I have a 24 foot round above ground. We live in Alabama and it is still in the 80s during the day and 50s at night. I have read to wait until at least a water temp of 65 degrees, but I read 60 on here. It is currently down to 70. We have two big trees nearby that are dropping a lot of leaves already. I would love to close it, but I know it is still too warm. Don't most people close their pools before now? Is there anything I can do? If I hold fast, I am fighting the leaves in the pool. I thought of getting a leaf net and putting it over the pool top w/o the cover. Would that work to cut down on my weekly vacuum time. It is cold to get in the pool to get those leaves out. My pump hats the big leaves. It is easier to just get in and use a net, but not a lot of fun.

1. Any suggestions for our closing? Here are my current test results:
FC = 5.5, pH = 7.6, ALk = 80, CYA = 40, Cal = 150 (but pool is vinyl - so tht isn't a big deal right?)

2. How far below the skimmer should we drain it? the cover that comes with our pool has 4 large holes in it to allow the water to drain to the center and fall in and not build up weight and require a pump to get off the cover. I thought I could cover the pool cover with a leaf net and remove the net and dump several times as the leaves keep falling.

You can close now. The disadvantage of doing so is that you are likely to get algae over the winter. Most people prefer to wait until the water is colder, but you don't have to.

Your levels look good.

How far down to drain depends on how much rain/snow you tend to get over the winter. 6 inches works for many people, but as I said it varies from place to place.

Some people like to use a leaf net, some prefer to just skim off/vacuum up the leaves. Getting a leaf net full of wet leaves off a 24' pool can be a messy chore.