Thinking about closing your pool yourself this fall? Here’s what is necessary for at home pool closing, where DIY closings go wrong, and why many GTA homeowners leave it to the pros when it comes to winterizing.
As the leaves start to fall and the temperatures start to drop, every pool owner faces the same question: do I close the pool myself this year? Or call in the professionals?
Closing a pool can look simple on paper. Drop the water, add some chemicals, throw the cover on, and done. But anyone who’s opened their pool in the spring to find cracked pipes, a super green swamp, or a damaged liner knows that how your pool is closed in the fall decides what you’ll be dealing with in the spring.
We’ve broken down both options below so you can decide what’s right for your pool:
What a Proper Pool Closing Involves
A proper closing is more than just covering the pool. If it’s done right, it usually includes:
- Testing and balancing your water chemistry: pH, alkalinity & calcium hardness
- Shocking the pool: plus adding winterizing chemicals such as algaecides to prevent algae and staining over the winter.
- Cleaning the pool: skimming, brushing, and vacuuming out leaves & debris.
- Lowering the water level: the correct water level for your pool type and cover is incredibly important. (Vinyl vs Concrete vs Fibreglass + Safety Cover vs Lock-In vs Water bag)
- Blowing out and plugging the plumbing lines: so no water is left to freeze in any of your lines.
- Winterizing the equipment: draining the pump, filter, heater, and chlorinator, and removing your salt cell and drain plugs to protect your equipment over the winter.
- Removing and storing accessories: like ladders, rails, and diving boards
- Installing the winter cover: Installing your cover properly, with correct tension and anchoring is imperative.
Miss one of these important steps and the consequences can show up months later.
Closing Your Pool DIY Style
We’ll be upfront about this: some pool owners close their own pools successfully every year and the appeal is easy to understand:
- You save on the service cost up front.
- You work with your own schedule.
If you’ve got the experience, the right tools including a blower strong enough to fully clear your lines, and a free weekend, a DIY can work.
But for most homeowners, the savings can completely disappear the moment something goes wrong.
Where DIY Closings Can Go Wrong
1. Water in the lines
This is the BIG one. Winters are brutal on pool plumbing. Even a small amount of water in your return lines, skimmer, or equipment can freeze, expand, and crack your pipes or fittings. Underground plumbing repairs can mean digging up your backyard, and that cost can completely soar past what a professional pool closing would’ve been.
2. Unbalanced water chemistry
Closing a pool with water that’s out of balance is an invitation for algae, staining, and scale over the winter. Many DIY closings end with a spring opening that needs multiple rounds of shock, extra chemicals, and service cleanings before anyone can swim.
3. Damaged equipment
Pumps, filters, and heaters have drain plugs that need to be handled a specific way. Forgetting to drain a heater or leaving a pump full of water can mean a cracked housing and a costly replacement in the spring.
4. Wrong water level
Too high risks damage your skimmer or flooding your yard . Too low, and some covers and vinyl liners can be put at risk. The correct water level depends on your pool type and cover, and it’s not always obvious.
5. Poorly installed covers
A loose or improperly anchored cover can let debris in, sag under snow and rain, or fail entirely. With a safety cover, proper installation isn’t just about keeping the pool clean. It’s about keeping kids and pets safe all winter long.
Why a Professional Closing Can Pay Off
It’s done right the first time
Pool technicians close dozens of pools every week in the fall. They know the specific needs of different pool types, equipment brands, and plumbing setups; Essentially their trained eyes know what to look for.
The right equipment
Professional-grade blowers clear lines far more thoroughly than most household shop vacs, which is exactly what you want before a deep freeze.
A smooth spring opening
The price that goes into a proper closing pays you back in May. Balanced water and clean well winterized equipment means: a faster, cleaner opening and less money spent on chemicals to recover a neglected pool over the winter.
Peace of mind all winter
Let’s face it, when the temperature drops to minus 25, you don’t want to be lying awake wondering whether you got every line clear and winterized properly.
So, Which Should You Choose?
If you are experienced, well equipped, and comfortable with the risk, DIY might just work for you. But to most homeowners, a professional pool closing is a small investment that protects a much larger one all winter long. The cost of a single cracked pipe repair, damaged pump, or ruined liner can easily outweigh the cost of years of professional closings.
Book Your Pool Closing with Crush Pools
Crush Pools provides professional pool closing services across Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, and Milton. Our experienced technicians handle everything! Balanced water chemistry, line blowouts, equipment winterization and winter cover installation, so your pool is protected all winter and ready to go in the spring!
Our fall schedule fills up fast so contact us today to secure peace of mind all winter long your professional pool closing!
