A pool pillow sits under your winter cover to absorb ice expansion and protect your liner and wall. This guide covers how to pick the right size, where to place it, how much to inflate it, and the mistakes that cause pillows to sink or pop mid-winter.
Closing an above-ground pool with a vinyl liner for winter raises one critical question: how far do you drain it? The answer depends on your skimmer type and cover setup, but most pools land in a specific range. This post walks through the numbers, the reasoning, and the mistakes that crack liners every season.
Storing a cartridge filter element incorrectly over winter is one of the most common reasons pool owners open in spring to a cracked or warped filter they have to replace. This guide walks through cleaning, drying, and storing your cartridge the right way so it survives the off-season intact. Follow these steps and your element should last its full 3-to-5-year lifespan.
A stuck or corroded safety cover anchor in concrete can bring your whole pool closing to a halt. This guide walks through exactly how to remove, clean, and replace deck anchors, including what to do when they won't budge.
If your pool's total alkalinity is reading low, baking soda is the most cost-effective fix. For a 10,000-gallon pool, raising alkalinity by 10 ppm takes roughly 1.5 pounds of baking soda - here's the exact math and how to add it correctly.
Closing an inground pool with a cartridge filter takes a few extra steps compared to sand or DE systems, but it's very manageable as a DIY job. This guide walks through every step in order, with real numbers for chemicals, water levels, and filter storage so nothing gets missed.
Closing a fiberglass pool for winter isn't as simple as draining it down and throwing on a cover. Leave too much water and your skimmer cracks; leave too little and the shell can shift or pop. Here's exactly where the water level should sit and why it matters.
A 12x24 above-ground pool holds between 5,000 and 7,200 gallons depending on wall height. That number is the starting point for every chemical dose you add all season. This post walks through the math, then shows you exactly how much chlorine, shock, and pH adjuster to use.
Choosing between trichlor and cal-hypo shock at pool closing time is more than a brand preference - the dose and timing differ for each. This post gives exact amounts for a 20,000-gallon inground pool and explains which type makes more sense for a winter shutdown.
Figuring out how much antifreeze a pool with a heater and two skimmers needs is trickier than the basic one-quart-per-line rule suggests. The heater adds extra plumbing volume, and two skimmers mean two separate lines to protect. This post walks through the math with real numbers so you buy exactly what you need.