A huge number of our customers have been regular customers of ours since we began 17 years ago so we assume that they are experienced at closing the pool down for the winter but no matter how many times you have closed your pool down it never hurts to go over the procedure again so you can be sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
The water
You should have had the pH in the correct range but if not now is your last chance. Get the water to a pH of 7.2 to 7.6 by adding Dry Acid or Soda Ash if necessary.
Kill off any possible remaining algea. Shock dose your water with unstabilised chlorine – raise the chlorine levels to 6 to 10 ppm. Keep your pump running for 6 to 12 hours to distribute the chlorine to all parts of the pool.
Keep the green stuff out for the next few months. Add a winterising product – this is a long life algicide designed to keep your pool free of algae over the winter months. Keep your pump running for 6 to 12 hours to distribute the algicide to all parts of the pool. We like Perfect Super Concentrated Winter Aligicide.
Allow for winter rainfall. Switch your skimmer valve off and drain the water down to 4 to 6 inches below the bottom of the skimmer. This is to allow for the winter rainfall to bring the level back up otherwise the pool could overflow.
Allow for freezing. Protect your walls from damage by expanding ice by floating something on the water surface to absorb expansion. This can be polystyrene or used chemical containers half filled with water. It is a good idea to tether them around the pool because they can all end up in one corner.
The Covers
Tidy away the summer cover. Take your summer cover off and give it a thorough clean with fresh water. If possible jet it off with a pressure washer but don’t use too much intensity if your cover is quite old. Either fold it up and pack it away somewhere dry or leave it on the roller but cover it over with a winter storage cover.
Keep the leaves out. Put your winter debris cover on the pool to keep as many leaves out as possible. Always tension it as tight as possible. You do not want it dangling in the water. You may need to re-tension it after the first two or three days.
The Equipment
Proctect the expensive stuff. Once you have circulated your chemicals and drained down the top level it is time to drain the water out of your pump, filter and heater. Each should have a drain plug at the bottom to let the water out. This is so it does not freeze inside it and damage it.
Check the water clarity from time to time and if it looks like algae is coming back put some more winteriser chemical in. Despite what they say about lasting 6 months we think 3 months is the duration time for winter alicides.