Dont Be Afraid To Hire A Pro
Even though its pretty easy to winterize a pool, especially if youre a seasoned do-it-yourselfer, some parts arent so straightforward. Blowing out the lines can be tough to do correctly, and is especially vital if you live somewhere with freezing winters.
Regardless of whether you handle every other aspect of pool care on your own, closing your pool for winter may be the one time of year you hire a pro. Thats totally okay! When you make sure your inground pool is closed properly, youll prevent freeze damage that can cost a fortune to repair, and re-opening your pool in the spring will be a breeze.
Happy Closing!
Monitor Chemical Balance Monthly
Using a;test kit, routinely check water chemistry, and consult a Leslie’s Service Technician or Store Associate if chemicals become unbalanced. You can also bring in a sample of you pool water for a FREE 10-Point water test. Our friendly staff will help you read the results and recommend the proper chemicals to bring your water chemistry to a balanced level.
Clean The Pool And Balance The Water
Dont skip this step even if your pool looks clean. Pool contaminants are often unseen so its not worth the risk of a messy cleanup come spring.
Grab your telescopic pole and brush attachment, then scrub each wall of your pool from left to right. This loosens buildup and algae spores, which makes them fall to the;floor for easy treatment and cleanup.
Dont forget to scrub the stairs, ledges, and behind the ladder.
After brushing, grab your skimmer attachment and skim out everything you can see on the surface.
Last, attach your vacuum hose to your simmer line, and thoroughly vacuum the floor of your pool. We recommend;starting on one end of your pool and working your way up and down the length of it vertically.
1a.) Balancing your pool water
Now that your water is visibly clean, its time to clean it up on a chemical level. This means getting your water properly balanced and sanitized for the offseason.
To balance your water, adjust pool chemicals to these levels:
- Adjust Total Alkalinity
- Ideal range: 80 120 ppm
Need more help with balancing your water?
With your water balanced, its time to add your pool closing chemicals. These are the specific chemicals that keep your pool clean, clear,; and healthy while its closed during the winter.
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Whens The Best Time To Open Your Pool
The recommended time to open up your pool is when temperatures in your area consistently hit 70 degrees. While 70 degrees isnt exactly swim weather, these temperatures can promote algae growth. This can be especially problematic if you use a mesh pool cover, as the water will get plenty of sunlight.
How To Close Your Pool
Depending on the climate where you live, the winterizing process will vary. Regardless, its really all about prevention.
For example, removing water prevents damage that could occur when that water freezes. Balancing the water and putting in a few additives helps prevent complications from poor water chemistry. And using a winter cover protects your water from the elements while a safety cover may help prevent drowning accidents.
If your pool is in Arizona, Florida, or any place that stays relatively warm during the off season, you wont need to take freeze prevention measures. Just keep your pool pump hooked up, and run it daily throughout winter.
But if your pool will spend the holidays buried in snow, youll need to blow the water out of the pump to prevent ice damage that can happen when even a small amount of water in the pipes freezes and expands.
Take note of the differences in how to close a pool depending on whether your climate is cold or warm during the off season so you can follow the best steps for your pool.
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Leslie’s Pool Closing Services
Cooler temperatures are on the way! Is your pool ready for winter? Properly closing your pool for the season is an important part of pool care. It helps protect your pool and equipment against freeze damage, keeps your water healthy to control bacteria and algae growth, and helps prevent stains and scaling on pool surfaces during the off-season. If you’re wanting someone to close your swimming pool for you, or if you’re simply wanting to learn more about how to close a pool, Leslie’s Pool Closing Services can do the work for you!
In most areas, closing a pool involves balancing the water, adding winter chemicals, winterizing plumbing and equipment, and covering the pool. It may sound complicated at first, and it does take a bit of time to complete. But with a little help from a knowledgeable Leslie’s service technician, this year’s pool closing will be a breeze.
Clean Your Filter And Other Pool Equipment
With your swimming pool clean and balanced, next is your pool equipment. Heres what to focus on:
- Pool filter
- Skimmer basket
- Pool pump basket
To clean a cartridge filter, take off the top housing, and remove the cartridges. From there, clean the cartridges using a filter cleaner or soapy water. Then, rinse them clean with a hose, and replace or store them once dry.
If you have a sand filter, set your filter valve to backwash and run your pump. Alternatively, you can also use a special sand filter cleaner.
To clean a DE filter, simply backwash it. For added measure, you can also remove the grids, rinse them off with a hose, and add a cup of DE powder through the skimmer.
Before moving on:
- Open up your skimmer lid and clean out the basket
- Clean out your pool pump basket
IMPORTANT: At this point, leave your pool pump running for the next 24 hours
2a.);Service your pool heater and filter pump
Most guides on closing your inground pool dont mention this, which is unfortunate. Especially considering the hundreds, if not thousands of pool owners who open their pool each year, only to discover that water isnt flowing, or that their heater isnt warming up.
No one wants to swim in a cold, dirty pool.
Servicing your pool heater and pump extends their lifespans and keeps them running at peak performance. Both of which saves you money on energy costs, and expensive repairs.
Recommended Reading: How To Build An Inground Pool For Cheap
Why Should You Learn How To Close A Pool
Maybe youve always thought closing only applied to public pools that are closed for the winter. But closing your inground pool is one of the most important parts of maintaining your pool, keeping it swimmable, and saving you money.
Think about it for a minute. While your pool is uncovered all summer, you probably see all kinds of debris end up in the waterleaves, bugs, twigs, and anything else that may blow in. Because youre maintaining and probably using your pool several days a week, you remove all those things from the water before they have a chance to settle and decay in the water.
Now imagine if you left your pool uncovered all winter, but you werent out there every day using, skimming, brushing, and vacuuming it. All that debrisand probably moreis still ending up in your pool. But now itll sit there for months, slowly rotting, settling onto the bottom, clogging up the skimmer, and wreaking havoc on your pools water chemistry.
When the time to open your pool rolls around again, youll have a LOT of work ahead of you to make it swimmable again. You may even have some damage that needs to be repaired. And youll need more chemicals to get the water back to its clean, clear, pristine condition.
In other words, it will take more time and more money to set things right again. And all of that couldve been avoided if youd just learned how to close your pool before winter hit. Do you really need any other reasons to close it?
What Month Should I Open My Pool
The best time to open your swimming pool will depend to a certain extent on where you are located and whether youre in the midst of a warmer or colder spring. That being said, a general rule of thumb is that when the daytime temperatures are at or above around 70 degrees, you should go ahead and open your pool.
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When To Close Your Pool
A lot of pool care relies on timing, and when to winterize your pool is as important as how.
If your local temperatures typically stay below 65°F during the off season, wait until the temperature falls below that point to close. Lower temperatures are inhospitable to algae and can help the water stay clearer longer. Leaving your pool open until the weather cools means you can easily clean, test, balance, and use your pool right up until its time to close.
On the other hand, if your off-season sees several warm days of 65°F or more, you can test and balance the water chemistry on those occasional warm days throughout the offseason to help keep your water cleaner until its time to open again.
When To Close Your Inground Pool
Figuring out the right time to close your pool, and how to do it, comes down to two factors:
Your location, and the time of year
If you live in a colder climate with winters below 60 degrees, start closing your pool once temperatures steadily drop below that point. So once youre seeing day after day with temperatures below 60, thats your cue.
This is usually around August to November.
However, if youre using a pool heat pump, you can easily keep your pool warm and extend your swim season by a few months. And that means a later closing.
But if you live in a hotter climate, with mostly warm weather year round , you dont have to close your pool. You can keep your pool open during the winter, just remember to keep your pump running, and your water warm and clean.
If you live in a hot climate and still want to close your pool, wait until the colder weather rolls in usually between November and January for most.
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Install A Safety Cover Winter Cover Or Leaf Net
Protect your pool and family with a secure pool cover. No matter what type of cover you choose, make sure that it is tightly sealed across your pool.
Safety covers;provide the highest level of protection against accidental intruders, as well as winter storm debris, since they are anchored into the surrounding deck. Take all worry out of unwanted entrance into your pool with a;pool safety cover.
Winter covers, on the other hand, will not protect against people or pets from falling into the water, since they are not secured around the pool. You have the option of a mesh winter cover or solid winter cover. Mesh winter covers protect your pool from debris, while allowing water to filter through the material. This is to alleviate heavy weight caused by standing and/or freezing water. Solid winter covers create a stronger seal against debris getting in your pool, but may require a;cover pump;to help remove water throughout the winter.
Here’s a helpful pool closing tip: if you live in an area with a lot of trees near the pool, a leaf net can help. Pool leaf nets;are typically used in areas with milder climates. These are;mesh pool covers;that allow water to fully pass through the material, while blocking large debris, such as leaves and acorns, from entering the pool. They’re commonly used along with a winter cover to keep the amount of leaves and debris from weighing down the cover.
Leslie’s Pool Corp Ipo: What Investors Need To Know
Leading direct to consumer pool supply and service company Leslies is set to make its market debut this week.
About Leslies: Servicing the pool supply and services market with direct to consumer offerings and physical stores, Leslies Pool Corp is the .
The company serves the residential, professional and commercial markets and;has a 15% market share for the aftermarket residential segment.
Leslies has 934 locations open as of June. The companys digital sales are five times larger than its leading competitor.
Leslies is the leading partner for Amazon.com in the pool category, representing 40% of sales in the pool and spa care category for the online retailer.
The Offering: Leslies priced;40 million shares at; per share;on Wednesday, above the expected range of $14 to $16.
BlackRock plans on becoming a new investor in Leslies committing to buy $100 million in shares at the offering price.
Growth in Pool Market: Leslies estimates the pool and spa care market at $11 billion annually.
Same-store sales rose 15.5% in the June quarter at physical Leslies stores.
The stay-at-home reality of the pandemic has led to significant growth in new pool installations and pool usage, said Leslies in the offering.
The company reports new pool permits are up 32% through July;versus the previous year and are;expected to achieve unprecedented year-over-year growth in new pool installations in 2020.
See more from Benzinga
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Can You Swim In Heated Pool In Winter
When you own a heated spa, you can enjoy it even when its too cold to swim a pool. Or, you can use your pool as a cold plunge and warm back up in your spa. Imagine enjoying a nice, hot spa with massaging water on a cold winter day! Its especially nice to watch snow fall while relaxing in your spa.
Why Properly Closing Your Inground Pool Is So Important
Reasons to properly close your inground include:
- Avoid expensive freeze damage to pipes and pool equipment
- Spend less money on pool opening chemicals
- Save energy
- Avoid metal and organic staining
- Prevent excessive debris and buildup during offseason
- Avoid wasting time reopening in the spring
- Reduce stress knowing everything will work the day you reopen
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Public Transportation To Leslie’s Pool Supplies In Tiger Point
Wondering how to get to Leslie’s Pool Supplies in Tiger Point, United States? Moovit helps you find the best way to get to Leslie’s Pool Supplies with step-by-step directions from the nearest public transit station.
Moovit provides free maps and live directions to help you navigate through your city. View schedules, routes, timetables, and find out how long does it take to get to Leslie’s Pool Supplies in real time.
You can get to Leslie’s Pool Supplies by Bus. These are the lines and routes that have stops nearby -Bus: 61A, 61B
Want to see if theres another route that gets you there at an earlier time? Moovit helps you find alternative routes or times. Get directions from and directions to Leslie’s Pool Supplies easily from the Moovit App or Website.
We make riding to Leslie’s Pool Supplies easy, which is why over 930 million users, including users in Tiger Point, trust Moovit as the best app for public transit. You dont need to download an individual bus app or train app, Moovit is your all-in-one transit app that helps you find the best bus time or train time available.
Lower The Pools Water Level
If you live in a warm, dry climate, you can skip to the next step.
The reason for removing some water at the end of the season is to prevent freeze damage and, to a lesser degree, overflow. Ideally, your water level should be below the tile border, or the bottom edge of the skimmer if you dont have a tile line, or whichever is lower, if you have both. If you have thaws or a rainy winter, its a good idea to check the water level while the pool is closed.
The exact level to drain the water down to is determined by which type of cover youll be using, and the type of pool surface you have. The water helps support your cover, and the weight of any snow or debris that ends up on top, so its important to follow the manufacturers recommendations too.
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Cover Your Pool With A Winter Cover To Finish
There are 3 main options for covering your pool in the winter:
- Winter cover
- A thin vinyl cover held down by water bags. Protects your water from the elements. Does not support heavy loads
To figure out which cover is best for you, check out this guide:Quick Guide To Swimming Pool Covers
Remove Any Pool Accessories
Leaving things installed around your pool like ladders and rails can cause three problems.
The prolonged exposure to chemicals during winter can damage the finishes on items like this. They may even rust, which means the rust will get into your pool, which means you have another problem to deal with when you open.
Also, when you cover your pool, you want it completely covered. Unless you know a master custom pool cover maker who can create one that fits securely, even around ladders and rails, removing them will allow the cover to fit properly and protect your pool better.
Finally, if your pool is not securely and completely covered, it leaves room for debris, but more importantly, small animals and possibly even children to fall into the pool. Removing accessories ensures the pool is completely covered, and can help prevent tragic accidents.
Once youve removed your accessories, clean and dry them thoroughly, then store them in a clean, dry place. Keep them out of direct sunlight to minimize potential weather damage.
Also be sure to remove the fittings from the return lines, including the line for your automatic cleaner, if you have one. Then pull out and clean your skimmer baskets. You can toss the fittings into the clean skimmer basket to help you keep track of them.
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