I also live in North Texas. I close my pool and cover it every winter. However, I’ve had a bacquacil pool in the past; this will be my first “chlorine” winter. Best I could tell from what others have said, I’ve going to get my pool as clean as possible, shock it with bleach for several days prior to closing; and upon closing, shock it and put a double dose of polyquat in.

In the past I put in a “bacquacil based” winterizing kit. It cost about $50, so I’m sure I was “pool stored” on that one. I’m not sure how clean I really had the pool because it was always very cloudy and I couldn’t see the bottom very well.

When I winterize, I’ll probably cover the pool and still run the pump and filter for a few days to monitor the chlorine level in the absence of sunlight hitting the water, before dismantling the pump and filter.

The thermometer in my backyard indicated an air temperature of over 90 degrees today, so I won’t be closing my pool for several more weeks – typically I do it late October or early November. I put up with the hassle of a lot of leaves falling in the pool, because I don’t want a lot of algae growing in the water because of warm outside temperatures.

I would also say to get the pool as clean as possible; it will make for less work in the spring. If you know you’re going to replace the liner anyway, then maybe it’s not worth the trouble since you’re already drained it – if you’re unsure, then I’d recommend to clean it – my opinion anyway.