The Capital Region’s Quintessential Pool Closing Guide
Don’t Let Winter Wreck Your Pool
Here in Upstate New York, winter isn’t gentle, it’s long, cold, and unforgiving. Skip steps while closing your pool and you’re setting yourself up for cracked pipes, algae explosions, stained liners, and a nasty green swamp waiting for you in the spring.
The good news? Done Better Pools has your back with the only pool closing guide you’ll need this year.
Step 1: Balance Before You Bail
Think cooler temps mean you can stop worrying about water chemistry? Wrong. Unbalanced water over the winter eats away at liners and metal parts.
👉 Adjust your pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness now, or you’ll pay for it later.
Step 2: Shock It or Regret It
If you don’t kill off algae and bacteria before you cover up, you’re basically gift-wrapping them a winter condo.
👉 Drop in a strong chlorine or non-chlorine shock the night before you close.
Step 3: Winter Chemicals Are Non-Negotiable
Algaecide, stain & scale preventer, and a floater aren’t optional, they’re essential.
👉 Skip this step and spring cleanup will cost you hundreds more in chemicals and hours of scrubbing.
Step 4: Lower the Water (But Don’t Drain It)
Too much water? Your skimmer cracks. Too little? Your liner shifts.
👉 In-ground: lower 4–6 inches below the skimmer. Above-ground: just below the return jet.
Step 5: Blow It Out and Button It Up
Frozen pipes and busted filters = expensive replacements.
👉 Blow out every line, add pool antifreeze, and disconnect your pump, filter, and heater.
Step 6: Cover Like You Mean It
Your cover is the shield against leaves, ice, and snow. A sagging or loose cover is just an invitation for trouble.
👉 Safety covers last longest, but a solid or mesh cover works too, if you secure it tight.
TL;DR:
Balance your water.
Shock it.
Add winter chemicals.
Lower the water.
Blow out lines & add antifreeze.
Secure a solid cover.
👉 Miss a step? Expect algae, stains, broken equipment, and big bills come spring.
Why Capital Region Pool Owners Choose Done Better
Closing a pool in the Capital Region isn’t a DIY gamble, it’s a winter survival strategy. At Done Better Pools in East Greenbush, we carry everything you need to close your pool the right way: winter kits, antifreeze, plugs, covers, and expert local advice.
We’re not just another big-box store. We’re BETTER:
Better service (real answers, not guesswork).
Better inventory (no waiting on shipping).
Better support (we know Capital Region winters because we live through them too).
👉 Stop by Done Better Pools today. Stock up, close right, and relax knowing your pool will survive the winter.
