Ryan Carter
New member
My neighbor just leaves his full and uncovered. Am I wasting money?
Do you really need to winterize your pool?
- Thread starter Ryan Carter
- Start date
Joshua Brooks
New member
If you get freezing temps it’s worth every penny to close properly.
Sean Whitaker
Member
I used to wonder the same thing, honestly. A guy down the street never winterised his pool either, just left it full with no cover, and I figured maybe I was overdoing it. But last winter we had a few solid freezes, and I ended up talking to him in the spring, and it turns out he had a cracked return line and had to replace a valve too. Cost him more than it would’ve to just close it right in the first place.
I’m not saying every pool needs a full pro-level winterisation, but if you live somewhere that dips below freezing even a few times, it’s not wasted effort. Draining the lines, covering them up, and keeping debris out saves you from opening up a mess or dealing with damage later. I usually do it myself with a basic kit and a solid cover. Not expensive, and it gives me peace of mind all winter.
I’m not saying every pool needs a full pro-level winterisation, but if you live somewhere that dips below freezing even a few times, it’s not wasted effort. Draining the lines, covering them up, and keeping debris out saves you from opening up a mess or dealing with damage later. I usually do it myself with a basic kit and a solid cover. Not expensive, and it gives me peace of mind all winter.
Mark Davis
Member
Honestly, it depends a lot on your climate. If you live somewhere with freezing temperatures, winterizing is absolutely necessary. When water freezes in the pipes or pump, it can cause serious (and expensive) damage. Draining lines, lowering the water level, and adding antifreeze where needed protects your equipment and pool structure.
On the other hand, if you're in a milder climate where it rarely freezes, some people get away with just keeping the pool running at a low level all winter. But even then, leaving it uncovered can lead to a major cleanup in spring leaves, algae, stains, and more. The cost of chemicals and time to fix that mess might end up being more than what you’d spend to winterize properly.
So while your neighbor might be rolling the dice, winterizing is usually the safer long-term bet especially if you want to avoid surprises when spring rolls around.
On the other hand, if you're in a milder climate where it rarely freezes, some people get away with just keeping the pool running at a low level all winter. But even then, leaving it uncovered can lead to a major cleanup in spring leaves, algae, stains, and more. The cost of chemicals and time to fix that mess might end up being more than what you’d spend to winterize properly.
So while your neighbor might be rolling the dice, winterizing is usually the safer long-term bet especially if you want to avoid surprises when spring rolls around.
Michael Williams
New member
If your area ever drops below freezing, winterizing isn’t wasting money, it’s cheap insurance against cracked lines/fittings that can cost way more than closing properly. Sean Whitaker’s story is the classic, it seems fine until one hard freeze, then a return/line cracks and you only find it at opening. If you live somewhere that truly never freezes, you can get away without full winterizing, but the trade-off is more debris, more algae risk, and a bigger cleanup when spring hits.
Henry Graham
Member
I wondered the same thing when I first bought my place because a neighbor down the street leaves his open all winter too. The big difference usually comes down to whether your pool plumbing ever sees freezing temps.
The real risk isn’t the pool water itself, it’s the water trapped in the pipes, pump, and heater. If that freezes it expands and can crack fittings or return lines. I had a friend skip winterizing one year and everything looked fine until spring when the pump fired up and the filter pressure never built. Turned out a small return line split over winter and it wasn’t obvious until circulation started again.
Even if the equipment survives, leaving it uncovered can create a huge organic load by spring. Leaves break down, sunlight still hits the water, and the filter system sits idle for months. When you open, the water can be full of debris and the chemistry is harder to stabilize.
Closing doesn’t have to be expensive though. A basic routine like clearing the lines, lowering the water to the right level, and covering the pool usually prevents the most common problems. Once you’ve done it a couple seasons it becomes a pretty quick process.
If someone lives somewhere that truly never freezes, they can sometimes keep the system running slowly all winter instead of closing. But in areas with real freeze cycles, winterizing is mostly about protecting the plumbing and equipment rather than the pool itself.
The real risk isn’t the pool water itself, it’s the water trapped in the pipes, pump, and heater. If that freezes it expands and can crack fittings or return lines. I had a friend skip winterizing one year and everything looked fine until spring when the pump fired up and the filter pressure never built. Turned out a small return line split over winter and it wasn’t obvious until circulation started again.
Even if the equipment survives, leaving it uncovered can create a huge organic load by spring. Leaves break down, sunlight still hits the water, and the filter system sits idle for months. When you open, the water can be full of debris and the chemistry is harder to stabilize.
Closing doesn’t have to be expensive though. A basic routine like clearing the lines, lowering the water to the right level, and covering the pool usually prevents the most common problems. Once you’ve done it a couple seasons it becomes a pretty quick process.
If someone lives somewhere that truly never freezes, they can sometimes keep the system running slowly all winter instead of closing. But in areas with real freeze cycles, winterizing is mostly about protecting the plumbing and equipment rather than the pool itself.
Katherine Morgan
Member
I used to think the same thing when I first got my pool because one house on my street leaves theirs open every winter too. At first glance it makes you feel like you’re doing extra work for nothing. The part people forget is the plumbing and equipment sitting outside.
A few years back I skipped a proper closing because we had a warm fall and I figured I’d roll the dice. Water looked fine going into winter, but during a cold snap something must have frozen in the equipment pad. In spring the pump would start but the pressure gauge on the filter barely moved, turned out a small crack had formed in one of the return fittings and it was bleeding pressure the whole time. That repair cost way more than the time it takes to close things out.
The other thing is debris load. When a pool sits uncovered all winter, leaves and organic gunk break down in the water and by spring the saturation index and balance can be way off. Even if it doesn’t turn full swamp, it’s a pain getting the filter pressure stable again once circulation starts.
If someone lives somewhere that never freezes they can sometimes get away with running the pump occasionally through winter. But anywhere that sees real freeze cycles, winterizing is mostly just protecting pipes, the pump housing, and the filter system. Its boring maintenance, but it saves headaches later. Anyone ever tried the “leave it open” approach for a full winter and actually had it work out long term?
A few years back I skipped a proper closing because we had a warm fall and I figured I’d roll the dice. Water looked fine going into winter, but during a cold snap something must have frozen in the equipment pad. In spring the pump would start but the pressure gauge on the filter barely moved, turned out a small crack had formed in one of the return fittings and it was bleeding pressure the whole time. That repair cost way more than the time it takes to close things out.
The other thing is debris load. When a pool sits uncovered all winter, leaves and organic gunk break down in the water and by spring the saturation index and balance can be way off. Even if it doesn’t turn full swamp, it’s a pain getting the filter pressure stable again once circulation starts.
If someone lives somewhere that never freezes they can sometimes get away with running the pump occasionally through winter. But anywhere that sees real freeze cycles, winterizing is mostly just protecting pipes, the pump housing, and the filter system. Its boring maintenance, but it saves headaches later. Anyone ever tried the “leave it open” approach for a full winter and actually had it work out long term?
Im the cautionary tale here lol. Just bought my first house with a pool last october and didnt winterize properly because I didnt know what I was doing. Now im staring at a green swamp and pretty sure I cracked a fitting somewhere because theres a wet spot in the yard near the equipment pad.
So yeah, winterize your pool. Learn from my mistakes. Im currently in the process of figuring out how to fix everything and its going to cost way more than winterizing would have.
So yeah, winterize your pool. Learn from my mistakes. Im currently in the process of figuring out how to fix everything and its going to cost way more than winterizing would have.
Rob - you are not alone, that situation happens every spring to someone who inherited a pool. The good news is green water is almost always recoverable. The important thing right now is whether your plumbing and pump came through the winter ok. Get everything running first and check for leaks before you dump money into chemicals.
If the equipment checks out, start with a water test to see what you are dealing with, then hit it with a heavy shock and run the filter nonstop. Check your CYA too before adding more stabilized chlorine - if it is already high from last season that will slow your recovery down. Most green pools come back within a week if you stay on it.
If the equipment checks out, start with a water test to see what you are dealing with, then hit it with a heavy shock and run the filter nonstop. Check your CYA too before adding more stabilized chlorine - if it is already high from last season that will slow your recovery down. Most green pools come back within a week if you stay on it.