What Homeowners Should Know: Preparing Your Pool for the Fall in 6 Smart Steps

As the temperature drops and the leaves start to turn, it’s time to get your home ready for colder weather. Learning how to close your pool for the colder months is a critical step in caring for your home. It may be tempting to just throw a cover on and leave it be until spring. But if you winterize your pool properly using the steps outlined below, the pool and equipment will be safe, clean, and ready to go when swim season comes back around.

Let's see how to p a pool in six simple steps.

Why Fall Pool Preparation Matters

Learning how to close your pool for winter is all about protecting your investment. Proper winterization helps prevent damage from freezing temperatures, falling debris, and algae growth. It also extends the life of your pool equipment, including the pump, heater, and filters, by keeping water from freezing inside the system.

Taking time now to prepare your pool for winter can also save time and money when spring returns, reducing cleanup and chemical costs. Proactive maintenance like this shows you’re caring for your property — an essential point, because your homeowners policy won't cover damage resulting from neglect.

Step 1: Remove Equipment and Debris

The first step in how to close the pool for the winter is removing all toys and removable accessories, including slides, ladders, diving boards, portable cleaning equipment, and handrails. Keep track of all the hardware, then clean the components thoroughly, checking for any cracks or damage. Store them indoors if possible.

Then use your skimmer net to gather any organic material from the pool. Since the water won’t be treated chemically or filtered during winter, it’s important to remove leaves as they can stain the bottom of your pool.

Step 2: Balance the Chemicals

To ensure your pool’s chemistry is balanced for winter, you need to test for pH (acidity), total alkalinity, and calcium hardness. These three components need to be in the right range, or algae growth, corrosion, or scaling can occur over the winter. The pH level is especially important since that can affect the performance of the other chemicals. An ideal pool pH is 7.2 to 7.8 parts per million (PPM).

Step 3: Shock the Pool

The next step in how to prepare the pool for winter is to add chlorine to the water to eliminate organic contaminants and prevent algae growth. Chlorine breaks down bacteria, prevents algae, and keeps your pool fresh and contaminant-free.

To shock your pool, simply add an extra-big dose of chlorine. Aim to increase the PPM to between 10 and 12. Then, give it a couple of days to return to its normal level of 1.5 to 3.5 PPM before closing up for the winter.

If your pool tends to grow algae, add a winter algaecide after shocking. Follow the product’s dosage instructions — most require a precise amount per 10,000 gallons of water.

Step 4: Lower the Water

Lower the water level in the pool so the waterline is 4-6 inches below the skimmer. This keeps the skimmer and pool tiles from cracking when the temperature plummets.

However, don’t drain the pool completely, as that can cause it to become unstable due to pressure from the surrounding soil. If you have a multiport valve on your pool pump or on the drain, you’ll find it fairly easy to lower the water level. Another option is to use a submersible pump or hose to siphon water out.

After lowering the water level, seal the skimmer line with a winterizing plug (sometimes called a Gizmo) to prevent ice damage.

Step 5: Blow Lines, Drain Equipment, and Winterize

Using an air compressor, blow out all the water from the pump, filters, heater, and chlorinator to avoid your equipment freezing or cracking. If you’re unable to blow out the lines, add pool-safe antifreeze directly into the plumbing lines. Then, use drain plugs to prevent water from entering the pipes during winter. The most common type of plug is known as an “expansion plug.” Finally, remove and thoroughly clean your filters before storing them, indoors if possible.

Step 6: Cover the Pool Properly

A snug, well-fitted pool cover for winter is important. Mesh covers let rain and snow drain through, preventing sagging and heavy water buildup, though a little sunlight and fine debris may get through. Solid covers block sunlight to reduce algae, but they hold rain and snow on top. Place an air pillow on the water before covering the pool to absorb ice expansion and prevent the cover from sagging or tearing. Use a cover pump or siphon to remove standing water from a solid cover as needed.

Whichever type of pool cover you choose, keep it tight and anchored to block debris and protect your pool until spring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Now that you know how to close your pool for winter, be sure to avoid these common mistakes:

• Leaving toys or debris in the pool — they trap moisture and can stain or damage pool surfaces.
• Skipping chemical balancing or shocking — untreated water encourages algae and corrosion.
• Draining the pool completely — can lead to structural cracking or liner damage.
• Forgetting to blow out or plug lines — trapped water can freeze and crack pipes or fittings.
• Using an ill-fitting or loose pool cover for winter — lets in debris, sunlight, and snow that strain the pool walls.

Bonus Tips for Spring Readiness

Now that you've learned how to winterize your pool, a little extra organization will make reopening it faster and easier in the spring.

• Label and store all hardware and accessories together so nothing gets lost.
• Keep notes or take quick photos of your equipment setup and plumbing layout — make reassembly easier.
• During winter, inspect the cover occasionally and clear away any debris or standing water to keep your pool in good shape for spring.
• A week before reopening, run a water chemistry test to check pH and chlorine levels, and adjust as needed.

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

Congratulations! You now know how to close your pool to protect it over the winter. Add it to your home maintenance checklist. While it takes some work, you’ll be glad you put in the effort when you open it next year and find everything in good condition and ready to use. Simple preparation like this makes life easier.

Now, enjoy winter fun and look forward to swimming again next year. If you’re a Wawanesa member, be sure to check that you have the right coverages and discounts on your homeowners policy. Feel free to give us a call, and one of our agents can help you.