Pool Care

Closing Your Pool

Get Ready For The Off-Season

When the temperature drops you need to prepare your pool for the winter months. Depending on where you live, you may close your pool completely or just use it occasionally. Either way, you want to winterize your pool properly so spring start-up is less time and money-consuming.

Closing / Winterizing for Cold Climates

  1. Test the water for pH, calcium hardness and total alkalinity levels. Adjust as needed for proper balance.
  2. Brush, vacuum and thoroughly clean all pool surfaces. 
  3. Apply a scale and metal preventor to inhibit metal stains and scale formation over the cold weather months. 
  4. Circulate the water a minimum of 1 hour and then add SUN® Shock 'N Clear Multi Purpose Shock according to label directions. Circulate the water for a minimum of 6-8 hours.
  5. Add an algaecide according to label directions. Circulate the water a minimum of 1 hour. 
  6. Prepare equipment following manufacturer’s instructions. Lower the water level, drain the pump, filter, heater, hoses and all other applicable equipment and store. Where necessary, use an anti-freeze specifically formulated for pools. 
  7. Remove floating chlorinator.
  8. Install a pool cover. Covering your pool keeps out unwanted debris and keeps valuable chemicals in.
  9. Store pool products in a cool, dry place away from other products such as gasoline, fertilizer, motor oil, household cleaners, etc.

Closing / Winterizing in Milder Climates

  1. Adjust the testing frequency of sanitizer levels and water treatments according to the average water temperature: • At 55-70 degrees, test once a week. • At 40-65 degrees, test once a month.
  2. Maintain normal in-season water balance levels.
  3. Remove debris, brush and vacuum the pool when needed, whether the pool is being used or not. During extended periods of non-use, consider a pool cover to keep out debris.
  4. Run the pump for at least 2 hours a day.
  5. When freezing temperatures are expected, inspect all equipment for proper operation, especially electrical controls on heaters and pumps. If your pool is equipped with a heater, it may need to run several hours a day to keep pool water temperatures above freezing. If the pool has no heater, ice formation can be kept to a minimum by circulating the water continuously through the entire system. If your circulation system is on an automatic timer, it will need to be set for continuous circulation or overridden altogether.