Winterizing Your Inground Pool

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As the summer months begin to wind down, it is time for pool owners to get their pool ready for the winter months. While this is not an exciting task, properly winterizing your pool is part and parcel to having many years of fun-in-the-sun with your well-maintained pool. Failure to properly winterize your inground pool can lead to some nasty and expensive surprises come spring. You could find yourself with damaged pool components and nasty water. This guide will show you everything you need to do to make sure that your inground pool is properly winterized before the weather gets cold.

The first thing you want to do is to make sure you have all the supplies you will need to properly winterize your pool. These supplies include:

 

Once you have gathered all your supplies, it is time to start winterizing your inground pool. What follows is a step-by-step guide to the winterizing process.

 

  1. Thoroughly clean your pool: The first step to winterizing your inground pool is to make sure it is as clean as possible. Do a thorough netting of the pool, scrub all the surfaces with a pool brush, and then thoroughly vacuum your pool. Removing any debris from the surface of the water, the sides of the pool, or at the bottom will help ensure that your water stays clear over the winter months.
  2. Get your chemicals in balance: Before you can be sure that your pool is properly winterized, you will need to make sure that your chemical levels are in proper balance. Even though you won’t be using it, the chemicals will need to be balanced before the rest of the winterizing process to ensure that you don’t get a nasty surprise of algae bloom or severe mineral buildup when you go to open your pool in the spring. Not only can it lead to some nasty festerings, but it can also cause serious damage to your pool components, which can be an expensive fix. First, test your water. Address any problems that there may be in the chemical balance before moving on to the next step in the winterizing process. (For a review, you will want to keep your pH between 7.2-7.6; chlorine between 1-3/ppm; calcium hardness between 200-400/ppm; alkalinity between 80-140/ppm.)
  3. Add winterizing chemicals: The cheapest and easiest way to get winterizing chemicals is to purchase a winterizing kit from your local pool supply store or a reputable store online (we recommend this one from Amazon). You can purchase each item separately, but you will likely have to buy larger bottles, which can present a storage issue. Whatever you choose, you will need chlorine (liquid or powder), pool shock, algaecide, and possibly sodium bicarbonate if your pH levels need to be raised. You will want to first shock your pool to ensure that any pathogens or other living substances are rendered inert. Once you have shocked your pool, test the water again to see if you need to address the pH or any other chemical levels in your pool. If your levels are properly balanced, you will want to add the algaecide.
  4. Reduce the level of water in your pool: When water freezes, it expands, taking up more space. This can cause a lot of problems for a pool in winter, so you will want to lower the water level in expectation of this expansion. Failure to account for this expansion can cause damage to your skimmers. You mustn’t empty your pool. Removing a quarter of the water should suffice for this potential problem. As long as the water is a couple of inches below the skimmer, you are fine.
  5. Remove any deck equipment and pool accessories: Anything that you can easily remove should be removed and stored somewhere safe from the elements. Timers, rails, ladders, diving boards, fittings, ropes, etc., should all be removed for winter storage.
  6. Clear the lines: This is where the shop vac or air compressor comes in. You will want to use either of these devices to clear out all the lines in your pool. If there is any water left in your skimmer system, you will need to manually scoop this out. Open all valves and drains to let the water run out of the system. You want to make sure the lines are completely dry before plugging them with a winter suitable plug. You will also want to use the shop vac or air compressor to completely dry out your heater as well. This will reduce the chance that any water will be left in the heater that can expand if frozen and damage the heater.
  7. Take care of your pool pump and filter: Depending on what kind of pump you have, this process will vary a little. If you are using a common sand filter or diatomaceous earth filter, you will want to give the filter a thorough backwash. You want to backwash until the water runs clear, this can take a few minutes depending on how dirty the filter is. If you have a sand filter, choose the setting winterize and power the filter off. If you are using a DE filter, you will want to pull the assembly out and make sure it is thoroughly clean before following the next steps described for the sand filter. If you are using a cartridge filter, simply remove the cartridge and store it for winter. Unhook the inlet hose from the pool pump and the outlet hose from the pool. Attach one end to the pool’s inlet nozzle, remove the drain plug, and allow all the water to run out.
  8. Antifreeze: If you live in a mild climate, this may be an unnecessary step. For those who live in places where it gets very cold in winter, antifreeze may necessary to protect your pool components. It should be noted that you should not use antifreeze that is meant for vehicles or other purposes, this is not a pool-grade substance and can damage your pool components. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, add the appropriate amount of pool-grade antifreeze to help prevent cracking and other issues.
  9. Disconnect the pump and filter: You will want to disconnect all hoses that lead into and out of the pump and filter. You will also need to disconnect and fully drain your water pump. Remove the valve and plugs from the sand filter and store them in the pump basket for safekeeping. Store all of this stuff in a location safe from the harsh winter elements.
  10. Cover the pool: The final step will be to put on and tightly secure the cover for your pool. You will want to be sure that the cover you are using is suitable for winter. Flimsy covers can easily get weighed down with snow and water, leading to potential problems.