When the weather cools off and the it’s time to pack weather pool toys, closing your pool properly will make opening it much easier next season, just follow the right steps to protect your pool during the off season.
When it’s time to close your pool for the season, you have to prep the water and the mechanical system for the colder temperatures. You won’t need many tools and materials to close your pool, but a few things you might need are: A pool skimmer net, brush and vacuum, water test strips, the chemicals, a total alkalinity increaser, a pH increaser or decreaser, calcium hardness increaser, chlorine stabilizer, granular chlorine, algaecide, scale, metal and satin control, pool anti-freeze, and safety goggles and rubber gloves. You can find tools and materials lists plus additional information for this project in our printable instructions at lowes.com/videos.
But whether to close your pool or not depends on the temperature on your region. If you live in a milder climate, you may just have to perform a few maintenance steps rather than close your pool for the season. But if you live in a colder climate, you’ll need to take a few more steps to protect your pool over the winter. The closing process isn’t too difficult and doesn’t take much timer to complete. One thing to do beforehand, run your filter continuously for one to two days, this will help remove dirt from the pool and circulate the water.
Start the closing process by testing for pH, hardness, and alkalinity levels, and adjust accordingly. Having the proper balance is important to permit the water from becoming too corrosive or producing heavy calcium deposits, for steps on how to propertly balance your pool water, watch how to open your pool at lowes.com/videos. Also make sure the water has the proper residual chlorine level.
Next, remove clean and store your pool ladders, diving boards, and other pool accessories. Now clear any debris from the water, skim, brush and vacuum the pools one last time. And clean the skimmer baskets. We have to add just a few more chemicals, so after cleaning the walls and floor, add the scale, metal and stain control. Then add granular chlorine, let it circulate for six hours. Then add an algaecide allowing it to circulate for four hours.
Okay, let’s talk about the filter and mechanics, when working on any of the mechanical components, be sure to follow the manufacturers instructions. Now when it comes to filter systems, there are several types—sand filters, DE filters and cartridge filters. Eaxh has a different winterizing and cleaning process. The owner’s manual will have the details. You’ll also find some basic cleaning steps in our printable instructions at lowes.com/videos.
Next, lower the pools water level for the cover. Don’t remove all of the water, just about one to six inches below the skimmer opening should do. Now remove the directional fittings and add the freeze plugs. With the water level down, go ahead and shut off the filter pump, drain all the equipment and store as necessary. For extremely cold climate, add pool anti-freeze and make sure you’re using pool anti-freeze, automotive anti-freeze won’t work.
The last past is installing the cover, stretch it out and place it over the pool, then secure it. You might need some help with this step. Okay, that’s everything for closing your pool. But if you live in a warmer climate where you don’t close your pool, here are few maintenance steps to follow.
Start with the chemical testing, we covered how to test your water and adjust the levels and how to pen your pool available at lowes.com/videos. During colder temperatures, you won’t have to test as often. Check the water once per week if average pool temperature is 55 to 70 degrees, check it once per month if temperatures are 40 to 55 degrees, adjust the chlorine level to one to four parts per million. It might help to do a mid-winter shock treatment to keep your pool sanitized. Maintain a normal pH or 7.2 to 7.6 and adjust alkalinity levels to 80 to 125 parts per million for plaster or gunite pools and 125 to 150 parts per million for all other pool types. Keep the calcium hardness levels at 200 to 275 parts per million for plaster or gunite pools and 175 to 225 for all other pools. Of course brush and vacuum the debris from the water and run the filter for at least two hours per day.
If freezing temperature are in the forecast, make sure all of your mechanical equipment is working properly. Now you can’t run your heater several hours a day to keep your pool water from freezing in the lines. Another option is to run the filter system circulating the water which may help prevent freezing.
So just a few maintenance steps will protect your equipment and make opening your pool next season much easier. For other home improvement project with step-by-step instructions, visit lowes.com/videos.
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