Once you know where your pool chemistry stands, balance the water, adjusting the pH to 7.2 – 7.6, alkalinity between 80 and 120 ppm, and calcium hardness between 200 and 350 ppm. Shock your pool with Pool Breeze Granular Shock or 12.5% Liquid Shock two days prior to closing.
Gather Your Pool Closing Essentials
Winterizing chemical kit or pH increaser, Alkalinity increaser, Calcium hardness increaser, Pool shock, and Algaecide. Clarifying enzyme supplement (optional, but recommended) Above ground pool skimmer cover. Expansion plugs.
You do not need a pool winterizing kit. … You really only need one chemical (algaecide) to properly winterize a swimming pool. You need some other stuff to protect your pool from harsh winter conditions, but only one chemical to add when closing.
Shocking kills any bacteria that might linger in your pool during the winter. We recommend shocking a few days before you close the pool. If that is not possible, make sure to shock the pool the night before you close it for winter.
For use, consult the directions listed on the packaging of the shock you buy. Typically, a 1-pound bag is enough for 10,000 gallons of water. Mix the product with some pool water in a large bucket. Then, as the filter is running, pour the mixture into the pool.
By simply adding algaecide to your water prior to closing, you can prevent algae growth from occurring during the cold, winter months which makes for an easier opening in the spring. You can apply algaecide directly to the pool water and allow the pump to continue to circulate for approximately two to four hours.
The first thing you’ll want to do before closing your pool is balance the water chemistry. … Also, make sure to thoroughly brush and vacuum the pool and clean your filter by soaking it in a filter cleaner for 24 hours. Next, the day before you close, backwash the filter and then super chlorinate the pool.
Use 1 gallon of liquid chlorine per 10,000 gallons of pool water. Clean liner above the water line with Swimway Tile & Vinyl Cleaner or another product. (Use as label indicates.)
Add Antifreeze
If you do leave up your lines, you’ll want to add pool-grade antifreeze directly into that empty skimmer. … Most manufacturers recommend one gallon of antifreeze for every 10 feet of 1.5 inch pipe. Just make sure you get the antifreeze that’s made for pools and not, you know, cars. That stuff is toxic.
What Not to Do When Winterizing a Pool. Do not use a floater that contains a strong oxidizer (chlorine or bromine) because the floater will stick against the wall and stain or bleach your wall. … They will sink to the bottom and damage your pool’s surface.
Plug and Cover the Pool
Drain the pool about four to six inches below the skimmer then add a skimmer cover. Blow up the air pillow and place it in the middle of your pool. Put on the pool cover and secure with winter cover clips.
Algaecide should be used after each shock treatment, so it has a better chance to support your chlorine as it works its magic. Be sure to shock your pool first, then when the chlorine levels of your pool return to normal, add the correct amount of algaecide to several places around your pool while your pump is running.
Sodium hypochlorite (also known as liquid chlorine) is another frequently used option for shocking pool water. This is a common choice in pool shock because you can pour the solution directly into the pool without having to dissolve the chlorine in water beforehand.
The best time of day to add bleach to your pool is at sunset. The purpose of shocking a pool is to quickly increase the concentration of free available chlorine. … You can also simply add more chlorine, and pouring household bleach into the pool is one way to do this.
Liquid chlorine is less costly, unstabilized and comes in liquid form. Granular shock is stabilized and comes in a solid form that dissolves in your pool. … Chlorine is the most cost-effective way to sanitize your pool. It has been the product of choice for almost 100 years.
If your pool has been green all season you’re probably super excited to close it. While it seems like the easiest option – it’s not! It’s much smarter to close your pool as clean as possible. Algae can grow in water as cold as 50 degrees.
There are several saltwater pool closing kits on the market and most of them include the same things: an algaecide, stain-fighter or scale inhibitor, and an oxidizer. Use a closing kit to gain the benefits from these three products or purchase them separately–whatever works best for you and your pool.
Pool line antifreeze will eventually end up in your pool water. Don’t try to cut corners by substituting auto antifreeze or any product with ethylene glycol – even at low concentrations, the ethylene glycol reacts with pool chlorine to form toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons in the water.
For most folks however, I would recommend a tight fitting winter pool cover, to keep maintenance to a minimum, and to protect and secure the pool during the off-season. But it is possible to close a pool, without covering the pool, but it’s best to cover the pool that is not circulating.
What is a pool stabilizer? It is often referred to by several names—chlorine stabilizer, pool conditioner, chlorine pool stabilizer, among others—but basically, it is a chemical additive that functions to stabilize and extend the active life of the chlorine in the pool water.
Calcium hypochlorite is an inorganic compound with formula Ca(OCl)2. It is the main active ingredient of commercial products called bleaching powder, chlorine powder, or chlorinated lime, used for water treatment and as a bleaching agent.
Several days before closing, shock the pool with a chlorine shock or non-chlorine shock, using at least 2 lbs per 10,000 gallons (follow package directions). Allow the chlorine level to return to 1.0-3.0 ppm before adding any winter algaecide or your pool cover.
Freezing temperatures
September and October are a good time to close the pool because the weather is ideal. It’s still warm to be outside, enjoying the sun, even if you hate to say goodbye to summer. But once those temperatures start dropping significantly, you’re going to kick yourself for not closing the pool sooner.
Chlorine—yep, your typical sanitizer—is much more effective at killing algae than algaecide is. Even if your water gets cloudy and your walls get slimy, chlorine can still kill it. That’s because chlorine oxidizes bacteria and single-celled algae, which means they trade electrons.
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