, you will want to wait until your water temperature is below 60 degrees. Although algae will grow in cold water and some will even grow on ice its growth rate is significantly diminished when the water is colder than 60 degrees. Therefore, waiting until your water is below this mark means that very little algae will grow before spring. As a side note, this is also why we recommend opening your pool as soon as you can after the ice is off the water. It is much easier to prevent algae from growing than it is dealing with an algae bloom. As a side, side note, we also recommend adding a winter kit which has specially formulated shock and algicide to last through the winter so that it will be available in the spring just as algae begins to grow.

Can you close your pool yourself or should you call a pro?

While you can close your pool by yourself, we do not recommend it. Primarily because of some of the equipment required to ensure all the water has been evacuated from your plumbing and the expertise in knowing when it is done correctly; when you do hire a professional be sure to get a guarantee on their work because an improperly closed pool can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Watch the embedded video to see how our service team closes a pool.

Even if you call a pro to close your pool, there are things that you will want/need to do before they get there so give yourself about a week before they show up to get ready. Here is what you will want to do:

• Clean the pool (brush and vacuum)
• Lower the water leaving the pool running off the main drain
• Balance (pH, calcium hardness, chlorine)
• Add your winter chemicals (while not absolutely necessary it is nice to let the water circulate for 24 hours to ensure even distribution)
• Put your cover and other closing items such as plugs on the pool deck for the service tech that will be closing your pool