Poolside by CGT Pool Liner Care and Maintenance Guide
Best Practices for Covering and Closing a Swimming Pool
Most homeowners will cover their pool at night, and when not in use. With the great increase in safety cover and automatic pool cover use in residential pools over the past few years, it is important to consider how keeping the pool covered may affect your water chemistry and your pool liner. Simply put, it is highly recommended to uncover your pool a minimum of once per week for 2-3 hours to ensure that any gasses built up under the cover can escape. It may be necessary to do so more frequently during very hot weather.
The specific effects of a pool cover are below:
- Decrease water loss through evaporation.
- Helps prevent pool from losing heat. Note that darkly colored covers may lead to warming of the water when it’s very sunny!
- Will trap gasses beneath the cover, not allowing them to escape.
Closing a pool during the winter months is necessary in cold climates. When closing a pool, the water level will be lowered and circulation turned off for several months, and therefore steps must be taken to avoid high or unequal levels of chemicals in the pool that may cause liner appearance issues.
In general:
- Adjust the water level to the dealer’s recommended level. NEVER drain the pool completely unless advised to do so. Inground pool lines are held in place by the weight of the contained water. Draining a pool completely can cause stretching / misshaping of the liner, which may lead to tearing.
- Test the pool water and adjust as required to achieve recommended levels.
- Circulate the water for 24 hours to avoid chemicals collecting at low points in the pool.
- Clean and vacuum the pool from top to bottom.
- Use a proper fitting winter pool cover, tightly sealed around the perimeter of the pool. It will prevent the accumulation of debris such as leaves and insects during the off-season.
Properly closing a pool for winter helps prevent liner damage and water chemistry problems.
FAQ
Should you drain a vinyl liner pool when closing it for winter?
No. A vinyl liner pool should never be completely drained unless advised by a professional.
The weight of the water helps hold the liner in place. Draining the pool completely can cause stretching, shifting, or tearing of the liner.
Instead, lower the water level to the recommended level, balance the chemicals, circulate the water, clean the pool, and install a properly fitted winter cover.