Closing a pool for longer than one year?

[DanielleOv]

Hi everyone!

Originally, we were never really big pool people but the house came with a concrete inground pool, "as-is". (lesson learned!) We spent a lot of money restoring it (with a lot of help from this community!) with a new vinyl liner, new hayward sand filter and pump, etc. hoping for the best but also naively not initially realizing the level of work, effort, and expense that came into regular pool maintenance.

Flash forward several years and we've got the hang of it. With the season winding down we're looking to schedule our pool closing. However, this time we are thinking about keeping the pool closed for longer than a year. The family barely went into it this year, opting to go on vacations, beach, lake, etc.

The thought is that by keeping it closed for a couple years, we'd save some money and labor in the interim on opening, shock, chemicals, time and effort, etc. Our kids are still young (5 and 7) and the thought is that when they get older they'll appreciate and use the pool more.

On the other hand, I don't want to take that approach if it ends up damaging the liner, creating a breeding ground for vermin, etc.

When we close (pool company takes care of it, adds winterizing chemicals, etc.) we typically use a standard plastic tarp style cover with water bags, but depending on if it makes sense to close up for a couple of years (or more) we might invest in a safety cover (if that helps keep things cleaner).

So pool experts: Is it viable or desirable to close an inground pool for multiple years? If so, what kind of maintenance would be necessary to do so (i.e. shocking the water regularly, etc.)

Google says "keep it open" but a lot of that seems to be coming from pool companies so I'm not sure if it's just a "change your oil every 3000 miles!" kind of thing to keep 'em in steady business.

I appreciate any help the community can provide and please feel free to ask for any more details that might be beneficial. Thank you!

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it viable or desirable to close an inground pool for multiple years?

Can you do it? Sure. Is it worth it though? IMO, no. If the water is not treated properly, you run the risk of developing organic staining on the liner that can become quite difficult to remove, not to mention it becoming a breeding ground for bugs. Since you mentioned having a cover, you could open like normal in the spring of '23, then keep it covered for the most part each day, pulling the cover back long enough to test levels and adding chemicals as needed. A good cover should help preserve the chlorine, reduce surface debris, and allow you to minimize pump run time.

Still, we've had members who for whatever reason had to skip one season leaving it closed and knew what to expect a year later.

 

[duraleigh]

Any type of equipment (guns, airplanes, power tools, swimming pools) have a serious tendency to break if you are not using them. Doesn't seem like a pool would break but it will. I doubt you will save money and perhaps some time but less than you think. I would keep it open.

 

[Mdragger88]

I wouldn’t want to look at & deal with a cover in my backyard for basically 2 years.
You can keep a running pool chlorinated so it doesn’t become a mosquito breeding ground but with the top of a cover this is not so easy. You must keep the water pumped off & the cover clean etc. to prevent it from falling into the pool & creating a swamp.
Also a tarp style non safety cover means the pool area of the backyard is off limits as the risk of people/pets being trapped in the cover is substantial. This is mostly an inconvenience during the winter months but becomes problematic during the warmer months as most people/families wish to enjoy their backyard for many things. Generally when people choose to forego opening their pool it is because their home isn’t occupied all the time. When water temps go above 60 degrees things will grow without proper chlorination even with a cover.
I would pursue ways to help make the pool more low maintenance like a swg , a robot, & possibly deploying an easily removable cover like Tex mentioned vs risking your new liner/equipment & giving up your backyard for a whole summer.

 

[pb4uswim]

Our kids are still young (5 and 7) and the thought is that when they get older they'll appreciate and use the pool more.

This has not been my experience at all. We have grandkids 16, 12 and 6. The 16yo will swim every now and then but isn’t driven to do so and he’s on the swim team in school. The 12yo will pretty much only go in if there’s others around that he wants to hang out with. The 6yo loves it and would swim any day that she’s here. I suspect that as she gets older her desire to use the pool will subside.

At 5 and 7, if your kids don’t want to use the pool and if you and your spouse are not inclined to go in frequently, you might want to look into the cost to fill in the pool permanently. I don’t see what two years will do to make the pool more attractive to the family.

When we put in our pool, we had high hopes that it would attract the grandkids to the house in the summer. However, I made it clear to my wife that if the pool wasn’t for us (as in we would use it), then we shouldn’t get it. Unfortunately, that caution has turned out to be the case. Me and DW will go in it pretty much any evening that the weather permits. And it has been good for a few days a month for family get togethers. More unfortunate is that this year I have a medical situation that keeps me out of the pool. I’m hoping for next year but it has really shown how little the pool gets used if me and DW don’t use it.

 

[Bperry]

Hi everyone!

Originally, we were never really big pool people but the house came with a concrete inground pool, "as-is". (lesson learned!) We spent a lot of money restoring it (with a lot of help from this community!) with a new vinyl liner, new hayward sand filter and pump, etc. hoping for the best but also naively not initially realizing the level of work, effort, and expense that came into regular pool maintenance.

Flash forward several years and we've got the hang of it. With the season winding down we're looking to schedule our pool closing. However, this time we are thinking about keeping the pool closed for longer than a year. The family barely went into it this year, opting to go on vacations, beach, lake, etc.

The thought is that by keeping it closed for a couple years, we'd save some money and labor in the interim on opening, shock, chemicals, time and effort, etc. Our kids are still young (5 and 7) and the thought is that when they get older they'll appreciate and use the pool more.

On the other hand, I don't want to take that approach if it ends up damaging the liner, creating a breeding ground for vermin, etc.

When we close (pool company takes care of it, adds winterizing chemicals, etc.) we typically use a standard plastic tarp style cover with water bags, but depending on if it makes sense to close up for a couple of years (or more) we might invest in a safety cover (if that helps keep things cleaner).

So pool experts: Is it viable or desirable to close an inground pool for multiple years? If so, what kind of maintenance would be necessary to do so (i.e. shocking the water regularly, etc.)

Google says "keep it open" but a lot of that seems to be coming from pool companies so I'm not sure if it's just a "change your oil every 3000 miles!" kind of thing to keep 'em in steady business.

I appreciate any help the community can provide and please feel free to ask for any more details that might be beneficial. Thank you!

You’de be better off selling the house and buying one without a pool. As kids get older they use the pool less. If you’re kids aren’t interested now, it’s likely to not change. Lots of people are still looking for houses with pools so it might be a decent option.