Most of the inground closing sequence carries over to an above-ground pool. You still clean it, balance it, add the winter chemicals and cover it. What changes is the hardware. If your pool runs on hoses, there are no buried lines to blow out. The pump and filter can come inside. And the thing holding back the water, and by January the ice, is a thin steel or resin wall, or a frame of tubes.
The other thing that changes is who you ask. I read the winter instructions from Intex, Bestway, Doughboy and Radiant, the cover guides from Robelle and Blue Wave, and the pump and filter manuals from Hayward, Pentair and Intex. They agree on some steps and disagree on others, starting with how far to lower the water. Where they agree, this page just says so. Where they don't, it names them. Either way, the instructions from whoever made your pool win, because they're the ones who decide a warranty claim.
Key takeaways
- Some frame pools have to come down. Intex says its Easy Set and Small Rectangular Metal Frame pools must be drained and stored once it drops below 41°F.
- Never empty one that stays up. Doughboy says to keep at least 12 inches of water in the pool, and GLI's liner warranty is void against shrinkage if it's emptied.
- Fix any leak before you close. Doughboy and Radiant both warn that ice left without water under it damages the wall.
- The makers disagree on the water level, from leaving it where it is (Intex) to 6 inches below the return (Doughboy). Use the figure from whoever made your pool.
- The pump and filter come inside. Hayward and Intex both say a pump or filter that freezes isn't covered.
What you need
- Check price
automatic cover pump
Water sitting on a cover is what stretches and tears it. This runs on its own.
- Check price
Taylor K-2006C test kit
Drop-count titration rather than color matching, and it tests CYA properly.
First, find out whether yours stays up
An inground pool never raises this question. An above-ground one does, and the answer is in its manual rather than in your weather.
| Over winter | What the maker says | |
|---|---|---|
| Intex Ultra XTR, Prism Frame Premium, round Metal Frame | Your choice | Leave it up and winterize it, or drain it and store it. Intex says leaving it up conserves water, reduces the risk of liner damage during disassembly, and helps prevent ice damage. |
| Intex Easy Set, Small Rectangular Metal Frame | Down below 41°F | It must be drained, taken down and stored once the temperature drops below 41°F. Intex warns that ice damage can mean sudden liner failure or the pool collapsing. |
| Bestway Steel Pro MAX, Power Steel | Down | Bestway's 2024 manual gives winter instructions for the APX 365 only. Its 2018 Power Steel manual strongly recommends taking the pool down for the off season. |
| Bestway APX 365 | Stays up | Bestway says its Polar-Shield design lets it stay up through the winter without completely emptying it. |
| Doughboy and Radiant steel-wall pools | Stays up, never empty | Both give winter instructions for a standing pool. Doughboy says to keep at least 12 inches of water in it, and Radiant says to keep it filled at all times. |
Watch the Intex names. "Metal Frame" covers both the round pools you may leave up and the small rectangular ones you may not. Intex prints the manual's number on its pages: 87PO is the round Metal Frame, 123PO the small rectangular one. Our catalog page for the Intex Ultra XTR 18 ft set has both of its winter options in more detail.
If it's coming down
Intex's drain-down uses the drain valve on the outside of the wall. Its drain connector goes on a garden hose, the far end goes somewhere the water can run away from the house, and the connector pushes the drain plug open. Check your local rules on where pool water can go first; Intex says to.
Then it all has to be completely dry. Intex says to dry the liner in the sun, dust it with talcum powder so the vinyl doesn't stick, and store everything between 32°F and 104°F, somewhere it can't collect rainwater or blow away. Bestway says to fold its liners only on a day above 59°F, and to store them between 59°F and 100°F in a cardboard box.
Don't let a drained pool stand outside. Doughboy's wall and frame warranty says a pool left standing empty is exposed to severe wind damage, and that damage isn't covered.
Fix any leak before you close
This step is easy to skip, and it's the one Doughboy and Radiant single out for damaged walls.
Doughboy's wall and frame warranty explains why. Ice in a pool needs a stable water level under it. A small puncture can lower that level considerably over a few months, and the weight of tons of ice shifts onto the wall, the frame and the edge of the liner. Doughboy puts the job of making sure the liner doesn't leak on the owner, and says damage from ice shifting isn't covered.
Radiant calls the same failure ice drop. The level falls below the sheet of ice, and as it thaws the ice drops into the pool and damages the wall and its seams. Radiant's winter damage provision excludes it. Robelle's cover warranty is void if you cover a pool that may have a leak.
So before you close:
- Run a bucket test if the level has been dropping more than you'd expect, and find the leak if it says there is one.
- Patch it now. A liner patch goes on wet, and it is a far smaller job in October than a failed wall in March.
- Mark the waterline with a strip of tape on closing day. Radiant says to check the level under the cover after about a week, as a test for a slow leak.
When to close
Close by water temperature, not by the calendar. Hayward says you can close once the water stays below 65°F. Clear Comfort says 60 to 65°F, and our inground closing guide waits for 60°F, the cautious end of that range.
Hayward's reason is chemistry. Winter chemicals are used up faster in warm water, so a pool closed too early often runs out before spring, and you get algae and staining instead.
The other deadline is the first freeze. Intex says to get the pump, filter and hoses stored before the temperature drops below 32°F, and Hayward says to drain the pump and piping whenever freezing temperatures are expected. If a hard freeze comes before you're ready, the freeze guide covers the emergency version.
How far to lower the water
Here the makers really don't agree, except on one point: none of them say to drain it.
| Water level over winter | Return and skimmer | |
|---|---|---|
| Intex frame pools left up | Leave the clean water in. No level is given. | Plug the inlet and outlet from inside the pool with the plugs supplied, or close the plunger valves. Take off the skimmer and anything else on the strainer connector. |
| Bestway APX 365 | At least 3.9 inches below the outlet, rechecked after rain | Disconnect the filter system and accessories from the pool. |
| Doughboy | 6 inches below the return, in its Skim-Line Deluxe skimmer guide. Never less than 12 inches in the pool. | The skimmer comes out and Doughboy's winterizing kit goes in its place. A shut-off disc replaces the return eyeball. |
| Radiant | Generally just below the skimmer | Eyeball out, a #10 rubber plug or a Hayward SP1022C in the return. Basket and weir out, and a Gizzmo, Styrofoam or a winter plate in the skimmer. |
| Robelle, cover and chemical maker | Normal with a skimmer face plate, otherwise slightly below the skimmer | A 1½-inch threaded plug in the return, or a #9 or #10 rubber expansion plug. |
| Hayward's pump manual | Below all the inlets, before the pump comes off | Not covered. It is a pump manual. |
Bestway gives the clearest reason for going below the fittings. If the water sits above the inlet and outlet, it can freeze inside them, and the ice expanding there can ruin the liner. Bestway doesn't treat that as a defect, and says it voids the warranty. Intex reaches the same goal a different way, sealing the fittings with plugs and leaving the level alone.
If your manual gives no figure, my preference is to get the water below the lowest fitting in the wall and plug the return anyway. That keeps water out of the fittings whatever the plug does. But if your maker gives a number, use theirs.
Two limits apply whichever figure you use:
- Don't go further than your cover allows. Blue Wave sizes its above-ground winter cover for the water about 12 inches below the top, and says to order a larger cover if you go lower.
- Don't drain it. Doughboy says to keep at least 12 inches of water in the pool for any reason. GLI's liner warranty is void against shrinkage if the pool is emptied, and Swimline says draining can stress and shrink a liner.
The closing, step by step
This is the version for a pool that stays up. The above-ground maintenance guide covers the rest of the season, and the spring opening reverses most of this.
Before you start
Tools
- Test kit
- Return plug
- Skimmer plate or winterizing kit
- Air pillow
- Winter cover, cable and winch
- Cover pump
Supplies
- Winter chemicals
- Tape or foam for sharp rail caps
- 1
Check for leaks, then clean and balance the water
Deal with any leak first, for the reasons above.
Then skim, brush and vacuum. Robelle's point is a simple one: the cleaner the pool is at closing, the cleaner it'll be in spring. Balance the water and add your winter chemicals. Robelle says to add them the night before and run the filter overnight to circulate them.
Intex doesn't name a winter chemical. It says to ask a local pool dealer, because the right one varies greatly by region. Whatever you use, dose it for your real volume. An 18 ft round pool holds 6,650 to 7,300 gallons at a normal fill, depending on its wall height, and the volume table for the common sizes or the pool volume calculator will give you yours.
- 2
Lower the water to your maker's level
Do this while the pump is still connected, using the filter's waste setting or a submersible pump. Stop at your maker's figure from the table above. Intex owners skip this step entirely.
- 3
Plug the return and close off the skimmer
Take out the ladder, and anything attached to the wall fittings. Then seal the openings the way your maker says: a plug or a closed plunger valve on Intex pools, a shut-off disc on Doughboy, a rubber plug on Radiant.
The skimmer gets its own treatment, and again the makers differ. Radiant puts a Gizzmo, Styrofoam or a winter plate in it so ice can't form a solid block that damages it. Doughboy says to remove its skimmer only with its winterizing kit installed, and that taking it out without one is very dangerous to the wall and liner, and voids any warranty.
- 4
Drain the pump and filter and bring them inside
Disconnect the hoses and drain everything that holds water. The next section goes through the pump and filter makers one at a time, because the filter valve settings differ.
- 5
Float the air pillow and fit the cover
Inflate the pillow half to three-quarters full, anchor it in the middle, and lay the cover over it so the cover rests on the water. Then lace the cable through the grommets and tighten it with the winch. The details, and the disagreements, are below.
- 6
Check the water level a week later
Radiant's test for a slow leak. If the level has dropped from your tape mark, find out why now, while you can still get at the liner.
The pump and filter come inside
Hayward, Intex and Robelle all have them stored inside, and two of them tie it to the warranty. Hayward says letting the pump freeze voids its warranty. Intex says letting water freeze in its sand filter damages it and voids the warranty. Pentair's Sand Dollar manual is the exception: it allows the pump and filter to stay out under a tarp or plastic sheet, as long as the motor itself isn't wrapped in plastic.
The pump. Hayward's PowerFlo Matrix manual gives the order: turn the power off, drain the water below all the inlets, pull the drain plug at the bottom of the strainer housing, and take the pump off its base. Put the lid and plug back once it's drained, and store it somewhere dry. Keep the motor covered but don't wrap it in plastic, which traps condensation. Intex's sand filter pump manual says the same about plastic bags.
A sand filter. The valve setting is where the manuals differ:
- Hayward's ProSeries: unscrew the drain cap at the base and leave it off all winter, then set the valve pointer between any two positions so the valve drains.
- Pentair's Sand Dollar: backwash, set the valve to Winterize, and remove only the drain port cap. Taking out the whole fitting lets the sand drain too. Leave the valve in Winterize all season, because any other position leaves pressure on the diverter seal.
- Intex's Krystal Clear: drain the tank through its drain valve, turn the valve to its inactive position so it drains, and store the pump between 32°F and 104°F.
Robelle's closing guide says to empty the sand from the tank before the filter goes inside. None of the three filter manuals asks for that. Follow your filter's own manual.
A cartridge filter. Intex says to clean and drain the housing, throw out the old cartridge, and keep a spare for next season.
Antifreeze, if any equipment can't be drained: propylene glycol only. Hayward and Pentair both say other antifreezes are toxic and can damage the equipment. Pentair gives a 40% propylene glycol solution as protection to −50°F.
Blowing out lines. If your pool runs on hoses, they just come off and drain. If yours has hard pipe buried between the pool and the pad, it needs blowing out like an inground. Hayward's warning applies: use a high-volume blower under 5 psi, never compressed air, which can make components explode.
The air pillow and the cover
The pillow
Intex says the pillow absorbs the expansion of the water when it freezes and takes pressure off the cover from snow. It recommends one in the center, depending on how severe your winter is. Robelle adds that the pillow helps protect the wall, and lets the cover funnel water to the sides, where it's easier to pump off.
Robelle's instructions are the most specific:
- Inflate it half to three-quarters full, so it has room to compress.
- Anchor it in the center. Robelle's suggestion is gallon jugs filled with sand, tied to the pillow with twine.
- Use more, smaller pillows rather than fewer large ones, so losing one takes less support away.
- A pillow that breaks means too much stress on the cover. Pump the water off right away, and replace it with two or three smaller pillows.
Radiant is the exception. Its winter cover locks into a bead track on Radiant's own coping, and Radiant says no air pillow or flotation is needed.
The cover
Robelle and Blue Wave agree on how an above-ground winter cover goes on:
- Pad anything sharp first. Robelle says to tape or pad top rail caps and any other edge that touches the cover.
- Let it rest on the water, draped over the pillow, and hug the wall. Don't stretch it tight across the pool. Blue Wave says stretching it damages it, and Robelle's warranty is void if it's pulled taut.
- Lace the cable through the grommets and tighten it with the winch, snug enough that the wind can't get under it.
- Use nothing else to hold it down. Robelle's warranty is void for ropes, bungee cords or hanging weights. Blue Wave's is void for milk jugs, concrete blocks or any hold-down that didn't come with the cover.
A deck around the pool gets in the way of the cable. Robelle suggests water tubes on a full deck, and water tubes with cover clips on a partial one.
Pool covers compared explains the difference between a winter cover and a true safety cover, if you need one.
Through the winter
Water on the cover. Here the cover makers disagree outright. Robelle says to pump or siphon it off as soon as possible after rain or snowmelt, and that damage from weight on top isn't covered. Blue Wave says don't pump it off during the fall, because the rainwater holds the cover in place and protects it from the wind. Radiant even suggests adding a little water to its cover in windy areas.
Follow your own cover's instructions. But if children are ever near the pool, I'd keep the water pumped down regardless, for the reason in Robelle's warning. A cover pump left on the cover does it for you.
Ice. Leave it alone. Intex says the liner may become stiff below 32°F, and never to strike, hit or impact it. Robelle says not to tamper with ice on a cover or try to remove it, and to wait until it melts. Bestway's APX 365 manual is the odd one out: it says ice in the water can be removed, very carefully, because sharp edges can damage the liner. I'd still rather wait for the thaw.
The water level. Bestway says to recheck the APX 365's level after rain, so it stays 3.9 inches below the outlet. Anything that lowers the level instead, like a leak, brings back the ice drop problem. A look at your tape mark every few weeks costs you nothing.
The cable. Robelle suggests checking its tension during the winter.
Where the makers disagree
To recap, these are the conflicts between the manufacturers' own instructions:
- Leaving it up. Intex allows it on three of its frame-pool lines and forbids it below 41°F on two others. It also says leaving the pool up helps prevent ice damage, while its own warranty excludes damage from freezing.
- The water level. From Intex's "leave the clean water in" to Doughboy's 6 inches below the return, with Bestway, Radiant and Robelle in between.
- The sand. Robelle says to empty a sand filter's tank. Hayward and Pentair only drain it, and Pentair warns against letting the sand out with the water.
- The pillow. Intex, Robelle and Bestway use one. Radiant says its pools don't need one.
- Water on the cover. Robelle says to pump it off as soon as possible. Blue Wave says leave it there through the fall.
- Ice. Intex and Robelle say leave it. Bestway says you can remove it carefully.
In every case, the instructions from the company that made your pool, filter or cover are the ones that decide a warranty claim. Use theirs.
Go deeperOpening it again in springThe wall checks to make before the cover comes off, and the pillow that tells you whether the wall took the ice.Frequently asked questions
Can I leave my above-ground pool up over winter?
It depends on the pool. Doughboy and Radiant steel-wall pools stay up: both makers give winter instructions for a standing pool and warn against emptying it. Intex lets you leave its Ultra XTR, Prism Frame Premium and round Metal Frame pools up if you winterize them, but says its Easy Set and Small Rectangular Metal Frame pools must be drained and stored once it drops below 41°F. Bestway gives instructions for leaving up only its APX 365.
How far should I lower the water in an above-ground pool for winter?
As far as your pool's maker says, because they don't agree. Intex says to leave the clean water in and plug the fittings. Bestway wants the APX 365 at least 3.9 inches below the outlet. Doughboy's skimmer guide says 6 inches below the return, and Radiant says just below the skimmer. Robelle says a skimmer face plate lets you keep the water at its normal level. None of them say to drain it.
Should I drain my above-ground pool for the winter?
No, unless you're taking it down. Doughboy says always to leave at least 12 inches of water in the pool, and its wall warranty says a pool left standing empty is exposed to severe wind damage. GLI's liner warranty is void against shrinkage if the pool is emptied, and Radiant says its pools must be kept filled at all times.
Do I need an air pillow under an above-ground winter cover?
Intex, Robelle and Bestway all use one. Intex recommends one in the center, depending on how hard your winter is, to absorb the expansion of the water as it freezes and take snow load off the cover. Robelle says to inflate it half to three-quarters full and anchor it in the middle. Radiant is the exception: with its own cover locked into a bead track on its coping, it says no pillow is needed.
Should I pump the water off my above-ground pool cover?
The cover makers disagree. Robelle says to pump or siphon it off as soon as possible after rain or snowmelt, and that damage from weight on top isn't covered. Blue Wave says not to pump it off during the fall, because the rainwater holds the cover in place against the wind. Follow your own cover's instructions, and keep children away either way: Robelle's guide warns that a child can drown in the water on top of a cover.
When should I close an above-ground pool?
Hayward says once the water stays below 65°F, and Clear Comfort puts it at 60 to 65°F. Hayward's reason is that winter chemicals are used up faster in warm water and often don't last until spring. Get the pump and filter inside before the first freeze: Intex says to store them once the temperature drops below 32°F.
