Well,  there is another pool season under our belts here on white cottage farm. That feels so weird to say! It was our 3rd summer as pool owners & while we are learning a lot as we go, we still have a lot to learn and we are not experts by an means. We did try something this year that we are proud of ourselves for though, we closed our own pool! Well, we had help, but we were able to do it ourselves without having anyone come in person to do it & that makes me feel like a seasoned pool owner. I get a lot of dm’s & emails about ending our pool season from where we store things to why we close our pool to how we close our pool & more so I wanted to put a post together to gather all of those questions in one spot. Enjoy some images from the season. 

When do you close your pool?

We don’t have a set date… depends on the year and the weather. As long as we get it all buttoned up before any major cold weather we are happy. Being in Michigan we run the risk of our pool pipes freezing if the pool isn’t running. So we try to get ahead of that, but Copey loves his pool time so we try to keep it open as long as we can.

Why do you close your pool?

Living in Michigan we get some pretty harsh cold weather, which would lead to frozen pipes if we were to have a power outage and the pool pump stopped running. And just typically we don’t go in the pool if the weather is below 60 degree, even with a pool heater. So to save the risk of the pool, some energy costs that it takes to run the pool pump and propane cost to heat the pool, its better to close it ahead of any winter weather.

Where do you store all of your pool patio items?

Some pool items have different homes based on their size and what they are. We have a lot of plants around our pool those pots and planters go into the greenhouses or inside. The pool furniture goes into storage in the barn, and cleaning and smaller items go into our pool shed.

How do you close your pool?

We use Leslie’s Premium Closing kit to close our pool. Its a all-in-one kit that has all the chemical you put into the pool upon closing to keep the poo chemically safe during the winter.

Here is a very brief description on how we close:

1. A big pool cleaning of the pool liner and surrounding areas.
2. Balance the water
3. Add in our Leslie’s Premium Closing Kit (as per the individual instructions)
   *Some of the items in the kit require some time to dilute so this is typically done a week prior
4. Drain down the pool water below the returns (jets)
5. Blow out the lines (Returns, Skimmers, and Main Drain)
6. Pour Pool Antifreeze in the lines & cap returns and skimmers
7. Switch off Circuit breaker panel to pool equipment
8. Drain Sand filter and pool pump (we pour pool anti freeze in pool pump as well)
9. Disconnect electrical connectors (salt water generator and pump)
10. Disconnect and cap salt water generator lines.
11. Recap sand filter drain and put into winterize position.
12. Install Pool Winter Cover.
13. Last step is try not to cry.

It sounds like a lot of steps but if you own a pool, you quickly learn how the pool works and the areas you’d need to address during the pool closing process.

Who closes your pool?

We have hired out closing companies before, this year we did it ourselves. We had availability in our schedule and enjoy doing it ourselves. We can do a quick inspection and added cleaning, and Copey loves helping so its all around a great family project.

When will you open your pool again?

This depends on the weather. We usually open our pool up a little earlier than most in our area. We will uncover the pool and slowly work at the pool when we have a few extra minutes. This typically happens early May, but if we get a good stretch of weather earlier we will.

Does the pool ice over?

We have not had the pool ice over. Base on where we drain the pool too. On average, with rain and snow fall of winter the pool will actually just get up to where we normally keep it at during the summer. We do periodically check on it, if we get a lot of rain, we can throw a sump pump onto of the pool cover if we get worried about it, but haven’t had to so far.

Can you keep your pool open in your climate?

There are actually a few people that do keep their pools open all the way to January. Not sure why they wouldn’t just wait out the last three months of the winter season, but yes you “could”. Just like a river or stream, as long as the water is moving it safe from freezing and busting your pipes. The reason why people close is because they typically aren’t using the pool, so the energy cost to run and potentially heat the pool is a waste, and in the event you were to lose power the water would not move and could seriously damage your pool

We are only a few years into owning our pool and learn something new each year. I can tell you that using a pool closing kit is essential to keep you pool safe from the winter, and helps you create a comprehensive checklist to make sure you don’t miss anything. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and every other day, it truly means the world to us, and if you are thinking of adding a pool into your space, please feel free to as us more questions and we’d love to help answer any questions we can. 

xxLizMarie