Some of you may think, why the heck should I close my own personal pool? Is it enough just to cover it with the winter cover and wait for the next swimming season? Well, it’s not that simple. Closing a pool is not only an obligatory job for the public pool owner but you – as your very own pool owner – as well.
When the pool season is coming to an end, you can’t just simply unroll your winter cover and lay it over your swimming pool, but you need to follow every single step to properly close it. It’s important to follow all of the closing pool steps so you can enjoy your pool when the warmer season comes back.
If you properly close your pool, you will have freshly safe water that you can use directly after you open the cover. On the contrary, if you don’t close it according to the recommended steps, the pool will get dirty and even unsafe to use due to debris and bacteria that build up during the offseason.
Moreover, closing a pool doesn’t only benefit you, but the equipment of the pool as well. You may end up damaging the filters, pumps, and other accessories due to improper closing steps.
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To guide you to properly close your pool, check out the tutorial on How to Close a Pool that you can easily follow.
It’s important to know when exactly to close the pool. When the temperature starts falling below 65 degrees F that is the perfect time to perform this step. It’s because the algae won’t survive in the cold season so the water will stay clear during the closing period.
Most of the supplies above are used for the regular pool maintenance, so you must have them in hand.
The very first thing that you have to do is thoroughly clean the pool. Make sure that you clean it as best as you can to prevent the algae bloom when you close it.
Find out the level of the chemicals of your pool water with a tester kit. Though the step may be more complicated, it gives a more accurate result than the water tester strip.
(Read also: How to Raise Free Chlorine in Pool Tutorial with Only 4 Quick Steps)
When you are sure enough that all of the chemicals are at a balanced level, now it’s time to add some winterizing chemicals to your pool. All of the necessary chemicals usually come in one package of pool winterizing kit.
You need to shock the pool before you cover it to perfectly sanitize the water.
To prevent freeze damage, you need to lower the water level.
Backwashing is good to remove the debris that may clog your filter. Different types of filter require different backwashing method.
Yes, you need to use more elbow grease to remove the pool’s accessories especially if you have a lot of them. This step will prevent them from damage caused by harsh winter conditions.
Now, it’s time to literally close the pool by using the winter cover.
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Those elaborate steps of How to Close a Pool Tutorial above may look kinda exhausting, but you will get a clear safe pool that you can use when the pool season comes. You just need to clean the pool a bit and balance the chemical when the offseason has ended.
The tutorial above works best for you who live in a cold area and you may need different treatment if you live in a warmer area when you are about to close your pool.