If you live in an area where temperatures drop below 50 during the colder months, you will need to know how to winterize your pool. There are several ways to go about this and you will need to look at the owner’s manual for your particular pool pump to make sure that you are following the proper procedure for getting it ready for winter. Failure to properly winterize your pool will reduce the life of your pool and can cause damage and other issues that can be a real hassle to address.
If you don’t treat your water properly for the winter months, you may have a nasty surprise waiting for you under your pool cover come spring. Your pool is an investment and you want it to last as long as possible and have a few issues as you can manage. Outside of chemical management, making sure your pool is safe for the winter months is imperative to pool ownership.
First, you will need to gather all the supplies it takes to winterize your above-ground pool. These include:
How to Winterize Your Above-Ground Pool, Step-by-step
- Remove all pool accessories: obviously, you will want to remove any pool toys before winterizing your pool. If you use a floating erosion tablet system, you will also want to remove that as well. Any ladders, lights, alarms, diving boards, etc., should also be removed at this time. You will want to store these in a garage, basement, or other storage areas that are protected from the elements.
- Get your pool chemicals in proper balance: This might seem like an odd step considering that you are closing the pool, but ensuring that your chemicals are properly balanced before moving forward with the winterization process is a really important step to making sure it is done right. You will want to test your water and ensure that all your chemicals are within the desired range. (pH between 7.2-7.4; alkalinity between 80 and 120/ppm; calcium hardness between 180-220/ppm)
- Clean your pool thoroughly: You will want to make sure your pool is as clean as possible. This means you will need to skim the water, brush the surfaces of the pool, and vacuum it.
- Give it a shock: The next step in the process is to shock your pool. This will help ensure that any potentially-dangerous or nasty substances and pathogens are killed before you close your pool for the season. There is nothing worse than going to open your pool in spring and finding and uncontrolled algae bloom.
- Add “winter chemicals”: It might seem like shocking your pool should be enough to get it ready for winter, but there are special conditions that cold weather brings about that require the use of chemicals that are specially designed for pools in winter. You can find many winterizing kits available online or at your local pool supply store. These generally come with everything you need to be included, but you can purchase each item separately if you desire. These kits most often include a shock, stain preventer, winterizer, and floater. Some may come with algaecide but if not, you will need to get this as well. Once you have shocked your pool, you will want to add stain remover. This will help prevent stains that can be caused by buildups over the winter. Next, you add algaecide per the manufacturer’s instructions, then the winterizing chemicals.
- Manage your pool lines: when water freezes in the lines that bring water and chemicals into your pool, it will expand and this can cause a whole host of major problems. You will want to either empty your lines of all water and plug them, or you will want to use antifreeze to ensure that the water doesn’t freeze during winter. It is important to note that you need a specially-designed pool antifreeze. Regular antifreeze – such as that used in cars – is not the same and is not suitable for use in pools. If you want to clear your lines of water, you will want to use a wet/dry vac and then securely plug all your lines.
- Disengage and store your pump and filter: Most above-ground pools have pumps and filter systems that are easily detachable for storage. You will want to disconnect the pump, filter, and all the connected hoses. Thoroughly clean the lines, pump, and filters and then store them away in a protected place until spring.
- Lower the water level in your pool: This might seem like another odd step but remember what we noted earlier: when water freezes, it expands. That means that when your pool water freezes, it will expand, taking up more space and if you don’t lower the level, this can cause the pool cover to become dislodged and can cause further issues. Water expansion due to freezing can also cause your skimmer to crack, which can be a hassle and an expensive one at that. It is important to note that you do NOT want to drain the pool all the way. This too can cause problems. Draining it about a quarter or halfway is more than enough.
- Remove any remaining drain plugs: If you have a sand filter, chances are it is too heavy and cumbersome to disengage and store. If this is the case, remove the drain plug. This will allow any water in the filter to come out. Since water expands when frozen, any water in your filter has the potential to cause cracking or other damage to the filter system.
- Use pool air pillows: You may have never heard of air pillows, but they can be your best friend when it comes to protecting your pool from cracking and damage during the winter months. These pillows help to reduce pressure on your pool in the event of the water freezing and can protect it from damage. You will want to inflate them and put them in the center of the pool before putting the pool cover on. You can tie them to the sides of the pool if you want, but this isn’t necessary.
- Put on the winter-appropriate cover: With all of the above steps, you have successfully winterize your pool. Now it is just time for that finishing touch: putting the cover on your pool. You want to make sure that you have a cover that is suited for extremely cold temperatures and make sure that it is firmly secured in place.