- 1). Clean your in ground pool. Remove all leaves and other debris. Scrub the walls of the pool with a pool brush, and vacuum out the bottom. Empty the skimmer basket and remove it. Store the basket and other small parts, such as fittings and washers, in a safe location for winter.
- 2). Remove any floats, ropes and ladders form the pool.
- 3). Backwash your filter so it will be clean for storage. Remove the drain plug on a sand filter, and turn the knob on the top of the tank to backwash. Run the filter until the water level in the pool is 2 to 3 inches below the jets. Turn off the filter, and leave the drain on the pump open. For a DE (diatomaceous earth) filter, open up the backwash filter, and turn the pump on for two to three minutes. Turn the filter off and leave the valve open.
- 4). Loosen the valves on the pump, and disconnect all of the hoses. Drain all of the water from the pump by turning it upside down and letting the water drain out. This will protect the pump and pipes from freezing.
- 5). Hook up an air compressor to the pipe fittings on the return valves of the pump. Blow out the filter with the air compressor to make sure there is no water left in the lines.
- 6). Disconnect the pool heater, if your pool has one, and blow out the lines on the heater. Cover the heater with a cover or tarp for winter storage.
- 7). Screw in the jet filter caps on all of the jets. This will prevent water from getting back into the lines. Use a gizmo type plug if you do not have the jet filter caps. Gizmo plugs are replacement skimmer plugs that can be purchased at any pool supply place.
- 8). Blow out the main pool line, and wait until air bubbles come out of the main drain in the bottom of the pool. Cap the line or close the gate valve to prevent any more water from getting into the line.
- 9). Remove the diving board and slide, if your pool has them. Place the objects in the basement, garage or carport for dry storage.
- 10
Mix together the winterizing chemicals. Apply one pound of chlorine shock for every 10,000 gallons of water. Mix the granulated shock in a bucket of water before you pour it into the pool. You will use approximately 4 pounds of shock for an inground pool. - 11
Add 1 quart of winterizing algaecide into the pool. - 12
Place the cover on the pool.
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