Its about that time:: pool closing questions

Hi Amy!

I don't think brand of the cover matters much. Most important is when you close it and when you open it.
You should close pool when water temperature drops bellow 60 F. and open it before it goes over 60 F in a spring.
I would go with solid cover vs mesh one and definitely use a pillow.
I'm on my second season of owning a AG pool and last year I closed for a very first time.
Pool was closed pretty late as right when I wanted to close it I got algae bloom and decided to SLAM it before closing.
Night time temperature dropped bellow freezing as I was finally able to close it after FC drifted down to normal range.
When I uncovered it in the beginning of May, water was crystal clear and my FC was 5 ppm.

If you haven't done it, check this guide - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool

Amy,

2 months is still half the swimming season, don't make it sound so close! ;-)

I've never bought on brand, and I don't think that much matters - the solid covers for AGPs are just basically a round tarp so they are pretty commoditized.

I have followed the TFP guide on winterizing for the last 7 winters and have always opened to clear water in the spring, usually testing with a FC of 4 or so. As others have noted, the key is closing when water temps are below 60 and then opening in spring before temps are back above 60 (algae can start to easily grow at these temps).

You can close in phases. If you know you are done swimming for the year but water temps are still above 60 you can put the cover on and leave the pump and filtration system in place so you can still balance and circulate until the temps drop.