AG Pools in MN - what's your pool status?

[blondemarcello]

I was wondering what everyone's status is with their pools in MN.

I've been reading the closing posts from everyone and think I have a handle on it. We probably won't close until Oct 6. I had hoped to get the solar cover reel invention up before closing, but I guess I'll work on it after we close.

Peeked under the solar cover today - green I guess not checking levels for a week and a half is a bad thing even if the water temp is around 60. Time to start shocking. I'm not looking forward to pulling the solar cover off because pulling it back on requires four people if we're not going into the water.

Lissa in MN

 

[noresull]

Mine is drained and folded up and in the garage... Next year I need to do a better job leveling and then the pool will stay up year round.

 

[Laenini]

We haven't closed yet as I'm waiting for the average temp to get consistently colder outside first. If you close before its cold enough, you will have a green pool. If its warm enough for algea to grow, then you need a functioning pump running to keep the pool chorinated. Once its cold enough that the temperature of the water acts as an impedance to bacteria, fungi and algae growth, that is when you can go through your closing procedure for the year. When we are ready to close, we first rebalance all the chemical parameters. We clean and brush the walls, and vacuum up every bit of anything we find. Finally we take the chlorine level up to shock level, circulate that well, then drain the pool level down below the level of the skimmer. At that point we put the winter cover on (totally different type of cover than the solar cover you have used all summer) and my husband pulls apart the filter, pump, heater etc cleaning them, draining them, and doing whatever else it is he does with them. It seems like we have a tradition where every fall he puts the pump pieces away so well that it takes us days to find them next spring. He usually finds them when I finally announce I'm omw to the pool store to buy a new pump. Its funny how that jars his memory.

So the take away message here today is that just because its too cold to swim doesn't mean its cold enough to close down your pool. Each spring and fall we have about a month between when we open or close the pool and when we start or stop swimming. Pool school here has good info on closing your pool. Read it, then read it again, then make your hubby read it, then finally think about closing for the year.

 

[flyweed]

I'm right across the river from you, Near La Crosse, WI. I closed up about a week ago..with temps every night in the upper 30's to low 40's and daytime temps not getting higher than 60 or so...it was time. Winter cover is on...just have to drain down yet...as I still have the pump running for 12 hours a day until I do the drain.