Preparing to close above ground pool... ph? Pool cover?

[curlyfry22]

I know my ph is high right now. Do I need to get it lower before bringing my pool to shock level for 24 hours before closing it?

Also, we tried putting a cover on our pool last year. The wind ripped it apart within a week. The pool is pretty much out in the open with nothing blocking the wind. Can I avoid a green swamp in the spring without covering it over the winter?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Yes, you need to lower the pH first. I'd get it down to about 7.2.

Sounds like you need a better cover and maybe weigh it down with some water bags or half filled bleach bottles laying on it in the pool. That will keep it from flapping in the wind and tearing apart.

 

[Txmat]

Whether you can avoid a swamp if you do not cover it depends on what is around it. I have a bunch of trees and for several years I did not cover the pool and it was always a swamp primarily because of leaves when I got ready to open it. If the pool is in the open and there are no trees in the vicinity then you might be able to get away without covering it. Even if it is a swamp you can recover the pool within a couple of weeks by shocking and brushing and cleaning out the debris. I finally got tired of this and bought a cover and some water bags and have never looked back. In the spring when I take the cover off the pool is as clear as it was when I covered it. I will say it takes at least two adults and even better four to take the cover off without getting the leaves and debris into the pool. Even though I have a pump on top of the cover and pump off most of the water and use a blower to blow off most of the leaves that thing is very heavy and if I am not careful I will dump some leaves into the pool.