Important Note: The winterization process will vary depending where you live. This video mostly caters to those living in mild to cold climates. As mentioned in the video, the process will change for those living in extremely cold areas.
Good video, Thx. I am in Nova Scotia, Canada, and it can get to -30C (-22F) in the winter, but not very often, thankfully. But it will stay consistent between -10 and -15 C (14F and 5F) for months. We use a heavy winter safety cover, the gizmo and duck valves. We have to blow all the water in all the lines and the pool heater. Your videos are fantastic and I use them routinely to get advice on managing my pool. Thx.
Good stuff here. No two applications are going to be the same. One thing I would add for those of use living in cold climates is to stuff your skimmer box and mouth full of old pool noodles to absorb any ice expansion. A gizmo will work for the box, but I do not trust them and have had them displace more than once, so I just use a piece of schedule 88 that extends to the top of the box. It's crazy to see those pool noodles after a hard winter!!
Great video, thanks! The only constructive feedback is that I would suggest adding a brief commentary in the beginning about the fact that this is geared toward pools in warmer climates. Those of us in colder winter climates need your closing advice plus blowing out the lines. Thanks~
Yeah he had me saying to myself is he kidding with the wrapping of the towel around the pipe to prevent freezing until at the end he mentions that this is not applicable in cold climates. 10 minutes of my life I can't get back...
Hi Mark, thank you so much for sharing such great information. I live in new york and my filter is above the pool. May I know if it's necessary for me to blow all the water out of the pipes? How about the main drain in the bottom, how can I drain the water out of the main drain? Do I need antifreeze too? Thank you very much 🙏
If your system is higher than the pool, you can lower the water level below your returns. By doing this you should be fine, however l would recommend that you talk with a local pool company to get any tips for closing down a pool in your area. Winters up north are a lot more harsh and a lot of homeowners up north lower the water level, shop vac lines out and even use POOL antifreeze. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your post, very informative. Quick question, is it necessary to drop the water level and vacuum or blow the lines? I also see some videos where people are using antifreeze. I am located in Virginia Beach, winter here is not that bad, it rarely gets below 32 degrees. Thank you and I can't wait to hear back.
Follow the video and if you winterize properly you will be good, pools further north will lower water, blow out lines and sometimes use pool antifreeze due to the extreme winter conditions. Like you said where you live the winters are not that extreme.
After removing the sight glass, pressure gauge, drain cap and other inputs/outputs to the diverter, should I be plugging any of these holes or leaving them open/exposed? I have a vinyl cover for the sand filter. Thank you!
Hi my son has a huge pool in Topanga California . It does get cold there . Hi pool was working fine but now all of a sudden it’s leaking . What temperature do you suggest to winterize? I think the temp there can get in the 50’s or a little less . Our pool guy just fixed all the cracks ( cement pool) with the torque lock system , painted this time around in case there is more cracks and budget for now , changed all the pipes etc idk thanks for all your info
I hope I ask this question right, how does a person check the pressure and or return lines for leaks? I'm getting bubbles in the pressure outlets in the pool, no visible cracks anywhere in the above ground equipment. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Great advise, been down in the back but will try it, One more question please, I have a 18000 gall pool with a roll out cover, any advise on when to roll it out and do I still add acid and shock on a reg basis ? Thank you so much for your help.
@@wrongmower Water balance is very important. I would not advice to just add acid and shock without testing the pool water. Always maintain PH between 7.2 to 7.8 and chlorine from 1ppm to 4ppm.
What about a sump pump? I have a tube that goes down to the sump pump…6 inches wide with a cover on it on my pool deck. Should I pour antifreeze in it? Thank you!
@@chucklakes2345 If you are referring to a well point, you can leave the sump pump in the well. It just depends on where you live, what your water table is and what kind of winters you have. Do you have a high water table? Is this a vinyl liner pool? Where do you live?
@@HallmarkPoolSuppliesI live in Cincinnati. Not worried about a high water table. I’m just wondering if I need to be concerned about water getting in there and it freezes. Thank you by the way! I enjoy all your videos.
I have a question on the winter pool closing. I have a fiberglass pool that i winterize in october. I live in michigan and the weather has been a bit hotter than normal.. we have also been getting a lot of rain and the pool water level rose back above the skimmer line. Should i lower the water level back below the skimmer line before the freeze set in. I have a gizmo and pool noodle in the skimmer basket. Thanks.
I would recommend that you lower the water level below the skimmer to be on the safe side. Living in Michigan, the winters can get quite harsh. Thanks for watching.
do you recommend adding chemicals a day prior to shutting the filter off and closing it for the winter? some articles say follow the kit instructions and others say shut off filter then add all closing chemicals and your done. Do I want the chemicals going into the sand filter since I will be emptying the filter? I am not using a kit and will buy individual bottles. Chemicals to close are 4 gallons of liquid shock, 32 oz of winter algaecide, and a bottle of pool magic, 2 gallons of antifreeze all for 29,000 - 32,000 gallons. Anything else like metal remover? powder shock? Any helpful advice? Thanks
@@JJ-fg4wp The proper way to close down the pool is make sure that the pool is clean and the water in the pool is balanced. Then with the filter system running you can add a winter kit or chemicals needed to winterize the pool. After adding the chemicals run the filter for at least 12 to 24 hours, this will be enough time to distribute the chemicals through out the pool. Thanks for watching.
Great video! Thank you so much!! We just moved to northern Ontario Canada & our home has an inground pool (16x32 ft). Is there anything else we should be doing to get ready for winter? We will have a lot of cold & probably snow November-March. The filter system is level with the pool & inside the garage so it will be protected from elements, but still cold. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!
If you winterize the filter system and it is indoors, it should be okay. However, most people that live far up north, will lower the water below the returns and blow out the lines. For extreme conditions you may also add swimming pool antifreeze (NOT automotive).
@@erine9070 I just want to add that if you have an unheated garage, you're still going to have very cold temperatures in there, especially if you open/close it frequently. We're in Ottawa and have snow from November to May and the garage is used to take out the snowblower and the garbage. It's pretty much always around -20 Celcius, until the early spring. Anything that has water inside should be emptied if you store it in the garage. We also remove anything like glue bottles too (woodworking in the garage isn't happening over the winter lol).
Thanks for the video. I was confused watching other pool closing videos because I've never seen my pool guy drop the water below returns, blow out lines, or add anti-freeze like other videos show. I’m in West TN, so I’m guessing our in-ground lines freezing is not much of a problem.
That is correct, pools further north would be winterized by lowering the water level, blowing lines out and adding pool antifreeze, because of the extreme winter conditions.
Great video, thank you very much! We have an urgent question: our pump and water filter are lower than the pool and we already let the water flow out of the pool up to 10 centimeters under the skimmers. We also put big water bottles at the side in the pool to prevent the pressure of the ice to damage the tiles. But now we are worried that the water in the tubes in between the pool and the pump, filter etc. will freeze and cause the tubes to burst .... what is the best solution for that? We heard there is antifreeze especially for pools but they do not sell that in Bulgaria (where we live).Is there a way to let the water flow out of the tubes WITHOUT letting all the water go out of the pool? Thank you in advance.
Yes, the returns can be plugged to keep water in the pool. However, there are other questions I would ask you, such as, how low is the system to the pool, etc. You can email me with your phone # and I will be glad to call you to discuss this further.
Hi there, I hope you're the right person to answer my question. We're in Canada and it does get well blow -25, and this will be my first time closing out the pool and here's what I did so far: It's an in ground and all my pool equipment, filter, chlorinator, heat pump are at last 10 feet below deck. I dropped water level below the skimmer and also 2" below the return jets, plugged jets but not sure if I should be blowing or sucking water out with the shop vac... unplugged sand filter drain plug, sight glass, pressure gauge, switched it to winter position, unplugged the 2 screw caps in the filter pump, basket out and there's no visible water left in the pump but I'm not sure how to drain or blow the Main Drain lines and Skimmer lines that circulate water back into the pool. Both are plumbed in under ground and below the pool. I have Main Drain valve in the closed position (otherwise pool would have been completely drained out) and Skimmer valve in the open position. How do I get the water out of these 2 lines? Do I cap off each pipe, blow air into the other and try to create and airlock or do you have any other suggestions? Side question, is a gizmo really needed when the water is dropped below skimmer and return jets? My apologies for the lengthy message but I wanted to make sure you know what type of system I got and what I did so far. Thanks you kindly!
You have a lot of variables and questions. This would be better to discuss over the phone so give me a call I’ll be glad to help. I’m available Tuesday-Saturday from 10 to 5 EST.
many videos I have watched use air to blow out the lines. I did not see this on yours and don't ever recall the company I used in the past doing this. Is it not necessary?
It depends on how you winterize your pool if your system is higher, lower, or even with the pool. It also depends on where you live. People up north usually suck or blow the lines out due to much colder climates. If you would like to contact me I will be glad to help and will be available between Tuesday through Saturday
Why is it so hard to find one pool closing video that has a pump system remotely close to mine. I have a filter, a skimmer line a main drain line and a pump. Every video I watch has all this fancy extra 28 pipes
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies I’ve already taken care of it but i sincerely appreciate the offer to help. However, I may contact you next fall when I forget how to do it again. Lol
@@viper5ko The winterizing process can vary depending where you live. Not all homeowners will have to do this. If you watched the video l do explain that homeowners with pools that live up north (like yourself), will have to lower the water in the pool below the returns and blow out the lines, due to the harsh winter conditions. In fact, some homeowners will even use POOL antifreeze. Thanks for watching.
Unbelievable…the guy says if you live “ in the North” then you already know what to do…..what the heck why do you think people in the North are searching videos on winterizing ? ….Because they DON’T know what to do…..Title needs to be changed to specify this video only applies to areas that do not experience freezing temps in the winter
@@dominicm2175 l never said pool owners up north know what to do. In fact, l stated that the winterizing process can vary depending where you live. I also mention that homeowners that live up north will have to lower the water in the pool below the returns and blow out the lines due to the harsh winter conditions. In fact, some homeowners will even use POOL antifreeze. I would talk to a local pool company in your area to get any tips in regard to winterizing your pool in your area. Thank you for commenting and thanks for watching.
Important Note: The winterization process will vary depending where you live. This video mostly caters to those living in mild to cold climates. As mentioned in the video, the process will change for those living in extremely cold areas.
Good video, Thx. I am in Nova Scotia, Canada, and it can get to -30C (-22F) in the winter, but not very often, thankfully. But it will stay consistent between -10 and -15 C (14F and 5F) for months. We use a heavy winter safety cover, the gizmo and duck valves. We have to blow all the water in all the lines and the pool heater. Your videos are fantastic and I use them routinely to get advice on managing my pool. Thx.
Good stuff here. No two applications are going to be the same. One thing I would add for those of use living in cold climates is to stuff your skimmer box and mouth full of old pool noodles to absorb any ice expansion. A gizmo will work for the box, but I do not trust them and have had them displace more than once, so I just use a piece of schedule 88 that extends to the top of the box. It's crazy to see those pool noodles after a hard winter!!
Great video, thanks!
The only constructive feedback is that I would suggest adding a brief commentary in the beginning about the fact that this is geared toward pools in warmer climates. Those of us in colder winter climates need your closing advice plus blowing out the lines. Thanks~
Yeah he had me saying to myself is he kidding with the wrapping of the towel around the pipe to prevent freezing until at the end he mentions that this is not applicable in cold climates. 10 minutes of my life I can't get back...
Hi Mark, thank you so much for sharing such great information. I live in new york and my filter is above the pool. May I know if it's necessary for me to blow all the water out of the pipes? How about the main drain in the bottom, how can I drain the water out of the main drain? Do I need antifreeze too? Thank you very much 🙏
If your system is higher than the pool, you can lower the water level below your returns. By doing this you should be fine, however l would recommend that you talk with a local pool company to get any tips for closing down a pool in your area. Winters up north are a lot more harsh and a lot of homeowners up north lower the water level, shop vac lines out and even use POOL antifreeze. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your post, very informative. Quick question, is it necessary to drop the water level and vacuum or blow the lines? I also see some videos where people are using antifreeze. I am located in Virginia Beach, winter here is not that bad, it rarely gets below 32 degrees. Thank you and I can't wait to hear back.
Follow the video and if you winterize properly you will be good, pools further north will lower water, blow out lines and sometimes use pool antifreeze due to the extreme winter conditions. Like you said where you live the winters are not that extreme.
After removing the sight glass, pressure gauge, drain cap and other inputs/outputs to the diverter, should I be plugging any of these holes or leaving them open/exposed? I have a vinyl cover for the sand filter. Thank you!
Leaving everything open is fine as long as the filter system is level or higher than the pool. Thanks for watching.
Hi my son has a huge pool in Topanga California . It does get cold there . Hi pool was working fine but now all of a sudden it’s leaking . What temperature do you suggest to winterize? I think the temp there can get in the 50’s or a little less . Our pool guy just fixed all the cracks ( cement pool) with the torque lock system , painted this time around in case there is more cracks and budget for now , changed all the pipes etc idk thanks for all your info
@@patsyklein8135 In your case you can leave the pool open or you can winterize the pool, you have the option of doing either. Thanks for watching.
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies Thanks, open? What does that mean? And thank you for the reply.
@@patsyklein8135 Not winterizing, leaving the pool open and running all year long.
I hope I ask this question right, how does a person check the pressure and or return lines for leaks? I'm getting bubbles in the pressure outlets in the pool, no visible cracks anywhere in the above ground equipment. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Check the o ring on the pump lid and make sure the pump drain plugs are tight. Give me a call if you need to troubleshoot some more.
Great advise, been down in the back but will try it, One more question please, I have a 18000 gall pool with a roll out cover, any advise on when to roll it out and do I still add acid and shock on a reg basis ? Thank you so much for your help.
@@wrongmower Water balance is very important. I would not advice to just add acid and shock without testing the pool water. Always maintain PH between 7.2 to 7.8 and chlorine from 1ppm to 4ppm.
Do you have a video how to use a blower or shop vac to blow out the water out the system?
Not at this time.
Stick it in the hole with a shop vac and turn the vacuum on
What about a sump pump? I have a tube that goes down to the sump pump…6 inches wide with a cover on it on my pool deck. Should I pour antifreeze in it? Thank you!
@@chucklakes2345 If you are referring to a well point, you can leave the sump pump in the well. It just depends on where you live, what your water table is and what kind of winters you have. Do you have a high water table? Is this a vinyl liner pool? Where do you live?
@@HallmarkPoolSuppliesI live in Cincinnati. Not worried about a high water table. I’m just wondering if I need to be concerned about water getting in there and it freezes. Thank you by the way! I enjoy all your videos.
I have a question on the winter pool closing. I have a fiberglass pool that i winterize in october. I live in michigan and the weather has been a bit hotter than normal.. we have also been getting a lot of rain and the pool water level rose back above the skimmer line. Should i lower the water level back below the skimmer line before the freeze set in. I have a gizmo and pool noodle in the skimmer basket. Thanks.
I would recommend that you lower the water level below the skimmer to be on the safe side. Living in Michigan, the winters can get quite harsh. Thanks for watching.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
do you recommend adding chemicals a day prior to shutting the filter off and closing it for the winter? some articles say follow the kit instructions and others say shut off filter then add all closing chemicals and your done. Do I want the chemicals going into the sand filter since I will be emptying the filter? I am not using a kit and will buy individual bottles. Chemicals to close are 4 gallons of liquid shock, 32 oz of winter algaecide, and a bottle of pool magic, 2 gallons of antifreeze all for 29,000 - 32,000 gallons. Anything else like metal remover? powder shock? Any helpful advice? Thanks
@@JJ-fg4wp The proper way to close down the pool is make sure that the pool is clean and the water in the pool is balanced. Then with the filter system running you can add a winter kit or chemicals needed to winterize the pool. After adding the chemicals run the filter for at least 12 to 24 hours, this will be enough time to distribute the chemicals through out the pool. Thanks for watching.
Great video! Thank you so much!! We just moved to northern Ontario Canada & our home has an inground pool (16x32 ft). Is there anything else we should be doing to get ready for winter? We will have a lot of cold & probably snow November-March. The filter system is level with the pool & inside the garage so it will be protected from elements, but still cold. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Cheers!
If you winterize the filter system and it is indoors, it should be okay. However, most people that live far up north, will lower the water below the returns and blow out the lines. For extreme conditions you may also add swimming pool antifreeze (NOT automotive).
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies Thank you! We will do that.
@@erine9070 I just want to add that if you have an unheated garage, you're still going to have very cold temperatures in there, especially if you open/close it frequently. We're in Ottawa and have snow from November to May and the garage is used to take out the snowblower and the garbage. It's pretty much always around -20 Celcius, until the early spring. Anything that has water inside should be emptied if you store it in the garage. We also remove anything like glue bottles too (woodworking in the garage isn't happening over the winter lol).
Thanks for the video. I was confused watching other pool closing videos because I've never seen my pool guy drop the water below returns, blow out lines, or add anti-freeze like other videos show.
I’m in West TN, so I’m guessing our in-ground lines freezing is not much of a problem.
That is correct, pools further north would be winterized by lowering the water level, blowing lines out and adding pool antifreeze, because of the extreme winter conditions.
Great video, thank you very much! We have an urgent question: our pump and water filter are lower than the pool and we already let the water flow out of the pool up to 10 centimeters under the skimmers. We also put big water bottles at the side in the pool to prevent the pressure of the ice to damage the tiles. But now we are worried that the water in the tubes in between the pool and the pump, filter etc. will freeze and cause the tubes to burst .... what is the best solution for that? We heard there is antifreeze especially for pools but they do not sell that in Bulgaria (where we live).Is there a way to let the water flow out of the tubes WITHOUT letting all the water go out of the pool? Thank you in advance.
Yes, the returns can be plugged to keep water in the pool. However, there are other questions I would ask you, such as, how low is the system to the pool, etc. You can email me with your phone # and I will be glad to call you to discuss this further.
Hi there,
I hope you're the right person to answer my question.
We're in Canada and it does get well blow -25, and this will be my first time closing out the pool and here's what I did so far:
It's an in ground and all my pool equipment, filter, chlorinator, heat pump are at last 10 feet below deck. I dropped water level below the skimmer and also 2" below the return jets, plugged jets but not sure if I should be blowing or sucking water out with the shop vac... unplugged sand filter drain plug, sight glass, pressure gauge, switched it to winter position, unplugged the 2 screw caps in the filter pump, basket out and there's no visible water left in the pump but I'm not sure how to drain or blow the Main Drain lines and Skimmer lines that circulate water back into the pool. Both are plumbed in under ground and below the pool.
I have Main Drain valve in the closed position (otherwise pool would have been completely drained out) and Skimmer valve in the open position.
How do I get the water out of these 2 lines? Do I cap off each pipe, blow air into the other and try to create and airlock or do you have any other suggestions?
Side question, is a gizmo really needed when the water is dropped below skimmer and return jets?
My apologies for the lengthy message but I wanted to make sure you know what type of system I got and what I did so far.
Thanks you kindly!
You have a lot of variables and questions. This would be better to discuss over the phone so give me a call I’ll be glad to help. I’m available Tuesday-Saturday from 10 to 5 EST.
Don't see a link to a winter kit, great vid as always, now I got a handle on what mine needs 👍
We will be adding chemicals on our site in the near future.
many videos I have watched use air to blow out the lines. I did not see this on yours and don't ever recall the company I used in the past doing this. Is it not necessary?
It depends on how you winterize your pool if your system is higher, lower, or even with the pool. It also depends on where you live. People up north usually suck or blow the lines out due to much colder climates. If you would like to contact me I will be glad to help and will be available between Tuesday through Saturday
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies What is the best way to contact you?
Why is it so hard to find one pool closing video that has a pump system remotely close to mine. I have a filter, a skimmer line a main drain line and a pump. Every video I watch has all this fancy extra 28 pipes
Email a picture of your system and maybe I can help.
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies I’ve already taken care of it but i sincerely appreciate the offer to help. However, I may contact you next fall when I forget how to do it again. Lol
Gosh, my pool guy never told me all of this!
This is not for freezing areas.
quite annoying that you don't even mention blowing the lines which is essential
@@viper5ko Where do you live?
@@HallmarkPoolSupplies NJ
@@viper5ko The winterizing process can vary depending where you live. Not all homeowners will have to do this. If you watched the video l do explain that homeowners with pools that live up north (like yourself), will have to lower the water in the pool below the returns and blow out the lines, due to the harsh winter conditions. In fact, some homeowners will even use POOL antifreeze. Thanks for watching.
Unbelievable…the guy says if you live “ in the North” then you already know what to do…..what the heck why do you think people in the North are searching videos on winterizing ? ….Because they DON’T know what to do…..Title needs to be changed to specify this video only applies to areas that do not experience freezing temps in the winter
@@dominicm2175 l never said pool owners up north know what to do. In fact, l stated that the winterizing process can vary depending where you live. I also mention that homeowners that live up north will have to lower the water in the pool below the returns and blow out the lines due to the harsh winter conditions. In fact, some homeowners will even use POOL antifreeze. I would talk to a local pool company in your area to get any tips in regard to winterizing your pool in your area. Thank you for commenting and thanks for watching.