First closing coming soon

[newguyjosh]

We are nearing the end of our first of pool owners (existing pool, new home) and things have went well this summer. Now it's time to start planning for closing. We moved in last fall and had a winter cover on the pool which ripped off several times and nearly took the side of the pool with it once. We are in a wide open area in a rural setting with minimal to no windblock so we are thinking about going without a winter cover this year. There are not a lot of trees nearby either so that should be helpful.

So if we want to close without a cover when do we do it? What consistent water temp do we wait for?

Do we drain below the inlet/outlet or just plug them?

What is the procedure for closing in such a manner?

Do I need to continue to add chlorine throughout the winter?

 

[JVTrain]

You could go without a cover, but you'll want to wait even longer to close if you do so. If you have a cover, normally the guideline is to wait until water temperature is solidly below 60 degrees. Without a cover, the sun will continue to eat up chlorine, that's the problem with closing without a cover. Can you devise a method to anchor the cover directly to the ground or a surrounding deck?

If you do decide to cover, wait til water is low 50s for sure.

Drain below the returns and blow out the lines with a shop vacuum. If you can, I'd even disconnect the pump and filter and move indoors.

Following this procedure should work: Winterizing your above ground pool

If you go without a cover, you could continue to test the water before it freezes, maybe once per week. If the FC drops too low, you could add bleach, but you'd have to be sure to brush the pool well to circulate/mix the chlorine. Polyquat is normally optional, but I'd highly recommend it when going without a cover.

Open next season EARLY.