Today I wanted to write out a quick closing supply check list for my above ground pool owners. This will help those of you wondering what it is you need to close your above ground pool properly.
1. Above ground winterizing chemicals:
Come fall you will see complete winter kits available for all pool sizes that are inexpensive and very convenient at your local pool store. If you pair these kits up with a couple gallons of liquid shock you are good to go. If you can’t find these winter kits or just want to get higher strength products here is what i recommend.
• 2 gallons of liquid shock – better than granular in this situation as you can add the shock even after you have drained the water level without worrying about it staining the liner.
• 1 qt. of high strength algaecide at a minimum a 30% algaecide preferably a 60% poly based or a 70% copper based algaecide.
• 1 bottle of stain and scale control to remove mineral stains and scaling.
2. Aquador skimmer plate
One item I highly recommend is a skimmer plate to block off the skimmer for the winter. The Aquador series of covers work great and keep the water from getting in the skimmer and cracking it. We see cracked above ground skimmers every spring and this is the best way to prevent your skimmer from cracking this winter.
3. Winter pool cover
We all want to keep the leaves out of the pool and a solid winter cover is the best way to do this on an above ground pool. Covers come in all different grades and thickness and thus vary greatly in price. Ask your pool supply store for samples of the material so you know what you are buying.
A quick note about covering above ground pools. I highly recommend removing the cover from the pool once all the leaves have fallen. The weight of snow and rain water puts a lot of strain on the pool walls and can lead to serious damage to the pool. Once the leaves fall drain off any rain water, remove the leaves, and pull off the cover for winter to avoid any problems.
4. Cable and winch
This product comes with the winter cover when purchased new If you are using an existing winter cover however sometimes it is necessary to replace the cable and winch assembly.
The cable is woven through the grommets of the pool cover and the winch tightens the cable underneath the top rail of the pool locking the cover in place.
WARNING
This system of tightening a cable under the top rail of the pool is the main reason I would like above ground pool owners to take the cover off after all the leaves have fallen.
If this is not an option however one method of choice is to use the cable and winch to merely hold the cover in place while you tie off milk jugs or other water filled bottles from the grommets to weigh down the cover which will take some of the pressure off the top rail of the pool.
5. Air pillow or inner tube
The air pillow is a very important part of closing an above ground pool as it keeps the cover from sinking in and falling into the pool or damaging the top rails. You can buy air pillows as small as 4’x 4’ but I suggest nothing smaller than a 4’ x 8’ pillow. Furthermore if your pool is 24’rnd or larger I recommend 2 4’x8’ air pillows.
The idea with the air pillows is to keep them in the middle of the pool so it creates a small troth around the outside edge of the pool. This way as water gets on top of the cover it is putting less strain on the top rails of the pool.
Obviously the air pillows are light floating objects and want to move around and if they are not tied off they will certainly end up at one side of the pool which pretty much renders them useless. Use some good twine or rope to tie your air pillows off and keep them in the middle of the pool.
Now most air pillows sold at swimming pool stores are not the most durable things in the world, so if you can find a good size truck tire inner tube to blow up and put in the middle of the pool those work great, two of them is even better. These will last and can be patched easier than air pillows.
I hope this above ground pool closing checklist has helped our new pool owners and veterans a like and again if you have any questions please leave a comment below and I will respond as soon as i am able.
Also if you are in our service area of North Shore Massachusetts or Seacoast New Hampshire and are in need of an above ground pool closings please fill out our online closing request form here.
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