As summer comes to an end and cooler temperatures arrive, homeowners across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the surrounding Waterloo Region should start preparing their swimming pools for winter. Proper pool winterization in Ontario is an essential part of seasonal home maintenance, helping protect your inground swimming pool from freezing temperatures, costly repairs, and long-term damage.
Whether you’re a first-time pool owner or have years of experience maintaining a backyard swimming pool, knowing how to properly close your pool for winter can help preserve your investment and make opening your pool next spring much easier.
Here are seven essential steps to prepare your inground pool for the Ontario winter season.
1. Clean Your Swimming Pool Before Closing
Before beginning your pool closing process, thoroughly clean your swimming pool. Remove leaves, dirt, insects, and other debris using a pool skimmer, vacuum, and brush.
Pay special attention to the pool walls, steps, floor, and waterline. Removing organic debris before winter helps prevent algae growth, staining, and water quality issues when reopening your pool in the spring.
2. Balance Your Pool Water Chemistry
Maintaining proper pool water chemistry is an important part of winter pool maintenance.
Before closing your pool, test and balance the water’s pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness, and sanitizer levels. Depending on your pool’s requirements, a winterizing chemical kit may also be recommended.
Properly balanced pool water helps protect pool surfaces and equipment while reducing the likelihood of algae and bacteria developing during the winter months.
3. Lower the Pool Water Level
One of the most important steps when closing an inground swimming pool is lowering the water to the appropriate level.
Depending on your pool type and winter cover, the water level is generally lowered below the skimmer or to the level recommended by your pool manufacturer or professional installer.
This helps prevent damage to certain pool components caused by freezing and expanding water.
Homeowner Tip: Never completely drain an inground swimming pool without consulting a pool professional. Groundwater pressure can cause significant structural damage or even lift the pool shell.
4. Winterize Pool Plumbing and Equipment
Ontario’s freezing winter temperatures can cause serious damage to swimming pool equipment if water is left inside plumbing lines.
Proper inground pool winterization typically involves:
- Blowing out water from pool plumbing lines.
- Installing winterizing plugs and skimmer protection.
- Draining and protecting the pool pump and filter.
- Preparing pool heaters and other equipment for freezing temperatures.
- Protecting other plumbing components according to manufacturer instructions.
Taking these precautions helps prevent frozen pipes, cracked equipment, and expensive pool repairs.
5. Install a Winter Pool Cover
A properly fitted winter pool cover is essential for protecting your backyard swimming pool during the colder months.
Pool covers help keep leaves, dirt, branches, and other debris out of the water. They also help reduce maintenance requirements when it’s time to open your pool in the spring.
Ensure your winter pool cover is securely installed and appropriate for your pool. Remember that standard winter covers are not necessarily safety covers, so children and pets should always be kept away from covered pools.
6. Store Pool Accessories and Equipment
Before officially closing your pool, remove and store all seasonal pool accessories.
This includes:
- Pool ladders and removable handrails.
- Pool toys and floating accessories.
- Pool cleaning equipment.
- Skimmer baskets and removable components.
- Pool maintenance supplies.
Clean and dry everything before storing it in a garage or shed to help extend its lifespan and keep your pool equipment organized for next season.
7. Schedule Your Professional Pool Closing
Knowing when to close your pool is just as important as knowing how to winterize it.
In Kitchener-Waterloo and across Southern Ontar