closing!

This will be my first pool closing. I live in the midwest so I don't think it will be too long before I have to do it. I have lots of questions. I have read through some of the forum but still have these.

1. Any recomended type or brand of cover? I have read solid and mesh...does it matter?
2. Do those pool pillows work, and are they needed?

3. I have wedding cake steps...do I need to take them out?

4. Do you have to take the filter/pump indoors or can I just unhook it and cover it with a tarp or something? How do you drain the filter? I have read things about high pressure and it scares me to mess with it. I don't want to blow my hand off or something...lol.

5. I have a skimmer plate and a plug for the return. So I don't need to lower my water level, right?

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Originally Posted by bjaeram

This will be my first pool closing. I live in the midwest so I don't think it will be too long before I have to do it. I have lots of questions. I have read through some of the forum but still have these.

1. Any recomended type or brand of cover? I have read solid and mesh...does it matter?
2. Do those pool pillows work, and are they needed?

3. I have wedding cake steps...do I need to take them out?

4. Do you have to take the filter/pump indoors or can I just unhook it and cover it with a tarp or something? How do you drain the filter? I have read things about high pressure and it scares me to mess with it. I don't want to blow my hand off or something...lol.

5. I have a skimmer plate and a plug for the return. So I don't need to lower my water level, right?

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1. When we had our 20k gal. IG vinyl pool installed in 2004, we opted for a mesh safety cover (seemed like a good idea at the time). However, spring cleanup was a bit of a pain since the mesh cover allows fine dirt to get in the pool. Also, it allows some light through so we had to wait until Nov/Dec to close and open by late Feb/eary March to avoid algae blooms. A few years ago I started using a solid cover over the mesh cover. Spring cleanup is much easier now and I can close/open when I want (usually open in May and close in October) without algae issues. I should let you know we have no children or pets (that go outside). If there is a concern about kids or pets getting on the cover, then a safety mesh cover would be the way to go. If that's not an issue, then I would go with a solid cover. Just make sure you pump/siphon off the water that accumilates on it.

2. Sorry, I haven't tried those.

3. Again, don't know.

4. Our installer did say the pump would last longer if we stored it indoors during the winter, but I haven't done so. The pump still works fine, but I have noticed the metal housing is rusting on the bottom. If you don't mind the hassle, I would say store it indoors.

5. As long as you take measures to prevent water from freezing in the skimmer and damaging it, you shouldn't have to lower the level (I don't). However, I'm sure where you live has alot to do with this. In our area we rarely get hard freezes and the skimmers are below ground level. Since you have an AG pool with skimmers above ground level, and you don't have to worry about the liner floating (this is the reason I try not to lower the water level too much in our IG vinyl pool), perhaps it would be wise to err on the safe side and lower your water level.

Hope something here helps.

The air pillows do work keeping the water from puddling in the middle of the cover and putting a lot of stress on the walls.

You'll have to remove your steps to get a cover on.

Another option is not to cover the pool. I don't cover mine anymore and haven't for several years.

(There is a sticky at the top of this section of the forum about closing AG pools that may be helpful for you to read.)

I used pillows last year, 4 of them. One went flat within a week of pool closing, a second went flat around march or so. Also the pillows need to be secured so that they stay centered........ one of my lines snapped over the winter and the pillows moved off to one side allowing water to collect in the deep end. I'm considering going with a mesh or solid cover for this season's closing, though I havent yet decided as cost and other factors need to get sorted out. With the tarp I also used a leaf net, this helped out greatly with keeping the tarp leaf free.

Pump motors I've always stored indoors, though I'm sure a good cover will be just as sufficient.

Pool company always left water at mid skimmer and used Gizmos. I plan to close pool this year. I will lower water below skimmers and install Gizmos.

-Rob