How to close your above-ground pool for the winter

How to close your above-ground pool for the winter

When fall is approaching, it’s time to plan and schedule your pool closing. Today, we’ll go through the different steps to close an above-ground pool safely. It’s critical to ensure a proper pool closing to protect your equipment and pool structure for the next swimming season. First, take a look at the surroundings of the pool to check if there is a water leak. It would be a great time to fix it before closing your pool. It’s really important to let your equipment run until the closing date. The pump, water heater, and waterfalls must stay in movement as temperatures can quickly drop in the fall, we want to avoid any freezing in the water pipes. Another important thing to keep in mind, even if the weather does not permit swimming anymore, is to continue to test the pH and alkalinity levels regularly. Closing a pool with clean water makes the opening a lot easier in the spring. Lastly, contact your insurer to check if your pool is covered. This will help you avoid any trouble. Ready? Let’s start! [Musique] Now the big cleaning can start. First, we’ll ensure we didn’t forget any object in the pool such as the thermometer or toys. We’ll also remove the steps. Remember that it’s always easier to remove the steps when we’re inside the pool, so it’s a good idea to do it during the last swim, especially since many steps are weighted. If you ever forget it and the water is cold, you can remove it from outside the pool like me. You’ll just make a bit more effort. Before the winter, it’s important to thoroughly clean your filter system. Each installation is unique, so you may have a sand or cartridge filter. We’ll look at all the steps together to meet all your needs. In both cases, we’ll use the same cleaning product which is the Filter Cleaner. However, if you have a sand filter, it’s important to plan this step the day before your pool closing as an eight-hour soaking is required. We’ll start with the sand filter. We need to empty the bottle into the skimmer as the cleaning product must go to the filter and not back into the pool. Now we’ll close the bottom drain access. To do so, we’ll turn the handle under the skimmer. We can empty the product and turn on the pump. Only a few seconds we’ll be enough to allow the product to travel from the skimmer to the air filter. You can monitor through the lid of the pump. When the pink has disappeared, turn off the pump and let it sit for eight hours. When we are ready to evacuate the cleaning product, we’ll turn the filter handle into the backwash position and start the pump. We’ll monitor through the sight glass. When the pink is gone and the water is clear; the filter is clean and the sand is ready for next season. To clean your cartridge filter system, the steps are slightly different. Actually, what we want to do, is to remove the cartridge from the filter and let it soak while we’re closing the pool. It can be done before, at the same time, or even after, but the sooner will be the better. We want to avoid the dirt drying on the cartridge, so when it’s wet, the results are better. To remove the cartridge, we have to open the filter. So, we’ll start by limiting its water access. If we envision the logical path, the water goes from the pool to the motor, then to the filter. So, if we simply cut off the pump’s water inlet directly at the skimmer, half the job is done. To do this, unscrew the inside of the handle slightly below the skimmer and by lifting the handle you can turn it to the Closed position for the motor access. Now, for the second access, where the water goes back to the water returns, simply turn the valve and put it in a perpendicular position to the pipe. This way, it will be closed. Now we must drain our filter because it’s full of water. To do so, we’ll open the drain plug and also the valve at the top of the filter. Once empty, it will be easier to unscrew the lock ring and open the filter to remove the cartridge. Now we’ll soak it in a recipient big enough to submerge it completely. The soaking time is a minimum of six hours. After that, you can rinse it properly and store it inside. It will be ready to be used again next spring. [Musique] We are now ready to close the pool, but we can’t start anything before we lower the water level. So, we’ll start with that. If you don’t have a bottom drain to lower the water level, you can use a vacuum. Usually, we’ll use the garden hose and connect it to the vacuum head, always using the rotating nozzle for the vacuum head. Place it at the bottom of the pool while the other end is placed in the skimmer. We won’t use the skimmer plate. We’ll put the tip directly in the plumbing. To do so, you’ll need to remove the skimmer basket first. We’ll connect the hose, and at the same time, to avoid air intakes, we’ll let the garden hose run at low flow inside the skimmer. This way, the water will be sucked by the vacuum and redirected to the filter system, and from there, we can send it to the street. If your pool has a bottom drain, use it to lower the water level. So that the water flows through the bottom drain, we’ll simply close the skimmer and leave only this position open. To avoid air intakes, we’ll place the garden hose running at low flow directly inside the skimmer. Then, before starting the motor that will allow the water to go to the filter system, we’ll ensure with a sand filter, to put the handle in the Waste position. When the door is opened, the water will be directly sent to the street with the backwash hose. With a cartridge filter, the water will flow from the bottom drain directly to the pump. Instead of allowing it to flow to the filter, we’ll close the access using the handle. The water will be sent to the street with the backwash hose. We always aim for efficiency, so while the water level is dropping, we’ll take advantage of it to clean the liner. The water line often leaves a ring. It can be removed with a vinyl cleaner designed especially for pool liners and a very soft non-abrasive pad. Once the water level is 20 inches below the skimmer frame, it’s the right time to add some Hivercide. We are now ready to winterize our equipment. If your pool has a bottom drain, this is definitely the most critical step. It might also be a good idea to take photos at this step as there as a lot of pipes. It will help you next spring to reconnect everything in the right place. It’s nice to have something to refer to. Everything starts with the skimmer. We’ll turn the valve to the fully open position. So, the water lines to the bottom drain and to the pump are both open. We’ll follow the water line to the pump to unscrew it. We’re going to hang it, so raise it. You’ll need a giant tie wrap that you can find in all our stores. You’ll pass the tie wrap under the top seat of the pool. Once the water line is detached, the locking ring will serve as an anchor. So, you’ll pass the tie wrap inside it to hang the water line. This is a critical step, never neglect it. Do not use a rope or smaller tie wrap, it takes something solid. Sometimes the locking ring can be too rigid and it could prevent you from raising the water line. You can unscrew it a bit, but don’t forget to put it back in a solid position before moving on to the next step. Make sure your skimmer basket is removed before adding the anti-freeze. You’ll need one to two gallons of anti-freeze depending on the size of your pool. Then, you can insert the first backer rod inside the opening of the skimmer. It’s important to insert it as far as possible. Make a loop at the end and insert it in the opening. We’ll do the same with the other backer rod. This one is reserved for the water line that is already elevated. We’ll do the same thing, we insert it completely, make a loop at the end, and tuck it inside. Now we just need to place the two foam blocks on both sides of the skimmer, in each opening and secure it with a small dowel. We have a few steps to complete before storing our pump inside for the winter. We’ll unscrew the water line that connects it to the filter. This one we’ll remain outside during the winter. We’ll clean and drain the components of our pump. If you’re struggling with the lid, you can use a tool specially designed for that. The basket will need a good cleaning. To drain the pump completely, we’ll remove the two plugs. When completely clean and dry, put everything back in place, and the pump is ready to be stored in a dry place inside. Now, whether you have a sand or cartridge filter, we’ll look at the last steps before the winter. For the sand filter, when the water is sent to the street and the water is at the desired level, we can move from the Waste position to the Winter position. We’ll remove the manometer and the sight glass. Don’t forget to remove the drain plug and store it in a safe place so you can find it easily next spring. For the cartridge filter, we already cleaned our cartridge, but now we want to ensure there is no more water inside the filter. We’ll open the valve at the top and unscrew the drain plug. We make sure there is no more water flowing, put the drain plug back in place, and close the valve. The water return line must also be detached from the pool structure, but once it’s unscrewed, you can leave it outside all winter with no problem. Now we’ll put away the small accessories, basket, lid, and skimmer door. We’ll remove them and store them for the winter. It will also be important to remove the three water return parts. For the internal part, you might need an eyeball wrench. For Québec, Lévis, and the surrounding areas, as the amount of snow is quite large, we’ll install a yellow plug in the water return line. It’s important to wind the threads with Teflon tape before screwing the plug. If your pool has a light system, we’ll also winterize it. For a wall-mounted pool light, unplug the end of the transformer cord. The light can stay in the pool for the winter, but we’ll store the transformer inside. If you have solar lights, they can stay in place all winter. If you have a skimmer light like this one here, we’ll also simply unplug it from the transformer. The transformer will be stored inside and we’ll unhook the light and store it inside for the winter. The heat pump also needs to be drained correctly. We’ll start by unscrewing the water inlet and outlet. Not all heat pumps have drain plugs, but if it’s the case for yours, it’s important to remove them to encourage the flow of the heat pump. We can incline it a little bit and then, we’ll insert a first drain plug into the lower hole. If you have a drain plug, ensure you’ve put it back in place correctly because we’ll add anti-freeze in the heat pump. We can incline it and pour the product into the top hole. We’ll insert the second expansion plug before straightening the heat pump. If you have a salt system, there are also some manipulations to do before the winter. We’ll start with your control box. Put the switch in the Off position. We’ll unplug the power plug and the cell cable. Close the control box, it can stay outside during the winter. Now for the cell. This is the part that is attached to your water return. You’ll unscrew it at the bottom. The idea is to detach the cell from the pool plumbing and then, install our cell stand. Now it’s time to clean the cell. To screw the cell stand, use the end. If you can’t find the electrical cord, it will be easier while you’re cleaning the cell. Install yourself on a leveled and protected surface. Protect yourself with gloves and safety goggles as the cleaning solution is corrosive. We’ll pour it inside the cell and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. The product is reusable so you can pour it back into the bottle. If it’s still dirty, you can repeat the process. When the cell is perfectly clean, rinse it gently with a garden hose and store it inside for the winter. If you have an ozonator, you need to protect it for the winter. So, we’ll simply unscrew the two unions that connect the two pipes. We’ll incline the piping on both sides to allow the water to flow. Then we’ll unplug the green wire. It can stay outside for the winter with the control box, but if you prefer, you can store it inside with the plumbing. We’ll keep it safe inside for the winter and we must not forget to unplug the power plug. [Musique] Now let’s take a look at the chlorinator. On each side of the chlorinator, there is a pipe that is connected to the pool plumbing. We’ll unscrew both, and then, put the switch in the Full position. When opening it, be careful, because there could be chemical fumes. If there are still chlorine tablets left inside, it would be important to dispose of them safely. And now, we need to dry it so we can incline it to drain the excess water. When it’s perfectly dry and clean, we put the lid on and store it inside for the winter. The closing steps are all done now, but to keep the water clean and clear during the winter, it’s important to add chemicals. You’ll choose your closing kit depending on if you have a salt or chlorine pool. It’s important to read the labels on all the products to use them properly. This is what I suggest you do with all the products we used during the shooting of this video. If you’re using a different brand, refer to the labels on the packaging for optimal use. We unscrewed a few joints and saw a few gaskets fall here and there. It will be important to apply a water-based lubricant before storing them for the winter. When you come to our store to get advice on how to buy the different products you’ll need, don’t hesitate to show us pictures of your equipment. For example, if you need to buy plugs, it will help us to provide you with the right product for your equipment. [Music] When it’s time to install your winter protection cover, your mesh cover, we’ll start by installing the cable around the pool and tighten it with a little resistance using the tightener. To support the cover, we’ll install a star-shaped elastic system. At each elastic end, there is a hook. We’ll attach them to the cable stretched around the pool. It’s nice to do this step with a friend. We’ll install the cover on top of the elastic system and then, all around the pool. The cable must be stretched too. We’ll stop stretching at the right time, which means when we are still able to lift the cover over a joint cover. During the winter, you’ll need to check the tension periodically because, with the weight of the ice, it could become too tight, so we would need to loosen the tension to always be able to lift the cover over the joint cover. If you have followed all the steps shown in this video, your pool is now ready for the winter and we are already eager to see you next spring. However, if you don’t have enough time or if the task seems too complex, Trevi offers a pool closing service and you can make an appointment at trevi.ca. See you soon. [Musique] 

 

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