Snow and ice are just around the corner, and if you haven’t closed your pool yet, it’s now or never. Why? Because an improperly closed pool is susceptible to extensive damage throughout Minnesota’s long, harsh winter.

If expensive pool repairs don’t sound appealing to you, taking the appropriate precautions now can save you thousands of dollars come next year’s pool season. If you don’t want to handle the job yourself, you can always hire a swimming pool closing expert who’ll ensure your investment gets properly shut down.

At Royal Pool & Spa, we’ve been winterizing Twin Cities pools since 1988 and have witnessed the extensive damage cold weather can do to an improperly closed pool. We’d like to help you avoid that.

Here’s what can happen when you don’t prepare.

1. Cracks in Your Pool Lining

If you don’t close your pool properly or fail to close it altogether, freezing water can create cracks or tears in your pool lining. And if your pool had minor cracks before winter arrived, get ready to see those cracks expand significantly when the water freezes.

When spring rolls around and it’s time to re-open your pool, you may be unpleasantly surprised to find it unfit for use. Repairing cracks or tears in a pool lining is possible, but if they become severe enough, you’ll need to have a professional liner replacement.

Is your pool liner getting old? Not sure if it’s time to invest in a new one? Check out these signs that your pool liner needs to be replaced.

2. Algae Overgrowth Come Spring

When your pool’s water chemistry is off-balance, algae growth is almost inevitable. If you’ve ever missed a few maintenance sessions in the summer, you know this to be true. And when your pool’s water chemistry is off for an entire season, you get tremendous algae growth. We’re talking enough growth to make your entire pool appear green.

Cleaning an algae-infested pool come spring isn’t just a pain; it takes a long time. And if the growth is severe, you may have to drain your pool entirely to thoroughly clean it. Algae may even end up staining the walls of your pool, and if that happens, acid washing may be necessary.

Before winter sets in, you must ensure your pool water is at the appropriate pH and contains all the necessary chemicals to keep it algae-free throughout winter. If you don’t, you’ll inevitably face problems come spring.

3. Damaged Pool Plumbing

Failing to thoroughly blow out your pool’s pipes can result in costly damage to its plumbing system. That’s true even if your pool has underground pipes.

What causes the damage? Believe it or not, ice. When temperatures start to drop below freezing, any water left inside your pool’s pipes will begin to freeze. And when water freezes, it naturally expands. If there’s enough water inside the pipes, it could expand enough to cause significant cracks that render the pipes unusable.

When outdoor temperatures begin to rise in spring, and the ice inside the pipes starts to melt, the plumbing will leak if cracks are present. If you don’t have the damaged pipes replaced, your water bill could skyrocket when you open up your pool. Worse, serious leaks could even cause ground displacement and threaten the structural integrity of your pool.

4. Filter, Pump, and Heater Damage

Frozen water can also damage your pool’s filter, skimmer, heater, and water pump. Like your pool’s pipes, these components are susceptible to damage when they’re full of water and outdoor temperatures drop below freezing. That’s especially true if sub-freezing temperatures persist for several days in a row (which isn’t uncommon in the Twin Cities).

If any (or all) of these components suffer ice-related damage because you didn’t close your pool properly, they’ll need to be replaced. And replacements could run you several hundred dollars or more, depending on the type of pool equipment you have.

5. Deck Damage

If any of the pipes beneath your pool deck suffer cracking caused by ice, the resultant water leaks can really put a damper on your pool opening come spring. While replacing cracked above-ground pipes is a relatively simple and inexpensive process, that’s unfortunately not the case for damaged underground plumbing.

If you want to continue using your pool, you’ll need to have the pros cut through your stone or concrete pool deck to locate and replace the damaged pipes.

How Long Can You Keep Your Pool Open?

To keep your pool in excellent condition, performing a thorough pool closing at some point during autumn is crucial. When exactly should you close things up? That depends on a few variables.

If you use a pool heater, you should be able to keep your pool open well into October, provided you keep the water temperature above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. When outdoor temperatures get low enough that your heater can no longer keep up, it’s time to winterize your pool.

Check out our blog, How Late Can You Extend Pool Season in Minnesota? to learn about the other factors you should consider when determining when to close your pool.

Professional Pool Closing from Royal Pool & Spa

Do you need your pool professionally closed before the worst of winter sets in? Get in touch with our team at Royal Pool & Spa to get the job done promptly!

We know how vital pool closing is in our harsh Minnesota climate, and more importantly, we know how crucial it is to do the job  correctly. Each member of our highly experienced team has over 10 years’ experience in the pool industry. When you work with us, you can feel confident we’ll take the best possible care of your investment.

For more information about our services or to schedule your appointment, give us a call at 651-779-7606, or feel free to send us a message, and we’ll get in touch!