How to Close an Above Ground Pool

STEP 1: Water Balancing

The first step to closing our pool will be to balance our water. We do this by using our water balancing test kit along with our water balancing pool chemicals. It is important to keep your water balanced as it will help protect the pool from corrosion or scale buildup. Once we have our water properly balanced we can move onto cleaning our pool.

STEP 2: Cleaning Your Pool

We want to start off by cleaning our pool. We’ll scrub any dirt and debris off the sides of the liner and then vacuum anything on the bottom of the pool. It's important that we get our pool as clean as possible. If we leave any dirt or debris in our pool, staining can occur.

STEP 3: Protecting the Skimmer

The first thing we’ll need to do is to winterize the skimmer. We will be using a Skim In-sure. The Skim In-Sure will absorb any expansive force from the freezing ice preventing any cracks or damage to our skimmer. Thanks to the Skim In-Sure we will not need to drain the water. This will save us time and money next spring when we are ready to re-open the pool.

STEP 4: Remove and Plug Eyeball Return Fittings

At this point we’ll also want to remove and plug the eyeball return valves with our winterizing plugs. You may need to use a plastic key to remove the eyeball return fittings. Once removed we can then thread a winterizing plug into the niche where the eyeball return fittings were. We’ll want to repeat this process for all the return fittings.

STEP 5: Removing Fixtures

We can now remove any other fixtures like lights or pool ladders from the pool. We’ll want to use winterizing plugs for any of the niches under the water line. It would also be a good idea to store these fixtures in a safe place like a garage or cellar.

STEP 6: Removing Filter and Pump

The first thing you’ll want to do when removing the filter and pump is to drain these items of any water. Simply remove the drain plugs on both the filter and filter pump and let the water completely drain. When the filter and filter pump are completely drained we can remove any hoses then store the filter and pump in a safe place away from the elements.

STEP 7: Adding Winterizing Chemicals

With everything removed from the pool we can now add our winterizing products. We will be using a winterizing product by SmartPool called the Winterball. Using the Winterball is great because we can just puncture it in the appropriate spots and drop it into the pool. The Winterball will slowly release its chemicals into the pool all winter long, meaning that you won't have to worry about the chemical levels during the winter.

STEP 8: Installing an Air Pillow

Before we install our air pillow we will want to inflate it about ¾ full of air using a shop vacuum and place it in the pool. The air pillow will sit in the middle of the pool and we'll need to tie the ends to the sides of the pool using string. We want to tie the string tight enough so that the air pillow will not move during cover installation.

Don't worry if the air pillow is not centered. We just want the pillow in the general center area so that it will sit beneath the cover. Having the air pillow under the cover will help absorb pressure from freezing water to help protect your pool walls. It will also help keep excess water off of the cover. Now that the air pillow is in place we can put on our winter cover.

STEP 9: Adding the Pool Cover

We will want to start from one end of the pool and while holding one end of the cover walk to the opposite end of the pool. Once the cover is in position we can secure it to the pool using a cable and winch. Just loop the cable over and under through the grommets on the winter cover. We will then want to place both ends through the cinch and tighten until it is secure.

STEP 10: Cover Seal

Now that the winch is in place we can now use our cover seal to ensure that the cover will not get blown around due to strong winter winds. We simply wrap the cover seal around the edge of the cover. The cover seal will create an air tight seal around our cover and pool. We are now ready for the winter.