It is recommended to shut down the pool as late as possible, by mid-October. If there are algae or if the water is fuzzy, treat immediately.

TIPS
Do not stop from maintaining the pool or stop its draining before the shut down day.
Before shutting down for the winter, make sure you do not have water leakages. If you do, it is important to repair it immediately to avoid causing further damage to the pool.

STEP 1: DAY BEFORE THE SHUT DOWN
5. Pass the vacuum and do a back wash.
6. Balance the alkalinity and PH.
7. Proceed to an over chlorine treatment.
8. Clean the filter.

STEP 2: CLEANING THE FILTER AND ACCESSORIES
4. Clean the filter with an appropriate type of cleaner.
5. Clean the dirt circle around the pool.
6. Clean the solar canvas with an appropriate product and store in a dry area.

STEP 3: DRAINING THE POOL
1. Shut down the skimmer valve and open the bottom drain valve.
2. Position the drain’s handle to “DRAIN” or “WASTE”. Let the water level go down to one inch (1”) under the water returns. The water must be low enough to allow you to take away the water into the water return’s hoses.
3. Shut down the pump when the water level is adequate.
4. Unscrew the water return’s balls and take them away. NEVER TAKE AWAY THE WATER RETURN’S PART WHICH IS RETAINED IN PLACE BY SCREWS.
5. Open the skimmer’s valves.
6. Drain the piping according to one of the following methods:

Using a “Shop Vac” type vacuum that aspires and blows, you must empty the pipes according to one of the following methods: Take away the filter’s piping to give you a direct access to the water return’s hoses and whirlpool jets. If you have a chlorinator, disconnect the hose on the “OUT” side of it, and if not, disconnect the high pressure hose which starts above the pump and connects at the filter’s head. Then place the filter’s handle to the “RECIRCULATE” position. Insert the vacuum’s hose on its “blower” side and the other end of the hose in the piping that you just undid. If you have whirlpool jets, turn on the water return’s valve and the whirlpool jet’s valve. Turn to the vacuum to shoot air in the piping; the water contained in the hoses will drain into the pool. When there is no more water coming out of the different returns, empty the skimmer. To do so, open the pump basket’s cover. Then, insert the hose on its “vacuum” side and plug it into the skimmer’s hose directly. Activate the vacuum until you feel a good suction inside your pool’s pump. If you have a water heater, please read the instruction to shut down this particular accessory (further down in the text) and follow all the steps before going on with the rest of the procedures. Then position the filter’s handle to “winterize” or in between two positions.

7. Open and leave open the skimmer’s valve and the bottom drain’s valve.
8. Cover the water returns and skimmer’s caps with Teflon tape and screw it into the water returns. For the whirlpool jets, we recommend to use extensible rubber caps to completely block off the jets.
9. You must place the Styrofoam hibernation kit inside the skimmer to prevent ice expansion. Please use all indications provided with the kit.
10. Take away the manometer and the glass indicator on the filter’s head. Then, take off the draining caps on the filter and on the pump. Let the water drain away by itself (make sure that it is draining). DO NOT PUT THE CAPS BACK ON.
11. Clean up your chlorinator by taking away the last pieces of washers inside. BE CAREFUL OF THE STRONG CHLORINE ODORS THAT WILL COME OUT OF IT. Then take off the chlorinator’s draining cap to finish draining the water still inside.
12. Take away all the pool accessories (corner step, ladder(s), springboard, safety cable). Make sure before taking away the ladder(s) that the rubber stops stay in place; otherwise you could damage your pool canvas.
13. Once completed the hibernation work, you only have left to put in the hibernation products. Please make sure to follow the instructions provided with these products. They may vary with new technologies or environmental norms and it is better to enquire every year before using these products.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

LIGHT
Shut down the light’s braker. Take away the light(s). If you have a stainless steel light with a glass window (American Product, Sta-Rite or Jacuzzi), you must lie down on the sidewalk and undo the light screw which is located at the top of the metal circle. The light can then be taken away from its niche and placed on the sidewalk. We recommend to place a piece of Styrofoam over the glass window to protect it from scratches and then to place it inside a polythene pouch. With a pique and cord, attach the pouch in a way that will ensure it does not fall in the water.

WATER HEATER
Position the water heater to “0-OFF” and shut down the breaker as needed. We strongly recommend to hose down the inside and outside of the apparel to wash out all the debris before shutting it down. Unplug the water hoses and blow or aspire air inside them to insure that the ice does not expand into those hoses during the
winter. Then shut down the hoses and leave the bypass valves opened. Protect it with a slipcover, a waterproof canvas or a polythene-type plastic. If you have a gas water heater, do not forget to shut down the gas.

SALT CHLORINE GENERATOR
Shut down the generator’s power switch (OFF) and unplug the electrical cord. The unplug the cell from the control panel and unscrew the cell from the hose before taking it completely away from the pool’s piping. Using a cell support (which keeps it upward), clean up the cell with a solution specific to that use. To clean, you only need to pour the inside the cell and leave it for about 15 minutes, then rinse it down with a garden hose. Once clean, the cell can be put back in place.

IMPORTANT:
Please note that the above recommendations are for information only and that any type of work done to the pool is at the client’s risk.

Happy winter season!!!