It’s nearing the end of warm weather in North Texas. So how do you go about winterizing your pool? Pool winterization is more than just putting away your accessories until spring or draining water from your above-ground pool. Use this guide to ensure your pool successfully makes it through the winter months and is ready for service next spring.

Winter Pool Accessory Storage

You likely have a lot of pool accessories, ranging from skimmers to floats and various toys. Thoroughly clean these items before storing them securely in an area that won’t experience extreme winter temperatures and safely away from insects and rodents. If you have any inflatables, deflate them before storing. You may consider buying a special upright cupboard just for this storage need — and then you can use it during pool season as well, to keep your backyard looking neat.

Winterizing Your Pool: In-Ground

Perform a shock treatment on your pool water before closing it down for the season. You’ll also want to invest in a good algaecide to inhibit growth over the cold winter months. Check for pH and hardness levels as well and make necessary adjustments. Make sure you pour your liquids and crystals in evenly throughout the pool, and shut down your filter while doing so. That will enable your water to get full exposure to the chemicals without the risk of them being filtered out.

Next, thoroughly clean your filter and traps. Ensure any debris is removed and any spots prone to rust are treated. You may need to reduce your water level to several inches below the lip of your pool to ensure winter freezing and expansion doesn’t cause cracks or take away the effectiveness of your pool cover.

To cover your in-ground pool, either work with the company who installed the pool or take very careful measurements. This will ensure that your cover is just the right size — and that’s important, because pool covers can be pricey. You can use sandbags, water bags, or filled pool noodles to keep your cover in place. Alternatively, you can spend a little extra money and invest in a pool cover roller that makes covering your pool a one-person job and uses tension to keep in place whenever in use.

Winterizing Your Pool: Above-ground

If you want to keep water in your pool throughout the cold season, follow the steps above to winterize your pool. Some above-ground pool owners prefer to drain pools in the off season instead. Doing so means that you won’t need to bear the expense of running the filter in the off season or have gross water to sort out in the spring.

Before draining your pool, ensure that you are able to do so in a manner that won’t flood your yard, your neighbor, or your street. If possible, run the pool drain hose directly to a sewer or in-ground drainage spot. Once your pool is drained, you’ll need to thoroughly wipe down the entire liner — walls and floor. For an above-ground pool, you may see that your floor liner has bunched up in places. Carefully smooth those out. Finally, use a good pool cover to keep out blowing debris through the winter, and your pool will be ready again for use next spring.

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