It’s always a sad time of year when the summer is waning and it’s time to close your above ground pool for the season. It’s given you such joy through the long hot summer but now it’s time to ready it for the winter ahead. With just a little bit of know how and the memory of where you put all of the supplies, the job can be a breeze.
The first thing you need to do is gather your pool closing supplies.These include the pool cover, the plugs for the skimmers, the winterizing chemicals and the air pillow (or tires, tubes, balls, etc that will break up the ice expansion and save your pool walls from damage). Once you have located all of these supplies, you can start winterizing the pool.
The first task is to backwash the filter to get all the dirt and grunge out. If you have a sand filter you’ll want to leave the drain plug off for the duration. With DE filter tanks, leave the backwash valve open. Anything you take off you’ll want to store in the pump basket or other safe spot till next summer. Next, plug all return pipes and take out all hoses. Disconnect the pump and filter, make sure they are free of water and store them in a dry place like the garage over the winter.
Plug the skimmer hole with a black rubber plug or alternatively you can drain the pool water so that it sits below the skimmer hole so there’s no need to plug it at all. Next, blow up your air pillow and toss it into the remaining water. Whatever you use for this step should be secured so that it sits in the middle of the pool. Remember you are using it to stop the water from freezing and breaking the pool walls.
Now you are ready to take any deck equipment from the area. This means ladders, slides, rails of any kind that need to be stored somewhere warm and dry during the winter months so they don’t get ruined. Now it’s time to add the winterizing chemicals. If you are using the liquid kind simply dump it in, but if you are using the granular kind, make sure you mix it in a bucket first so you don’t have globs forming on the bottom of the pool.
Now it’s time for the cover. Once it is on, secure it well and viola, you have successfully winterized your above ground pool!