How to Winterize a Baquacil/Soft Swim Pool

If you live in an area where you have to close your pool for the winter, you need to close it properly to protect it.  Remember that the cleaner your pool is when you close it, the less trouble it will be to get it going again the next season.

1. Brush and vacuum any algae or debris that may be on the floor or wall of the pool.
   
   
2. Adjust Alkalinity, pH, and Calcium Hardness levels accordingly, and then run filter 3 hours.
   
   
3. Top-up the Baquacil Sanitizer And Algistat / Soft Swim B level to 50 ppm.
   
   
4. Add a start-up/initial dose  of Baquacil Algicide / Soft Swim A.
   
   
5. Add 1 gallon of BaquaShock / Soft Swim C per 10,000 gallons of water.
   
   
6. Run the pool filter 8-12 continuous hours to make sure the chemicals have circulated thoroughly.
   
   
7. Backwash and chemically clean your filter with Baquacil Filter Cleaner, Baquacil D.E. & Cartridge Filter Cleaner or Baquacil Sand Filter Cleaner.  Never store a dirty filter because deposits may harden during the winter, leaving you with a much harder job in the spring.  These cleaners will remove organic and mineral deposits, leaving your filter ready for the next season.
   
   
8. Clean the skimmer basket and the pump's hair/lint strainer basket.  Store the baskets in a safe place.
   
   
9. Plug and cover the return and skimmer.
   
   
10. Disconnect pump and tank and bring indoors for the season to prevent freezing of any part of your filtration system.  Be sure to fill the pump with foam pump protector.
    
    
11. Cover the pool and be sure that the cover is tightly fastened to the pool.  If you use air pillows under the cover fill them only about 2/3 full to allow for expansion and put a piece of duct tape over the plug as an extra seal.  If you use water tubes fill them only halfway to allow for expansion as they freeze.
    
    
12. Please! Do not hang the jugs on the cover (we're sure you've seen it done) because that puts strain on the outer part of your toprail and may actually void your pool warranty.
    
    
13. Solid covers must have the water siphoned/pumped off throughout the winter.  Keep an eye on what you pump off as many solid covers are not entirely leak proof and as they dip down into the pool you may actually be pumping your pool water out through the cover!
    
    
14. A leaf cover over your solid or mesh cover is a great idea to catch the leaves.  After the leaf-fall is done you take the leaf cover off, along with the leaves. Then you don't have leaves rotting on top of the pool all winter and you don't have all that heavy stuff to try and pull off the pool in the spring.  (It usually ends up in your pool anyway!)