What Should I Do After Closing My Pool?
Keep standing water and leaves off the cover, check the water level through the winter, and leave any ice alone until spring.
Keep standing water off a solid cover
A winter cover is not a safety cover. Children can drown in water that collects on top of a cover. Pump standing water off a solid cover after rain or snowmelt, keep children away from the covered pool, and stay off the cover yourself, since it won't support your weight.
Too much water can also damage the cover or pull it into the pool. A cover pump makes clearing it easier. Mesh covers usually don't need pumping because water drains through them, though a pump can still help where water collects.
Keep the cover anchored the way its instructions describe. Loose or poorly secured covers are a hazard, and in high wind, firm anchoring is what keeps the cover from billowing. On an inground cover, use water tubes rather than bricks or sharp blocks. For tips on your type of cover, see What Is an Inground Winter Cover and What Are Best Practices for Using One? or Above Ground Covers: Tips and Tricks!
Through the winter
| Do or don't | Details |
|---|---|
| Do check the pool water level | Heavy rain can change it, and draining water off the cover can also drain water out of the pool. Don’t set the cover pump on a seam, where it can pull water from the pool |
| Do clear leaves off the cover | Use a deep leaf net |
| Don't move sheets of ice | Shifting ice can damage your pool liner |
| Do check your chemicals in early spring | Keeping chlorine and algaecide at the right levels helps keep the water clear, especially in warmer climates. See What Are the Ideal Levels of My Pool Chemicals? and follow each product's label |
Handle pool chemicals with care. See Safety precautions when working with chemicals before you start.
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