How to Winterize Pool Above Ground Pool

Winter session is not always be a good time for people. For those who have a swimming pool inside the house it would be a difficult time to face. You need to know how to winterize pool to make sure if the pool will be protected.

You do not need to confused once you want to winterized your pool. There is a lot of ways to do and it would only take a few steps to start. However, you need to understand a perfect timing to start to winterize your pool.

When to Winterize Your Above Ground Pool?

Some people believe if the rule says, that winterizing the pool would be better to do once the temperature is set to 18 Celsius degree. It should be done during the off season as you need to wait until the temperature gets down.

The area where you live will determine a perfect timing to do this. Of course, there will be no specific months to do this activity. At least you need to check by yourself about the temperature before you start to winterized the pool.

Steps to Winterize Above Ground Pool

1. Balancing water chemistry

The balancing process for water chemistry should be done a week before the pool is closed. You can try to adjust the water balance with specific PH.

1. The PH should be around 7.2 to 7.4 for better result.
2. Make sure you already know the alkalinity process that will happen around 80-120ppm.
3. For the calcium hardness should be done once it can touch 180-220ppm.
4. Before you do all of the steps above try to shock the pool with chlorine. Try to use at least 2lbs per 10 thousand gallons.
5. You need to wait until the chlorine level return into 1.0 to 3.0ppm. it should be done before you add a winter algaecide and covered the pool.

2. Start to cleaning the pool

Once you can make sure the steps above, you can try to do this cleansing process. there is a lot of ways to clean the pool with simple steps to do.

1. Start to skim, vacuum, and brush the swimming pool.
2. Try to pick and scooping a large amount of leaves or debris from the pool.
3. Keep bypassing the vacuum from the floors to the walls without any waste line. It will remove all of the algae and leaves easily.
4. You need to place the multiport filter valve on the drain. It can help to limiting the waste position. It should be efficient once you can use a push-pull filter valve or a cartridge type filter.
5. Keep brushing thoroughly while vacuuming.
6. Once it all done, the pool should be cleaner and possible enough to cover.

3. Lowering water level

Vacuuming process must be easy to do without any waste. Once you finish, you need to make sure if the water level of the pool is already low enough. This is one of the important steps for how to winterize pool process.

1. Try to use filter pump or submersible pump once you do this process.
2. The level should be lower enough. Mostly, it would touch around 12 to 18 inches below the skimmer. Other will take 3 to 6 inches below.
3. A skimmer can be used for a sufficient process. It can be used for above the ground and inground pool.
4. If you are using a skimmer the water will remain stand still and you do not need to lowered the water again.
5. Pools with a separate main drain would need to close the skimmers off and drain to waste out of the waste line.
6. Pools with cartridge filters would need to use a submersible pump or self-priming pump. It can be used to lower the water level.
7. All the process will take several days until it all done and you can keep the pool clean.

4. Draining pool equipment

You do not need to do a lot of steps to drain the pool. Most of the pool already have a drain plugs or caps to allow the water start to draining.

1. To start the process, you need to set all of the water to drained out of your pool including all of the equipment.
2. If you cannot drain the whole water out of your pool, it will come freezing and cracking at the end of day.

5. Lubricate the O-ring

The process of how to winterize pool would need the O-ring lubrication. It can be done by using a magic lube and it is quite easy to do.

1. The slide valve on the filter can be use to lubricate the plunger.
2. You can use a gas heater with cast iron headers and brass plugs for this method.
3. Keep lubricating the threads as you can leave the plugs in once you finish to drain and prevent from rusting.
4. It can also be lubed for better sealing and chemical resistance for the pool.

6. Winterizing and adding winterizing algaecide and floaters

Winterizing is the essential part to do. It is one of the essential process to make sure if the water is not cracked. Quite easy to do to finalized all of the process.

1. Use blower to push air from skimmer.
2. Plug the lines in the pool. You can use expansion plugs for this process.
3. Add swimming pool antifreeze into the line according to instruction.
4. The above ground pools would need to disconnect the hoses. During this time you can pump and filter also plug the wall outlets.
5. If the PVC pipe is used, you can either blow out or plug the lines. Using a pool antifreeze also will be beneficial to prevent freeze damage to the water and pool.
6. You should not add algaecide and chlorine shock at the same time.
7. For vinyl pools should not use chlorine that will give a damage to the vinyl liner.
8. Plaster pools can using a chlorine large enough up until 8 tablets and equal to 30.000 gallons.
9. After all of the process is done, you can start to covering the pool.

Conclusion

Checking all of the pool situation before you winterized them must be important. The steps how to winterize pool are quite simple with all of the different options. However, you need to make sure to check for the temperature around the pool before you start the action.