Closing Your Pool for an Ontario Winter, and What We Do on the Day

An Ontario winter is hard on anything that holds water. Water expands when it freezes, and a pool is full of pipes, fittings and equipment that were never designed to hold up against that. A pool closing is the job that takes the water out of the places where it can do damage, and puts a cover on the rest. Here's how Ace Pools runs it, in the order it happens.

Step one: the water level comes down below the jets

The first move is to drain the water down below the jets. The return jets and the fittings around them sit near the top of the pool wall. If water is sitting in them when a hard freeze arrives, it can crack the fitting or the line behind it. Taking the level below them is a basic part of the job, and it's one of the reasons closing isn't something to leave to the last minute. You want it done before the nights get properly cold.

Step two: leaves out

The crew scoops the leaves out before the cover goes on. Leaves that sit in a covered pool all winter break down, stain the surface and feed the algae you'll be fighting in spring. A clean pool going under the cover means a cleaner pool coming out.

One thing to know in advance: if there's more than 30 minutes of leaves to scoop, there is an additional charge. That isn't meant as a surprise. If you've got mature trees over the yard, it's smart to do a quick skim yourself the day before, or to book earlier in the fall before most of the leaves are down.

Step three: fittings and accessories come out

The crew removes the fittings, the ladder, the diving board and any other accessories. Some of this is about protecting the accessories themselves from ice and from sitting wet all winter. Some of it is about getting them out of the way so the cover sits properly. Either way, they go into storage, and they come back in at the opening.

• Fittings come out so they aren't sitting in standing water.
• The ladder and diving board are removed and set aside.
• Other accessories get pulled and stored with them, so you know where everything is in spring.

Step four: lines drained, equipment winterized

This is the step that matters most, and it's the one a homeowner is least likely to be able to verify by looking. The lines are drained and the equipment is winterized: the pump, the filter and the heater if you have one. Any water left trapped inside them can freeze and split a housing or a pipe, and you won't find out until the pool is opened again and something leaks. A pool that was closed badly can look fine under the cover all winter and still be a repair bill in May.

Step five: cover on, water bags if needed

Finally the cover goes on, and water bags are added if the cover needs them. The bags hold the edges down against wind and the weight of snow. A cover that's loose or sagging lets leaves and rain in, which undoes some of the work you just paid for.

What you can do to help

A few things make the day smoother, and none of them are difficult:

• Cut back the worst of the overhanging branches if you can, or book the closing before they drop.
• Make sure the crew can get to the backyard.
• Gather your accessories if they're scattered around, so nothing gets missed.

When to book it is up to your yard, not the calendar. A pool next to a stand of maples sheds leaves late. A pool in an open yard might be ready earlier. If you aren't sure, ask us.

Closing and opening as a pair

The closing you pay for this fall sets the tone for the opening next spring. Lines that were drained properly don't leak. Equipment that was winterized properly starts. A pool that went under the cover clean comes out cleaner. And if you book both visits together, the opening and closing package saves you $50 compared with booking them separately; the opening on its own is $429. You can see the full list on our closing page, and read what the spring visit involves on the opening page.

If you're not sure your pool is ready

If you noticed a pump humming oddly, a slow leak or a crack in the pool deck before the season ended, mention it when you book. Sometimes the right call is to fix it before closing rather than trap it under a cover for five months. Our repairs page covers what we can look at, or you can reach us at the Main Street store in Stouffville.

A closing is a short visit, and it's easy to treat it as a chore. It's really the cheapest insurance a pool owner buys all year.