Hello everyone,

I have read the pool school on closing above ground pool which is very easy but my question is should I take it down completely? I live in Omaha Nebraska and have seen a few pools that are left up including my Mother-in-laws old pool. She couldn't tell if it froze through but she never got any damage from it in the 2 years she had it setup. All she did was drain it below the inlet/outlet ports on the pool, plug them up and put the pump away in the garage. On the Intex website they recommend taking it down to prevent damage but I have seen so many stay up I wonder if that is even necessary?

If I take it down, after scrubbing and draining, are there any ideas on how to set it up so it drys the best and fastest?

I'm on year two with an Intex pool, but our winters are mild. The ice that did form was thick enough for my kid to stand on (I found out after the fact), and he's not exactly light. It was there for about 2weeks while we had our deep freeze.

Pool was/is fine.

I won't be draining it this year to winterize. I'm going to plug the ports and leave it full enough so that the cover will drain off instead of down into the pool making puddles on top of the cover. Was a hassle and a half last year with it drained down like that. The water spilled out of the ports day in day out, and killed the sod I'd just put down. This year, floaties in the middle will make a nice tent shape and we're going with two 20'x12' tarps crossed over each other for the cover. We will use tent stakes and rope/cord to stake it down vertically right beside the pool wall. Pool's gonna have a rain hat :~}

H is concerned about the UV on the pool liner. He thinks it will lead to the pool's failure before other factors.

If you take it down, I'd let it sit empty and dry that way if at all possible. Unless you've got a nice large barn to hang it in to dry, that would work I suppose. I wouldn't want to wrastle with it personally. I liked not having to set up the pool this year. I opened it in 3 hours this spring even with debris in the water (fallen in cover... do NOT rely on the Intex cover for winter, any wind at all and it's in the pool).

Frogabog,
Did you add algaecide to the water?