Need advice on how to close my inground pool for the winter.?

This is our second year closing a pool for the winter. Last year we hired people to do it and watched, so I have a good idea on what to do, but I am scared I will do something wrong, or in the wrong order, and mess something up. So if anyone can give me advice or step by step instructions on what to do first, second, third... etc, I would appreciate it. Just so you know-- 1. It is an inground pool, it is a cartridge filter (which is moved inside for winter), 2. there is about 20 feet from the filter to the pool 3. We have a ';closing kit'; with the needed chemicals 4. I do have a shop vac and a pool coverNeed advice on how to close my inground pool for the winter.?
Ideally, your closing starts a week before you actually get down to putting the cover on. Get your water balanced chemically first. That week allows you to do this.


On closing day: Vac the pool and drain it to just below the pool returns. They are typically the lowest point in the system. When drained to that point, add in a winterizing chemical kit (most pool shops sell them), they typically contain an algaecide, shock and sequestering agent . You're done at the pool for the moment. Head over to your pool equipment. If a cartridge filter, just remove the cartridge and clean at your leisure.


For all filter types, there will be a drain plug, remove it and keep it out.


Over to the pump. All pumps will have 2 plugs, one midway back on one side and one directly in front. Remove them and place them in the pump basket along with your filter drain plug. It's a nice , safe place, that you won't lose them in, as you'll leave the pump basket right where it is. This next part all depends on your pool plumbing, you'll have to decide the best route as they are all plumbed differently and the many different ways to blow out lines would be a book unto itself. You'll need to tap into both the return and the suction lines. Typically for the returns, you disconnect a line between your filter and heater (if equipped) and for the suction, you can go directly in from the front of the pump, without disconnecting anything. Doing it this way, will allow you to blow all the water out of the heater, pool returns, any waterfall or fountain(if equipped) or attached spa. Same goes for the suction line for skimmer, in wall suction for a pool cleaner and attached spa suctions (if equipped). Blow out the lines, until you only see a tiny dribble at the pool, both suction and return. Charge the line with plumber's antifreeze (not automotive) and blow that through to the pool, for all lines. When you see the dye colour of the antifreeze at the pool, it means that the antifreeze protection is sufficient. Plug with your telflon taped winter plugs, all lines ending at the pool. Put something squishable (empty chemical containers or an old partially filled inner tube) into the skimmer to protect it from freeze damage. Remove the pressure guages from the filter and put them in the pump basket with your equipment plugs.


There are 3 basic types of pool heater, electric, gas and solar. You don't mention which you have, so I'll assume if you do have one, it's gas. Open the drain cocks on both sides of the heater header (you blew out all the water , when doing the lines, should just be a little anti freeze that dribbles out) and disconnect the pressure switch from it's compression fitting. No need to store it, just let it hang from it's electrical wires. Turn off both the gas valve on the interior and the gas feed line going to the heater. Toss a couple of moth balls inside the heater, to deter mice and spiders from nesting and clogging gas orifices as well as pulling out insulation.You're done here. Any pipes you disconnected during the blow out process should be hooked back up. If the equipment is located in a sheltered environment, nothing else need be done. If out of doors, some form of lean to would be a good idea. Don't wrap up the equipment in plastic. There's no cross flow ventilation and it willl expidite corrosion. Just something over head works. Sweep out leaves from the area around the pump motor as well. They promote corrosion.


Cover time. If your pool cover has a different colour on each side, pick your favourite. You'll be looking at it for a few months and it doesn't matter which side of a polytarp faces down. Secure your cover with water bags, ropes and stakes, or whaterver method you choose.


If this is a vinyl pool, I strongly advise you NOT to use brick or block. If one goes in, you'll have a hole to deal with and currently the normal rate to chop a hole in ice, get the cover off far enough for a diver in a drysuit is about 300 canadian dollars to fix that little hole, mid winter. A water bag is far cheaper than a brick or block if this happens. I get called in to do far too many of these repairs. Not that I mind, I happen to like ice diving.


A proper fitting pool cover should have at least 1 1/2 feet fo cover on the deck on each side, go straight down the wall to the water and make a right angle turn at water's surface, floating on it. Loose is fine, tight isn't. If you have a tight cover, one solution is to fill the pool up a bit (lines are plugged so no water will flow back down them). This will give the cover some more slack. If that cover is too tight, I can guarantee that it won't stay on.


Add a little water from your tap to the top of the cover now. It'll help stabilize it in a high wind situation, until it fills naturally with precipitation.


If this is a lock in cover for a vinyl pool (has a little bead running around the edge), there's only one way up it will go. There are two types of track, one that has the bead hook facing out and one that faces in. You'll have to decide which you have. The most common has the bead hook facing towards the pool edge so that the vinyl of the bead is mostly hidden under the cover. It hooks in, just like the liner does. Unfold the cover and flip the edges in to make a boat.. Yup...a boat.. This way the cover will float and not sink when you put it on. Hauling around 4 tons of water aint fun. You can spin the cover on the pool to get it in it's proper position as regards the pool shape. Start at an obvious place, like a 90 degree corner and start engaging the cover bead into the track. Any slack you wind up with should go to the stairs. Adjust it to fit properly. You can pull long straight sections but don't try it around corners or inside radius'. You'll pull your work out of the track. Set the stair cover on, fill a water bag for the back of it and engage the bead of the cover to the track of the stair cover. If you have any liner lock strips, use them. Use them up on corners first and any places that don't want to stay in. When water gets on there it will engage the bead tighter and will no longer want to come out.


If you have a leaf net, now is the time to put it on. It slips under your water bags if this is a waterbag cover and is pulled tight. You can use stakes and ropes to keep it taught, if you wish. You don't want it laying on the poly tarp cover. That defeats the leaf net's purpose.. You want those leaves to blow off by being dry.


If this is a security cover (trampoline type), raise the pegs out of the deck, unroll your cover and find the stair flap. You want to start there, it's easier to get the right strap on the right peg and that way you won't find out 3/4 of the way through, that you made a mistake. The reinforced areas at the stairs, face down.


If the water was balanced, all equipment winterized and lines blown and the cover stays on, you should have a pool that looks and behaves exactly as it did when you closed it, upon pool opening in the spring. That's about it. I can't be more specific, without a bit more info on the pool, they are all done slightly differently and differ in equipment, but this will get you started and contains all the important bits. Go have a beer or 10. You've been at it for at least 3 hours from start to finnish. :)Need advice on how to close my inground pool for the winter.?
Its also important to secure your winter cover on an above-ground pool with clips or Cover Seal in high-wind areas. Strong winds can rip a cover right off the pool. If you have an in-ground pool, you want to use double-chamber water bags to weigh the cover down properly. Check out ThePoolZone.com.

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you can put on this pool cover thing its solar powered but not like electic it ars the pool with the sun you can also but an extra thing so you can pool it out with this roll up thing
There's a lot of stuff you need to do. For one thing, backwash the filter really well and rinse it out. Then make sure it's depressurized. Filters usually have little screw thingies that you have to take out to keep water from staying inside them over the winter.





You also have to drain the water level of the pool so it's below the intakes. Close off the intake at the bottom of the pool and then pour some antifreeze in the pipes to keep them from cracking in the winter. Then seal off the pipes at the intakes. Also, seal the water outlets in the pool. Put some sort of plastic containers over the intakes to keep animals from crawling in there.





That's pretty much it. If there are a lot of leaves and debris in the pool, it'll be a mess when you open it, so you might want to clean it out before putting the winter cover on it. Good luck!
You have all you need, although, they do sell waterballs and/or aquabloks to put on the top of the water to keep it from freezing. They aren't too expensive but I recommend it. I sell on eBay under BeanzBasementBargains and my hubby owns his own pool business. Other than the winter kit and cover, get the above item and also, don't let your skimmer freeze either. (They sell a skimmer guard for the winter as well.

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