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POOL CLOSING - WINTERIZING

A properly closed pool is a pool that will survive the winter months without freeze damage and

will be easy to open come spring. The cleaner the pool is when you close

it, the less work you will have at the start of the next season.

When you are ready to close your pool for the season you will want to first

be sure that the water is CLEAN AND BALANCED.

1. We recommend that you bring a water sample to

Pools & Spas A Go-Go for a complete water

analysis before winterization and make any necessary adjustments. Be sure that the pH reads

between 7.2 –7.

8 and the Total Alkalinity between 125-175 ppm prior to adding closing

chemicals.

2. Brush and Vacuum the pool and remove any fallen leaves or debris. Leaves left in the pool

over the winter months can cause staining to the pool liner.

3. Add winterizing chemicals as per the instructions for your brand specific chemical program.

You may need to circulate the pool water for several hours when adding chemicals- prior to

pool closing. If your pool does not have a sanitizer level present (Free chlorine of 1-3 ppm

, Simple

Blue Oxidizer 1.0 ppm, SoftSwim 30-50 ppm), it must be added in addition to winterizing chemicals.

4. You must protect your skimmer by one of two methods:

a) Install a

press-in Skimmer Plug.

b) Install a freeze protector- such as a Gizzmo to absorb

expansion and contraction.

5. Unthread the directional eyeball fitting from the return inlet and hand tighten the threaded

plastic cap into the return.

6. Remove ladder and

drain thoroughly.

7. The use of an air pillow placed underneath the winter cover is r

ecommended to extend

the

life of the winter cover. Use a compressor, pump or hand held blow dryer to fill the air

pillow full. DO NOT over inflate or fully inflate air freeze pillow. You may also want to

place a piece of duct tape over the air cap to help keep securely closed throughout the

winter. Tie the pillow using rope into the center of the swimming pool.

8. Place the winter cover over the pool so that the cover is centered with an equal amount of

over hang around the perimeter of the pool. Secure the cover by lacing the cable through

the grommets and then tightening the winch. DO NOT hang water filled gallon jugs from

the cover’s grommets. The weight will destroy the cover and voids the manufacturer’s

warranty. When securing cover with cable, cord or other mounting device, make sure the

cable, cord, etc. is positioned over the top of the Thru-the-Wall skimmer and NOT UNDER

THE SKIMMER.

9. You may want to consider using cover clips to prevent wind from getting under the cover at

the grommets and lifting the cover. These clips slip over the cover and the top rail.

10. Your cover should rest on the surface of the water. Allow an accumulation of 1 to 2 inches

of water on top of the cover to prevent it from flapping or dislodging during high winds. If ice

forms on cover, do not tamper with ice or attempt to remove. Leave ice until it melts.

Before removing cover in the spring be sure to siphon off all excess water resting on pool

cover.