Tips for Closing Your Mississippi Pool for the Season

We hope that this past summer was another successful pool season for you and your family! It seems like every year, the summer goes by faster and faster, and this season was no exception. It’s now time to close your pool and patiently await what next summer will bring. As much as you may be dreading this task, doing so will make re-opening your pool much easier.

Let’s take a look at some helpful tips for closing your pool for the season here in Mississippi.

Gather Up Supplies

First, gather up your materials. It makes the job much easier when you have everything in order.

• Pool skimmer and brush
• Balancers (pH increasers, pH decreasers, alkalinity increasers, calcium hardness increasers and chlorine stabilizers)
• Sanitizers and shocks
• Algaecides

Perform Water Balance Tests

It’s important that you have the right chemical balance in the water to prevent it from becoming too corrosive or producing heavy calcium deposits during the off season. Perform the following water balance tests to make sure your water is good to go!

• pH: Pool pH should be between 7.2 and 7.6. Add pH increaser or decreaser depending on the results and retest in an hour.
• Total alkalinity: Alkalinity should be between 80-125 ppm for plaster and gunite pools and 125-150 ppm for all other pools. If low, add alkalinity increaser. If high, add pH decreaser.
• Water hardness: Water hardness should be between 175 and 225 ppm. To increase level, add calcium increaser. To decrease, drain some water and refill with new water.
• Chlorine stabilizer: Chlorine kills germs and bacteria in the water, but the sunlight can diminish its effects, which is why it needs a chlorine stabilizer. Check the stabilizer level and adjust to 30 ppm. Check the chlorine level and adjust to 1 to 4 ppm.

Clean and Store Equipment

Remove, clean and store pool accessories such as the ladder and diving board. Next, clean the pool walls and floor with a pool brush. Use a pool skimmer to remove debris from the water and clean skimmer baskets.

Add granular chlorine and let it sit for six hours, and add algaecide if necessary. This will prevent algae from growing on the walls and pool floor. Also be sure to clean the pool’s filtration system. For more information on cleaning cartridge and sand filters, check out this informative article.

Finally, drain the pool just below the skimmer level. Drain all equipment and store it as recommended by the manufacturer. The filter pump should be turned off and all directional fittings should be removed. Since the winters don’t get too cold here, you’re fine without anti-freeze. But you should select a sturdy pool cover to keep it secure.

There you have it! Closing your swimming pool doesn’t have to be difficult. Of course, if you need assistance, give Paradise Pools a call. Not only can we help close your pool but also we have affordable maintenance plans for year-round care!