Winterizing

[intex ultra frame pool]

Last year, I bought a intex ultra frame pool (18 x 9). Putting the thing up was a B!@&H for one person and I did not want to do it again. Could it be left up during the winter? I could not find any postings in any user group that addressed this issue. Since I live in New England where the winters are long, cold, and snowy, I needed to know if the pool would survive the winter. After careful consideration, I decided to leave it up. Taking it down and then setting it up again was simply not an option (one set up per lifetime is enough).

Well, I am happy to report that the pool survived in perfect condition. For those of you with the ultra frame pool who might be interested, here's what I did:

1) drained the pool to just below the intake nozzle (about half full)
2) Add plenty of aglicide and chlorine (double what you might normally use).
3) bring all other parts inside.
4) put the screens on to keep critters out but let air move in and out.
5) place ice balloons in pool and cover.

I figure the water was frozen from November through March and acts as a giant paper weight that keeps the pool from moving or shifting. Because it is flexible, as the ice expands, it pushes out the sides of the pool to accommodate the changes. Every situation is unique, but I would have loved to see a post like this last year.

If you ask INTEX, they will say the pool is not designed to stay up all year round, but it did work for me.

[okie]

Live in Kansas, what are ice ballons? I have 12x36" pool wanting to leave up over winter months.

[Mari McCullough]

Hi there! Did you leave the top bracer bars in tact? Was this framing bowed or stressed from the weight of snow laying on the cover? We're in Ohio and have drained our pool below the drains, added our chemical and now are not too sure what impact the cover will have on the bracer polls with the stress of the weight of snow.

Thanks!