Closing pool recommendations......

[TamithaSue50]

Sadly seeing that my pool doesn't get much sun during the day it normally has to be pretty hot out for the water to be tolerable to go swimming so since it's been getting a little cooler in the mornings and only in the low 80's it's probably going to be pool closing time soon so I thought I would see what everyone does when closing their pools. At least the ones with smaller above ground pools. Last year my boyfriend just put a tarp over it and left the water in it, which was all good until this year when he tried to take the tarp off by himself and let a bunch of old dirty water that had collected on top of the tarp fall into the pool then I took over and of course it took me FOREVER to fix my pool because I was going by what the pool stores told me! Thank goodness I did some research online and found this site and finally got my pool looking pretty and did get to enjoy it some.

But anyway back to closing a pool. Is it okay to leave the water in it and just cover it for the winter or should it be drained or what does everyone here suggest!

Thanks

 

[Texas Splash]

You'll want to start with our Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool page. Lots of good, solid info there. While many folks in the colder areas tend to use Labor Day as a benchmark for potential closing, we always say .... "Close late and open as early as you can" to avoid algae. Of course your water chemistry plays a HUGE role in keeping the algae away, so make sure to use your TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C to prepare the water accordingly. Review our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, and ask all the questions you need. You can also use our search feature above and find TONS of closing threads.

 

[TamithaSue50]

You'll want to start with our Pool School - Closing (Winterizing) Your Above Ground Pool page. Lots of good, solid info there. While many folks in the colder areas tend to use Labor Day as a benchmark for potential closing, we always say .... "Close late and open as early as you can" to avoid algae. Of course your water chemistry plays a HUGE role in keeping the algae away, so make sure to use your TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C to prepare the water accordingly. Review our ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry, and ask all the questions you need. You can also use our search feature above and find TONS of closing threads.

Ohhhhh so even if you're not using the pool or planning on using it for awhile it's better to leave it open til around Labor Day to prevent algae from growing? I didn't know that....guess it's the warm weather/water that makes algae grow? I learn something new almost every time I come on here And I did read those articles but guess I had forgot some of what I read and thought I would just ask......guess I'll go read them again

Thanks

 

[cowboycasey]

I do not close mine until the temp is below 50 degrees and then open before it hits 50 degrees, Usually Nov and Feb/Mar for me

 

[JimMarshall]

I'm further north than you Tamitha and last year was the first year I had my pool but I didn't close it until after Halloween. We still swim well into mid/end of September (with a heater of course)

 

[niteshift38]

The "common" theory I've heard around here is that when you know the water temp will be below 65 degrees, the majority of the time, it's fine to close.

As far as draining vs. covering (and winterizing), that's up to you and the style of pool (if it is NOT a pool that can be taken down, I would not advise going the draing route)

P.S. I'm up in NY (near Buffalo) and I don't close mine till a week or two after Labor Day

 

[richierich]

What you can do before you take the tarp off is use a small submersible pump to pump the water off the cover before you use take the tarp off.

Also if you don't want to buy one, create your own syphon to get the gross water off. This youtube video is a great way to do it. Once all the water is off just take a skimmer and get the leaves off the tarp How To Drain Water Off Swimming Pool Cover With Garden Hose Siphon Easy - YouTube

 

[niteshift38]

I do as richierich said (I drain the water off the cover and pull off the leaves with a skimmer).

One other trick I learned, is I re-connect my entire pump hoses about a week ahead of when I plan on opening my pool and then re-fill my pool (beneath the cover). I found it fills up the filter with water AND makes it a LOT easier to pool the cover off if I happen to get rain the day before I open it (some water on the cover is a heck of a lot easier to pull it off the closer it is to the top of the pool rails).

Usually I just turn on my pump the second the cover is off.

Good Luck !!!