Pool closing special conditions

[jonnhid]

I am new here but have owned an above ground pool with a vinyl liner and a sand filter for about 6 seasons now. I am getting ready to close it for the year, but I have a few specific questions first. We have an issue with moles in the yard and last year they tunneled under the pool and their tunnel collapsed causing trenches on the bottom, one of which has caused a leak that I don't think can be patched. We are planning on replacing the liner and having the floor sand redone at the beginning of next season. My questions are: should I still use all the normal closing chemicals? I'm thinking about not even putting the winter cover on, is there a reason that I am overlooking why I should anyway? I do plan on putting antifreeze in the lines just to keep them from freezing. I'm crunched for time these days and would like to do the minimal amount of work necessary to close it for now. Any suggestions are welcome (even if you're just going to tell me to quit being so lazy) ;-)
Thanks!

[aylad]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

There are two things you're trying to protect during closing--the pool, and the equipment/pipes. You definitely need to follow whatever routine you've been using for the pipes/pump/skimmer/filter, etc, but as far as the pool goes, I don't know why it would hurt to leave the cover off this year, if you're going to replace the liner next year anyway.

Note that I say all this, but I don't close my pool--so others will chime in with opinions, I'm sure, and I would value theirs over mine when it comes to pool closings. However, if you are going to replace the liner anyway, I don't see why you would need to cover it or even really worry about the chemicals, other than to make sure it doesn't become a breeding ground for mosquitoes before it gets too cold for them....

[jonnhid]

Thanks for your reply. The "breeding ground for mosquitoes" is one of the things that I "overlooked" I'll probably go ahead and drain it below the output jet, put antifreeze in the lines and throw the solid cover and mesh cover on anyway. I will wait a few days for other responses but I appreciate your suggestion.
Thanks

[aylad]

I don't know if y'all are having the same West Nile problems this year that we have, but any attempt to keep the mosquito population down would be a good thing.....

[PoolDoc]

membership updated; thread moved. -ben

An alternative to messing with the cover and such, is to put either heavy oil or detergent in the pool. A little oil, or a lot of detergent, will prevent mosquito larvae from surviving.

Of course, you have to think about where the mess will go, when you pump the pool. The oil shouldn't be an issue, unless you over do it; the detergent might be, depending.