Allow Your Pool To Drain
Remember: a tiny hose plus a big pool means a long drain time. Check in on your pools progress occasionally to make sure the connector is still tightly secured.
Important: Keep an eye on the hose while the pool is draining to make sure it doesnt move, and remains directed away from your home and other structures.
This is a good time to get a headstart on cleaning. As the water level goes down, you can start cleaning the pool walls with a mild all-purpose cleaner and soft cloth.
Important: Do not use any strong or abrasive cleaners on your lining. They can damage it, costing you extra money in repairs or to replace the liner.
Deconstruct The Frame And Let The Liner Dry
If your model has a frame, reverse your owner manual assembly instructions to take it down. Clean and dry the frame pieces before storing in a dry and secure location.
Let your liner air dry completely. Once the water has evaporated, sprinkle a little talcum powder or cornstarch on the liner to absorb leftover water and prevent excessive sticking.
Intex Pool Winterizing Kit
Intex has provided the necessary toolkit to winterize your pools based on the different climates. If you stay in regions below 41oF, you will find your kit that fits your area. The same applies to those that stay in the warmer region of above 41oF.
All toolkit comes with your pool at purchase, but you could as well download yours via the companys website.
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Use An Ice Equalizer Pillow To Prevent Ice Damage
We New Englanders have a love/hate relationship with ice. Ice may look pretty, but as we know can cause all kinds of damage to our trees, pools, and, inadvertently, to our backsides. There is not much we can do to alleviate the negative effects of ice, including ice damage to pools. However, we can take precautions.
Properly winterizing your above-ground pool with an Ice Equalizer pillow plays a huge part in preventing ice damage. It must take place upon pool closing before the water freezes over. Setting up an Ice Equalizer pillow will prevent a solid sheet of ice from forming across your pool, ideally giving the ice sheet room to expand and collapse as necessary without pushing against your pool wall.
Trimming the dead branches looming above your property can go a long way towards preventing damage to the structure of your pool and your cover. Also, removing any twigs and other debris that have fallen from trees during an ice storm can save you headaches in the future, ensuring the prolonged integrity of your Winter Cover.
Shock Your Poolso Theres No Cause For Alarm Later
Just what you were looking for: a break. Its time to shock your pool, but remember that youll need to do this at dusk or at night or the sun will burn it off before it has the chance to work. So shock your pool after sunset tonight, run your pool pump for eight hours, and get ready to do these next steps tomorrow.
If you currently have algae blooms that youve just brushed and vacuumed up, you can double or triple the amount of shock you use depending on the algaes color. But no matter what, be sure youre measuring out the right amount of shock for your pool size.
And if your pool is in fact at risk for algae, add one or two doses of algaecide after your shock is done doing its job. Despite its flashy name, algaecide is better at preventing algae than actually killing it. But dont worry, thats one of the many reasons we have another flashy-named tool: pool shock.
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Give Your Filter One Last Go
Since your filter is a holding place for all the gunk it picks up from your water as it circulates through, drain it before storing it this year. No way do you want that stuff sitting for long.
If you have a sand filter, set your multiport valve to winterize and remove the drain plug at the bottom. Allow the filter to completely drain. If your valves has any other extras, like a sight glass or a bleeder valve, remove those, too. If your filter is too heavy to carry inside, itll be fine as it is: outside, with all drain plugs removed.
For cartridge filters, just take the cartridge out, submerge it in water with pool filter cleaner, rinse it out, let it dry, and store it inside. Youll want to leave the valves open on your filter throughout the winter.
For diatomaceous earth filters drain all water out of the pump and filter, and then rinse off the grids with a hose to remove excess DE. Again, leave the valves open on this one.
Cool Off With These Top Backyard Picks
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The Spruce / Sabrina Jiang
If you live in a warm climate or anywhere that gets remotely hot during the summer, having somewhere to swim can make the weather more bearableand enjoyable. As you’re probably aware, in-ground swimming pools are expensive to install and maintain. Above-ground pools, however, are an affordable alternative. They’re also much easier to set up and can be just as fun as their in-ground counterparts.
Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly cool-down solution or want to try out a pool before committing to digging a permanent hole in your yard, we’ve got you covered. We rounded up the best above-ground pools currently on the market, including saltwater-ready, rectangular, round, oval, steel-supported, and inflatable picks. Let’s dive in.
Here, the best above-ground pools on the market.
Dimensions: 18 feet x 52 inches | Shape: Round | Water Capacity: 6,981 gallons | Frame: Galvanized steel | Set-Up Time: 45 minutes
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Long setup time
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When To Winterize Your Above Ground Pool
Depending on where you live, your closing times will vary. But as a rule, if temperatures typically drop, and stay, below 65°F during the off season, wait until the temperature falls below that point to close.
Why? Algae, like orchids or William Faulkner novels, need heat to thrive, and cold temps help keep your water clear of infestation. Plus, leaving your pool open until the mercury drops gives you plenty of time to clean, test, and balance your pool before closing.
If you live in an area where the temperatures occasionally rise above 65°F for a few days during the winter, you can take advantage of the warm spell to test and balance the water chemistry. These tweaks will help you keep your water clean and clear until spring returns.
What About Above Ground Pools
While above ground pools wont pop out of the ground, the issue they can present during a drain is the shrinking of their pool liner due to changes in pressure, and exposure to air.
This is common with older vinyl liners, resulting in tears occuring during the refill process.
The weather will also play a role, as cold days constrict the liner and make it less malleable, which may result in damage.
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Get That Storage Space Sorted
Okay, so youre not taking down the entire pool, which would take up a good amount of space. But that pump, plumbing, and filter arent a walk in the park to store, either. Make sure you have a safe, dry space cleared out for your equipment before you start taking anything apart. If you live in a place with freezing temperatures, youll also want that space to have heating. Otherwise, it could get cold enough in that safe space to crack your equipment, anyway.
Connect The Drain Connector To The Drain Valve
Remove the cap from the drain valve, but dont attach the drain connector and hose just yet. Do one last check to make sure your hose is in the proper draining position because the pool will start to drain the second you attach the connector.
When youre sure everything is set, push the drain connector into the valve. It will disrupt the inner drain plug, and the water will begin to flow. Tighten the connector to the valve to ensure it doesnt come loose while draining.
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When To Close Your Pool For The Winter
When temperatures regularly fall below 65°F, its time to officially close your pool for the season this may be sometime in September for our friends in Maine and New Hampshire, and around October for folks in southern New England.
It is extremely important to run your filter and chlorinate your pool until closure, even if youre not using it. This will make closing your pool down for the season an easier task and prevent your water from turning for the worse before final closure.
How To Store An Inflatable Or Intex Pool For The Winterin Four Steps
Although theyre wildly convenient any other time of the year, inflatable and Intex pools are no match for the harsh conditions of winter. If you have one of these above-ground pool types, the pools equipment, accessories, and the pool walls and liner itself has got to go. Before we start taking everything down, read up on how to close your inflatable or Intex pool for the season. Youll have some things to do before this step, such as draining your pool and gently scrubbing down your pool walls. Once youve got those tasks in the bag, this will be the end of your pool closing. Youre almost thereand it really wont be long from here on out.
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How Long Can I Expect My Above Ground Pool To Last Steel Hybrid And Resin
If youre investing in a pool, you want it to be built to last. Choosing what type of pool you want to buy is a big decision and you should be as informed as possible about the life expectancy and cost of maintenance and replacement parts when making that decision. Whether youre looking for an above ground pool with steel, hybrid, or resin components, Backyard Oasis has the most durable options for every category and every budget.
Average Life Expectancies
The market average life of an above ground pool may be shorter than you think at about 7-15 years. However, when you buy from a quality brand and maintain your pool properly it will last many years longer than that. After all, you cant expect much if you buy a piece of junk and let it rust in the yard. Keep in mind that most vinyl liners last between 6-9 years, so if youre taking great care of your pool, expect to replace the liner at least once during its lifetime.
All the pools we carry at Backyard Oasis are made from quality parts and come backed by warranty, making us the go-to option for durability and strength. We can also handle repairs and maintenance for you. When you buy a pool from Backyard Oasis, you have the experts on your side for life.
Backyard Oasis Pools Last Longer
Come on down to our superstore in Livingston, TX at 2200 US Hwy 190 W to find the best deal on your next pool! Take a look around our gallery for more info on all our above ground pool models.
Your Winterizing Worries Are A Thing Of The Past
Your pool is cleaner than Mr. Monks kitchen. Your water is balanced, pristine, and sanitary. Your hardware is safe, dry, and secure. And your pool is snuggled up with a pillow and blankie. Well, yknow, kinda. Congratulations, grasshopperthe arcane secrets of how to winterize an above ground pool are now yours to command.
Therell be many more years of fun in the sun ahead. But for now, you can rest easy, knowing your pool is prepared for even the worst winter can throw at it.
Happy Closing!
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The Intex Easy Set Pool Kit Comes With Everything You’ll Need Including A Cover And Six Extra Filter Cartridges
The 18′ x 48″ Easy Set pool kit by Intex is probably the easiest pool to set up out of all of our picks. There’s no hassle with arranging metal frames and the edge is soft and inflatable so getting out is a little easier.
It takes only about 15 minutes to set this pool up, as opposed to several hours. You can even make this kit into a saltwater pool if you prefer, though you’ll need a special saltwater pump for that.
The liner is the same three-ply, chemically-stable liner found in our other picks from Intex, and should stand up to everything from sun, salt, and even gasoline. A ladder, a ground cloth, a cover, and a 1,500-gallon-per-hour pump are included. Although the pump may be somewhat underpowered for the size of the pool, you can always upgrade it.
Pros: Easy to set up, comes with everything you need
Cons: Not as strong as some others, the included pump isn’t great
Can I Leave An Intex Above Ground Pool Out Year Round
I plan on purchasing one of those metal frame pools by Intex. Is it okay to leave it up all year round?
By sanemom4 from North Kingstown, RI
We have had an Intex metal frame above ground pool for about 7 years . The guy at the pool and spa shop where we get our chemicals told us you can winterize it and leave it up for the winter – however, we usually find that when the fall hit, even with the cover on the rain and leaves would make the pool so gunky, we needed to take it down and thoroughly clean it anyway. We store it in the shed over the winter. It probably depends on where you live. A spa store in your area will know what’s involved and the approximate cost.
We love the pool and use it all the time. I’d say the price is about the same as that of a city pool membership and the kids use it daily.
Thanks for the feed back=) I just find draining the pool each time is hard. We had a metal frame pool 15×48, had it drained as much as possible. Probably about 3″-4″ of water left. Didn’t get to in time. Since we live in a wind tunnel, this big gust of wind some how got under the pool and flipped it over. The frame got bent in half. Now that the kids are getting older. We are up grading to 18×52. Which is much bigger.
We have left ours up for 2 winters now. There is a lot of gunk at the bottom each spring and we completely drain it each fall. But to us it easier than taking it down.
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What Are The Best Pools For The Cold Climate In Canada
Planning is the most essential part of building a pool in the backyard. And for colder climates, a lot of factors need to be considered. It wouldnt be easy to build a swimming pool which can stand up the harsh winters and freezing climate. However, it isnt impossible as well! With perfect planning and the right combination of design and features, you can make the pool an amazing place to enjoy even in conditions which arent favorable for swimming.
As we know, the average winter temperature is significantly low in most parts of Canada. Therefore, pools which can withstand extreme cold are most recommended. There are some backyard pool designs and features which are very much popular in colder climatic regions. The right combination of both, the design and ad-on features, creates the best and most suitable option for harsh winters.
Affordable But Much More Reliable Than Inflatable Pools The Intex Metal Frame Pool Comes With A Filter And A Puncture
The Intex Metal Frame is the more budget-friendly option from Intex that’s slightly less robust than our top pick. It’s probably not suited for winterizing in most places, but it’s fairly easy to take down at the end of the season.
At any rate, if you’re careful enough with this pool, it should last several summers, which is about all you’ll get out of any pool made from plastic or vinyl. Be gentle, don’t demand too much of it, and, as with any pool, keep it clean. If you follow those basic rules, you’ll most likely be a happy customer.
The only main issue that seems to be mentioned a lot in buyer reviews is that the pump is too small, so you may want to consider upgrading the 550 gallon-per-hour pump that comes in the box.
Just keep in mind that this pool is considerably more fragile and vulnerable than our top pick, and be especially careful climbing in and out of it. Also be sure to store it somewhere protected for the winter, and insider if possible.
Pros: Affordable, reasonably sturdy, pump included
Cons: Thin frames and feet, filtration pump may be too small
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Shock The Pool Before You Close
Sure, you could whisper a dark secret into the filter or perform the lambada, but thats not the kind of shock youre after. Add pool shock to power up your sanitizer for the winter. Consult the directions for each to make sure youre adding the right amount for your pools capacity.
Since youre closing the pool, you can use a fast-dissolving shock before you put the cover on instead of using a typical calcium hypochlorite shock that takes anywhere from 8 to 24 hours to work.
Tip: If youd rather use regular shock, just make sure you add it to the pool the night before you want to close it so the shock has time to work its magic.
