How to Close Your Pool for the Season—The Right Way

Well, all good things must come to an end. I mean, no weekend or vacation lasts forever. Even what might feel like an endless summer is never actually endless. And unless you live in a place without seasons, where you might be able to expect a comfortable swim on New Year’s Day—which, by the way, means you have my envy—you’ll need to close for pool for the harsh, cold, swim-free months. I’ll explain why you should close your pool, when to do it, what you’ll need, and finally, how to close your pool the right way. Get ready to make pool season next year is all the easier to dive into, and save yourself some serious time and money, too.

Winter covers usually use tubes or weights to keep it from sinking further into the pool over time, though they do tend to rest of the water in your pool. Once it rains, you’ll also find that the center of the cover will eventually have a big puddle of water. This is normal, but don’t intervene and it will eventually get so heavy that it sinks into your pool—bringing all that nasty water and debris in, which undermines a lot of the work we just did to keep the first day of next year’s pool season as happy as it should be.

Also, don’t forget to vacuum your pool floor with a trustworthy and heavy-duty model to pick up any sediment that might’ve settled. Do this after you brush your pool, so all that sediment you broke off from your pools and walls doesn’t take advantage of the winter months to cling on again.

Use a brush to scrape down the bottom and sides of your pool, especially trouble spots that are especially susceptible to algae. This will both dislodge any microscopic algae spores that might bloom later if left alone, and will help your pool shock work extra hard in a few steps.