The first step in the winterization procedure is to make sure your water chemistry is balanced. You should make sure that your pH is between 7.2 and 7.6, Total Alkalinity, and Calcium Hardness are all balanced. Make sure your chlorine level is at 3PPM

By balancing your water chemistry you are protecting the surface of the pool from staining and deterioration.

Adding a one of our winterizing chemical kits, to your water will help keep it blue and clear for the next season.Run your pump and filter for at least 4 hours to circulate the winter chemicals.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for the kit. Do not use a floater that contains a strong oxidizer (chlorine or bromine) as the floater will stick against the wall and stain and/or bleach your wall, especially a vinyl liner.

For the same reasons DO NOT throw chlorine or bromine tablets into the pool. They will sink to the bottom and damage your pool's surface.

The next step is to lower the water below the mouth of your skimmer(s). This will get the water out of the throat of the skimmer which can be easily damaged if water were to freeze here

. Another option for vinyl liner pools is to put an Aquador over the mouth of the skimmer. This is a plastic dam which holds out the water from the skimmer.

Leaving water in the pool will help in supporting your cover and also help keep the liner from "floating" if the winter is your rainy season.

Now, you will need to blow out the water from your plumbing lines. You can do this using a shop vac

. Use the discharge of the shop vac to blow water out of each line from the filter system. As the water is purged from each line, you will need to put a plug in the lines at the pool end. Some fittings will allow for a threaded plug, which is best.

Be sure to use a plug with a rubber gasket or "O" ring to make a seal, or the water may fill the line back up. If your fittings are not threaded, then use a rubber freeze plug.

In the skimmer(s) you should use a Gizzmo to seal the line. This device is a hollow tube which will collapse if water should get into the skimmer and freeze. Be sure to put Teflon Tape on the threads of the Gizzmo to make a seal and to ease removal in the spring.

It is usually impractical to put a plug in the main drain if you have one; however, its extreme depth will normally protect it from freezing. Make sure that you blow all of the water out of the plumbing for the bottom drain and close the valve while it is under pressure from the shop vac. This method will cause an air lock in the line and will help to reduce the possibility of freeze damage.

An alternate method is to inject pool antifreeze into the line and froce it out the bottom drains using the pressure from the shop vac, close the line while under pressure to trap the antifreeze in the line .

Now, for the final step, you must drain all the water from your filter equipment.

The filter should have a plug at the bottom that will allow it to drain. Be sure to open the air relief valve on top if you have one. Also, put the multiport valve in the closed or "winterize" position and remove the pressure gauge. If you have a cartridge filter remove and clean the cartridge before storing it.

Next, drain the pump. There may be two plugs to remove here. After draining the pump, turn it on for a brief second to get the water out of the veins of the impeller. Do not run the pump more than a second or two because you can burn out the seal very quickly.

You should have let the chemicals (chlorine/bromine tablets) run out of your feeder so that no chemicals are left in it. Leaving chemicals in your feeder over the winter can cause damage to it and other equipment.

You will now be able to drain your chemical feeder and automatic cleaner pump, heater, and any other filter equipment that has water in it.

Look for and remove all drain plugsfrom the heater! Leave no water sitting on the heat exchanger over the winter.

If you put all the plugs that you have removed into the pump strainer basket, they will be easily found in the spring.

It is a good idea to take the pressure gauge inside for the winter because water collects in its tube which can freeze and cause breakage.

Do not put the plugs back on the equipment. If equipment should get water in it, the plugs will prevent proper drainage.