Winterizing and Pool Closing

What kind of chemicals do you put in the pool ?

We suggest a the use of a concentrated shock treatment along with a winter algaecide and
stain treat product. Also make sure you adjust the pH and Alkalinity of the water.

Do you put any Anti-Freeze in the pipes ?

No…you should not have to. The only way that you can guarantee that your underground pipes don’t freeze is to blow all the water out of the pipes with a high powered air compressor or shop vac. The only time you would need to add Anti-Freeze is if you were going to leave water in the pipes. Then you would have to add it to keep them from freezing - but this is not recommended.

Do you drop the light - lower the light - remove the light ?

No…you do not have to lower the light. A long time ago, before people used compressors or shop vacs to blow all the water out of the pipes, they had to lower the water in the pool down past the returns. Then they used to have to remove the light and drop it to the bottom of the pool because if the pool water froze, it might expand and actually crack the light. Now a days, since you can use the compressor to blow out the pipes, you can keep the water level in the pool high up…so your light can stay where it is. There is much less of a chance that the light will develop a leak if you just leave it alone.

Why do you have to lower the water in the pool if the pool has tile around the top at the water level ?

If you have tile, and you do not lower the water level, then if the water freezes, it can expand outwards and actually crack the tile.

Do you have to lower the water in a vinyl liner Inground pool ?

The only time that a pool needs to have the water lowered is if you have a gunite or cement pool with tile around the top, you know, at the water line. If you have tile, and you do not lower the water level, then if the water freezes, it can expand outwards and actually crack the tile. That’s the only reason. If you have a liner in the pool, then there is no need to lower the water level. When you use high powered compressors to blow all the water out of the pipes, and plug the return jets and the skimmers there is no need to lower the water. As long as you have the GIZZMOS, those big green plugs for the skimmers, you can keep the water at the regular level. The higher you can keep the water in the pool, the better it is for your pool cover and there will be much less of a chance of the cover falling in.

Well, I would prefer that the water be lowered.

Basically it’s your pool…and if you are more comfortable lowering the water level, then by all means do it. However you should still follow the procedures listed above for blowing out the pipes as well.

Should I acid wash my DE filter before closing ?

You should backwash it out before you close it down. That gets all the "gook" and old DE out of the filter. If you want to have the filter "acid washed", that’s usually something you do at the pool opening. You don’t want to have the filter cleaned and then have it sit for the next six months with acid residue in it ! Most people want to have it cleaned out right before they start up the pool in the spring. It is best to wait till then.

Well, I really want it cleaned out now - I heard from a friend this was best.

Well, the problem is, to properly clean it out you should use muriatic acid. And after the filter is cleaned out with that stuff, you are supposed to re-attach it to your system and immediately start running pool water through it. If you acid wash it and just put it away, you could really damage the insides of the filter, even if you hose it off really good. The filter manufacturers do not recommend to acid wash a filter if you are going to close it right away. It is really best to do it in the spring.

Should I vacuum the pool before I close it ?

Well, this is up to you. We do not recommend closing the pool if there is A LOT of debris in it. Then you should vacuum it all out. But a few leaves and bugs are OK. Most people vacuum the pool right after they open it in the Spring. You know, if we have a bad winter and part of your cover falls in the pool, you’ll just have to vacuum it again when you open it, so most people would rather just do it in the spring and only have to do it once.