AG Pool not being used, would like to close for winter, Intex recommends taking down

This is only the second year I've had a pool, at the end of last year we took it down and stored it like recommended by Intex. Now I'm wondering if that is really necessary. We live in Southern IN and it does get cold and it does freeze. We've had ice storms instead of great amounts of snow but you never know what the year will hold.

The pool has not been used for over a month. We are all too busy working and the kids are now back in school with part time jobs after school and weekends. I have kept the chlorine and pH balanced and have had no issues, the pump runs 24/7 and I clean the filter daily. Have not been gettting much when I do clean it except after it rains and I clean the bottom also.

I do have a cover but have never used it since we took pool down last year. Seems like the pool gets alot of use end of May thru end of July then limited use til school starts, then barely at all.

Is it really necessary to take it down? I've read the sticky but since I do not know if anyone lives around here, I don't know if the methods would be the same. I also doubt I would test it at all over the Winter. There are two drain plugs at the bottom edge, we have a removable skimmer that just hangs over the side of the pool. I would drain pump and put it in the garage which is unheated except when spouse working on something.

Kathy

I presume this is a soft-wall metal frame or dount pool.
I wouldn't risk it. Ice can generate tremendous force that your pool is not designed to handle. A donut pool will collapse under any snow / ice load. A metal frame pool will very likely fail as the ice expands against the frame.
But ... if you can stand a failure and loss of all the pools water, I'd like to know if you can get by with it.

If you leave it up and filled you'll have to maintain a chlorine level until it freezes. You can drain it down below the skimmer and disconnect the pump, drain it and store it but you'll still have to add chlorine and mix it in manually until temps get below about 45 F. If you're not going to use it for the rest of the season, why not drain it and take it down?

Yes it is a soft vinyl pool with metal frame, prob about 7000 gal. I was wondering about the frame and the ice build up over the Winter as well as keeping chemicals stable if filter/pump in storage so both concerns were addressed and I thank you.

It takes 3-4 days to fill back up since I can only run well pump for a couple hours at at time so I thought maybe I'd just leave it up this year. The box is busted up so I'll have to find something to put it in and the storage shed is full but I can re-arrange stuff to make room for it. If the weather holds out, I'll do that next weekend as it drains which usually takes 2 days even with both hoses running off each side so the yard does not get swampy.

Thanks again,
Kathy