How you close your pool this fall has a big impact on what happens after you open your pool next spring. Without taking certain precautions and doing things the right way now, you might face a green mess, rust stains and even damage to the pool at opening time.
Pool Closing Tips for a Happier Pool Opening
In addition to your regular pool closing routine, like draining pool equipment and using a winter pool cover, remember the following tips at closing time.
- Run the Pool Until You Close It – It seems like a good idea. Summer’s over, the kids are back to school, so why not stop running the pool and save some money. Except it could cost you more than you think. If your pool water is stagnant, algae growth can go into overdrive. Keep you pool running at least half the time until you actually close it for the winter.
- Properly Balance the Water Chemistry a Few Days Before Closing – It’s the most important swimming pool maintenance you do all season. If it isn’t balanced when you close it, you’re not going to be able to do anything about it until next year. In that time, the imbalanced water could cause your liner to wrinkle, scale to build up and metal components to rust. After you balance the water, shock it a couple days later and add winterizing chemicals the day before or the day you close the pool.
- Don’t Winterize Your Pool Too Soon – Even if you balance the water perfectly, it doesn’t stay balanced forever. Algae grows in water that’s above 18 degrees celsius. If you close the pool too soon, the chlorine may be gone while water temps are still high enough for algae to grow.
- Treat Water Problems Now – If the water’s looking a little green, don’t leave it for next year. The same goes for scale build-up and staining. They will all be worse in the spring. Along the same lines, be sure the water is absolutely clear of any organic matter like dirt and leaves; it breaks down chlorine.
If you found this article helpful, check out our recent post about how to clean a hot tub filter.
