Reasons why the pool isn't drained completely to close?

[singerteacher]

Hello ... new pool owner here, never closed a pool!

Is the primary reason that pools are not drained completely (or nearly completely, since that might be impossible) in the winter to save water when refilling in the spring? Or are there other reasons?

I ask because I don't have a safety cover and I have a toddler. It seems that if the pool water was drained out, then it would be safer ... or at least as safe as when it's frozen (Nov - March). We plan on having the pool closed about mid-October, when temps drop below 60, and opened in June.

We're saving up for a safety cover of some sort ... would love a Katchakid ... but for now, this seems like a possible short-term solution. We have a vinyl in-ground pool with two floor drains, so it seems that getting it nearly empty might not be impossible. Perhaps if it's drained all the way we could even close it sooner?

Is there something I'm missing, or is this feasible? The cost of refilling the whole pool with water would be worth the extra peace of mind and cost of chemicals in the fall/spring.

 

[MEvan]

Your liner will be absolutely ruined. It will shrink an shrivel, ripping at all of the cut ins and then at all the seams when you attempt to refill it. Your pool walls could possible cave in because ti will no longer have the outward pressure. Concrete and fiberglass crack and pop out of the ground. Dont drain it. I dont mean to scare you, I just dont want to see you make a really bad mistake. Never fully drain a liner pool unless you are removing the liner, and even then only do it the night before.

If you are handy and your pool is a reasonably simple shape you should be able to order a safety cover online and install it yourself. Yoyu will need 5 gallon buckets, a measuring tape, and a decent hammer drill, which can be rented. Mesh are cheaper but usually result in dirtier openings. Solid is your best bet if you can afford it. What size and shape is your pool?

 

[singerteacher]

Thanks ... I thought there was possibly some reason. Oh well!

We have an 18' x 36' oval. A winter cover came with the pool, but for some reason they left it off all last winter (we moved in Spring '08). Hopefully, it's in decent shape -- we'll find out in a month or so. We're saving for a Katch-a-Kid, but man are they expensive! I'd just put the winter cover over that if we could, and that's the plan for next year. Guess we're stuck with the standard close. :|

Speaking of which:
Has anyone done a cost-benefit analysis of closing early vs. closing late? I'm sure there's the greater likelihood of a green pool in the spring when you close early, but with enough BBB that's not a huge problem. Plus in my climate, with 3 months in which it's thawed by not swimmable, we probably won't open until it's green anyway. In my mind, an early close means more bleach at opening, whereas a late close means more bleach to maintain the pool until closing ... to me, it sounds like a wash. Any opinions?

 

[waste]

Matt gave great advice on draining! If you get the 'saftey cover' we can help you install it.

As a general rule, you want to close the pool when the water is < 60 deg (the closer to 50, the better) and open it before the pool water gets back ~ 60 deg. (algae doesn't grow as quickly in cooler water - so if you close when the water is cooler and open before it gets warm enough to support algae growth, you'll likely open to a clear pool )

Have a great winter! I hope to see you here next spring (if not during the winter) :-D