Winterizing Above Ground Pool

(White Marsh)

I have a 21 foot round above ground pool w/ deck around it and Pentair clean & clear plus filter attached by PVC piping, not flexible hose - piping runs from skimmer to flexible PVC pipe to pump to PVC piping to filter to flexible PVC hose to PVC pipe to return, Do I need to add anti-freeze to the pipes? I am in Maryland.

Hi.

Ideally you should have shut off valves near the skimmer and return. That would allow you to disconnect the filter and bring it into storage for the winter. The next best thing would be to block the water from inside the skimmer and return and then drain the filter system so that it can sit empty of water.

Another option would be to ask around your town, pool stores and neighbors, and see what they recommend. Most of my life has been spent in climates where we do not freeze, so I don't have first hand knowledge, just what I have read.

My brother in law in New York tops the pool off with water, blocks the skimmer and return, removes the filter equipment and covers the pool for the winter. This is also the most common procedure I have read about in the online pool forums.

Correct Method To Winterize Pool

by Tom
(Lake View, IA, USA)

I have an above ground 21'x42' oval pool and live in NW Iowa. To winterize, I dropped the water below the skimmer and covered the pool. I did not have a balloon under the cover. All appeared fine for the first several months although there was a good bit of ice on top of the cover that I could not remove.

Mid February we got a really strange warm up and I noticed all of a sudden the ice level had dropped, especially in the pool center, the ice also was lopsided, lower on the south end the the north end by at least a foot. I undid the cable on the cover as it was obviously stressing the walls. Several areas the wall at the bottom appeared to be buckling outward.

Now that the snow and ice is gone, I see the liner split the seam about 2' long at the seam between the floor and the wall. The wall in that area has now been pushed out and a few areas are out of the bottom track.

I plan to pull the liner and replace, and to put the wall back in etc. But I'd like to know if this is common and how to prevent it. This is our second year with the pool. The first winter was much harsher and all held up fine.

Hi Tom.

I'm pretty sure the correct method to winterize an above ground pool, the one being currently recommended anyway, is to keep the pool as full of water as possible. In order to do that you need to block off the skimmer. It's also a good idea to unhook your filter equipment and store it indoors.

The link below will tell you more about the skimmer guard.

Skimmer Guard

Winterizing a Pool in a Warm Weather Climate

by Tony Carreiro
(Houston, Texas)

Hello! I'm rying to find out what is the best way to "winterize" a pool in a warm weather climate. We live in Southeast Texas, where the temperature in winter only hits freezing for one or two days.

We have a 20' x 48" Intex Ultra Frame pool with a saltwater system, and I wanted to know how often I should be running the pump and saltwater system to keep the pool in decent shape over the cooler months. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Tony C. Houston, TX

Hi Tony.

You could easily do what I do here in Arizona. I run the filter a few hours a week, just enough to circulate the water.

At the same time I add a little chlorine. That's about all I do all winter.

As soon as the weather starts to warm in the spring I start running the filter daily and keeping a closer watch on the chemicals.

Winterizing An Intex Pool

What do we need to do to make sure our intex pool (16' x 48") is ready for our cold winters? We live in Central Illinois and want to make sure our pool will last for a while.

Hi.

I would drain the pool, carefully take it down and store it indoors for the winter. They can be winterized like any other above ground pool but you do run the risk of ice damaging the pool liner.

To keep the pool full you would want to block off your filter and return openings and remove your filter equipment. This should be stored out of the weather for the winter.

The pool should be clean and the chemicals balanced before the cover goes on for the winter. But like I said, if you really want the pool to last, take it down for the winter.

A reader recently posted that after a few years of folding up their Intex pool each winter it developed holes in the creases where it had been folded. To prevent this from happening I would fold it loosely, or roll it up instead, and store it where it won't freeze over the winter.

Empty Pool During Winter Months in East Texas

by Bill Metcalf
(Athens, Texas)

Our 25 round pool sprung a major leak. Not sure where the leak is but it is 15 years and there is a lot of sink holes. It is now November and we cannot keep adding water as it runs out as fast as we put it in.

It is now empty. What should we do to keep the walls supported? We really don't want to take the walls down. We plan to put a new liner in in the spring and repair ground for new liner.

Hi Bill.

It takes a really good wind to take down an empty above ground pool. I have seen them left empty for years.

I have also seen a good monsoon storm lay an empty pool flat. So chances are in your favor that you will be just fine. But that is no guarantee. You are taking your chances.