Closing Your Pool for a Western Pennsylvania Winter

When the leaves start coming down around Butler, Sarver and Kittanning, it is time to think about closing the pool. A closing is not just throwing a cover on and hoping. It is the work that decides how your equipment and plumbing come through a western Pennsylvania winter. We offer winter closings, and we can do as little or as much as you like. Here is what the basic closing includes.

What a Goodlin closing includes

• Winterize the pump, filter and heater or heat pump.
• Clean the filter.
• Remove the diving board, ladder and handrails.
• Install your existing cover.
• Winterize the skimmers and return lines.

Additional services are available if you want more done. Ask when you call, and we will tell you what is possible. Some homeowners want the full closing and others want to handle part of it themselves, and both are fine with us. We simply want the equipment protected before the first hard freeze arrives.

Why freeze protection matters here

Water expands when it freezes, and it does so with enough force to crack things that are not made to give. In a pool system, that means pumps, filters, heaters, skimmers and the lines that carry water around your pool. Winters in this part of Pennsylvania are cold enough, and long enough, that anything holding water in the wrong place is at risk. A cracked pump housing or split return line is the kind of damage you find in spring, when you start the system back up, and it is usually more expensive than the closing would have been.

That is the reasoning behind each step on the list. Winterizing the pump, filter and heater or heat pump gets water out of the parts of the system that can break. Winterizing the skimmers and return lines does the same for the plumbing built into and around the pool. Cleaning the filter means it goes into storage clean, which is easier on you in spring and on the equipment too.

The parts that come off the pool

We remove the diving board, the ladder and the handrails. They come out for a reason. Hardware that stays in place all winter is exposed to ice, the weight of a cover and the freeze-and-thaw cycle. Taking it out protects it and protects the deck around it. Then we install your existing cover. A good cover installed well helps keep debris out of the pool over winter, which means a much easier spring opening for you and for us.

What to have ready

A closing goes best when the homeowner takes care of a few things first:

• Adjust your water chemistry before the closing.
• Tell us where the equipment should be stored.
• Give us access to water and electricity.
• Clean any debris out of the pool before service. Homeowners are required to do this.

Pricing does not include removal of leaves or vacuuming, so a pool that is clear of debris keeps the visit quick. Payment is required on the same day as the service.

One customer wrote on our site about a closing, saying the crew was "even taking our pump down to the shed for us." That is one customer's experience, and it shows why telling us where equipment should be stored is worth doing ahead of time.

Booking by the week

Closings follow the same pattern as openings. Because of the large volume of closings and the small window to get all of the work done, we cannot guarantee a specific date or time. We typically schedule by the week and location, and we will do our best to meet your needs. It is never too early to get on the schedule, so if you already know you want us to close your pool, call now and you will not be scrambling when the first hard freeze shows up in the forecast.

To get your pool on the closing schedule, call 724-352-7549 or stop by the store on North Pike Road.