What to do with broken equipment before winter

[briankp]

Hello all! I appreciate any help you can give us.
We moved into a home with an above ground pool right before the summer. We were able to open in successfully, although we had to buy a new pump right off the bat as it had not been properly winterized. We got about 1 week of use out of it and then the chlorinator stopped working and the pump started bringing in dirty water. This happened while we were out of town for a while and we didn't have the option to address it right away. By the time we got back it was a swamp and overrun with frogs. Crazy how fast it got that bad. Obviously we felt like total morons at being first time pool owners. We ended up calling it for the summer and allowed it to get a little colder out (to avoid frog massacre as my wife called it), thinking we would drain, refill, and repair everything before closing. The quotes for the repairs are a little much for us right now.
Is it ok to cover the pool as is, disconnect and drain everything for the winter and wait to drain, clean, and repair the broken mechanics in the spring? We realize that means a big cleaning job but it's already bad as it is and we could really use more time to save up.

Thanks again for your time and any advice!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum! :handshake:

Can you add what state or Country 'Buford' is in? Closing a pool is different if it is Canada or southern US.

I suggest you read Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Trouble Free Pool School book.

 

[briankp]

Thank you! We are in Georgia.

 

[mknauss]

Great. Can you add that to your location in Settings?

Some of our members in Georgia do not close their pool for the winter.

What is broken?

Clearing the pool, as long as you have a functioning pump and filter, is not difficult as long as your have a proper test kit and follow the SLAM Process process.