Pool Closing & Winterizing Checklist
The cooler stretch coming November 4–10 is the right time to close your pool for the season. Work through this list now and you will be done well before the first hard frost, which usually reaches the Jackson area around November 15. A pool that is closed clean, balanced, and drained right opens clear in the spring — a pool that is closed dirty opens green and costs more to fix
1. Get the Water Ready (Do This First)
• Test and balance the water: pH 7.2–7.6, total alkalinity 80–120 ppm, calcium hardness 200–400 ppm.
• Shock the pool the night before closing and brush the walls and floor.
• Add a winterizing algaecide so algae cannot take hold under the cover.
• Skim, vacuum, and empty the skimmer and pump baskets — nothing should sit in the water all winter.
2. Clean and Drain Down
• Backwash the filter, or clean the cartridges, so it starts the spring clean.
• Lower the water level to just below the skimmer and the return fittings.
• Drain the pump, filter, heater, and chlorinator, and pull every drain plug.
• Store the drain plugs in the pump basket so you can find them in the spring.
3. Protect the Plumbing
• Blow out the lines and plug them so no water is left where it can freeze and crack a pipe.
• Add pool antifreeze to any line that cannot be fully drained — never use automotive antifreeze.
• Remove and store ladders, rails, eyeball fittings, and skimmer baskets.
• Salt pool? Remove the salt cell, clean it, and store it indoors for the winter.
4. Cover It Right
• Put on the winter cover or safety cover and pull it snug — a loose cover tears in winter storms.
• Above-ground pool? Center an air pillow under the cover first.
• Turn the power to the pool equipment OFF at the breaker once everything is drained.
5. All Winter Long
• After storms, clear leaves and standing water off the cover.
• Keeping your pool open instead? Plenty of Jackson-area pools stay open — just run the pump any night the temperature drops to freezing and make sure the freeze protection works. Moving water does not freeze; still water does.