Closing your pool at the end of the season

After a great summer of enjoying your swimming pool we head into fall. Cooler nights and shorter days! This means it is time to start to plans to winterize your pool and  closing your swimming pool for the season.

Sunrise pool would like to help with some suggestions and products to help you.

Winterizing your above ground pool

1. Ensure water is balanced and pool is clean
2. Lower pool water 2” below return (using a pump, vacuuming to waste, or hose suction)
3. Remove all hoses and equipment from pool
4. Remove all plugs from equipment and store in pump basket
5. Ensure no water is left inside of the pump, chlorinator, heater, or any other equipment
6. Turn filter on “recirculate” to drain valve and leave in position
7. Remove basket from pool skimmer
8. Add closing chemicals into pool
     1 bottle of algaecide for a winter cover / 2 bottles of algaecide for a safety cover
     Calcium-Hypochlorite shock (1 bag / 16,000 gallons)
     (pre-dissolve shock in a 5 gallon bucket with water) MAKE SURE SHOCK IS
    COMPLETELY DISSOLVED – failure to do so may result in discoloration of the liner.
9. Install winter cover using an air pillow and wrap with winter cover wrap

Winterizing your in ground pool

1. Drain water 4-5” below skimmer (if using pool pump to drain, close skimmer valve and use main drain with filter set to “waste”)
2. Turn off gas and pool heater if present
3. Turn on pump and open valve to skimmer to drain remaining water out of skimmer and then turn pump off
4. Open all valves and turn filter to recirculate
5. Blow through skimmer until all water has been blown through the returns and air is blowing through at the returns
6. While air is blowing through the returns, plug all returns (beginning with the most
forceful). With all of the returns plugged, air will be forced to blow through the main drain
7. When air begins bubbling up through the main drain, close all valves to air-lock the main drain
8. Install Gizmo into skimmer
9. Add closing chemicals into pool
10. 1 bottle of algaecide for a winter cover / 2 bottles of algaecide for a safety cover
11. Calcium-Hypochlorite shock (1 bag / 16,000 gallons)
12. (pre-dissolve shock in a 5 gallon bucket with water) MAKE SURE SHOCK IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED – failure to do so may result in discoloration of the  liner.
13. Remove all drain plugs from the equipment (filter/heater/pump/etc) and store inpump basket
14. Remove remaining chlorine tabs from chlorinator