How to WINTERIZE an INTEX POOL in 12 Steps | Swim University

What, you thought you'd just throw a cover over your pool and ignore it until spring? Nice try. Winterize your Intex above ground pool now so you don't have to trudge through a swamp later.

⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to How To Winterize An Intex Pool
00:53 - When You Need To Winterize An Intex Pool
02:09 - Intex Winterization Supplies
02:37 - Step 1. Clean And Vacuum Pool
03:18 - Step 2. Check Drain Plug
04:00 - Step 3. Remove Cap From Drain Valve
04:25 - Step 4. Clean Pool Walls With Mild Cleaner
05:02 - Step 5. Help Drain Water By Lifting Pool
05:15 - Step 6. Remove Drain Connector And Hose
05:32 - Step 7. Wipe Down Inside Of Pool
05:46 - Step 8. Take Down Frame
06:16 - Step 9. Fold Pool Liner
06:46 - Step 10. Dry And Clean Accessories
07:05 - Step 11. Use A Filter Cleaner
07:30 - Step 12. Store Attachments Together
08:01 - Pool Care Video Course
09:03 - How To Keep Your Intex Pool Up In Warmer Climates
11:48 - How To Winterize Salt Water Intex Pools

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[SwimUniversity]

Do you own an Intext or EasySet pool? If so, how do you prepare it for the winter?

[luciedagesse]

I live in New Hampshire and we get below freezing temps and I leave mine up. I have a 26' round. I remove my saltwater generator, drain it and let it dry our before storing it, I disconnect my sand filter and let that drain. I ad the required amount of pool shock for winter. I do not use a pillow because where I live is very windy and it gets blown to the edge of the pool, instead I crisscross rope across my pool to form a web like structure over the top and this holds my cover above the water and also allows me to get the cover on alone. I then remove my sut offs and let the pool drain to the whole levels. I cover the pool and secure it. I have left mine up all winter like this for 13 years without an issue.

[paulgendron]

Incredibly informative video. Now I know how to winterize my pool by disassembling it.

[debi]

We have a 12' x 30" intex the one w/ the liner and metal poles. This year we took it down in record time. To drain it, we dropped in a submersible pump attached to a sump pump hose (I think it was about 20" long). We pumped almost all of the water out in less than an hour. The thing is, with that amount of water you have to keep moving this hose around periodically to distribute the water throughout the yard. This way the neighbors won't complain about having a flood in their yard. A win-win for all, having a well-watered lawn and happy neighbors! There was about 2 inches of water remaining at the bottom of the pool under the drain plug. (Side note here, we lost the little drain opener that you hook up to the hose, so hooking it up from the pool to a hose was virtually impossible, but it's still releases water just slower) We grabbed our wet vac, and sucked out the remaining water in the pool. After cleaning up the inside of the pool, we put a small box fan in the bottom of the pool to dry out the liner. The liner dried out quickly. If you're really motivated, this could be done in an afternoon.

[TonyMcCartney]

I have a KD Pool that I’ve covered and left up for 18 years. Getting an Intex Ultra that I hope to leave up. I have two friends that have a Colman pool. They have both left their pools up over the winter for two years and one year. Fingers crossed for this year! :-)

[bucketofsteam]

If you can't find the garden hose adapter for draining, you can use some electrical tape to get it done. Make sure any part of what you're taping is dry and clean and it should work like a champ. I wrapped mine 10 or so times.

[DavidsSmilin]

I have a best way above ground pool. I have upgraded the inlet and outlets With plunger valves. In the past I winterized it by dropping water level Below outlet levels. This year I want to try leaving the water in it. I got a Skimmer cover. I live in northern ohio, where the average highs can get down to 32 degrees. And of course, much cooler lowes. Question Will the plunger vales sustain the freezing temperatures with the water-ice level being above them and drained past them... Thank you, , and I love your stuff..David..

[collinprovencher]

18’ Intex… pool cover… do I weave the cinching wire through the support posts or just go around everything — winter gets pretty windy but I’m tired of managing 24 1-gal jugs twice a year 😅😅😅

[off-roadrc]

your clueless Bro lol... if you have a large Coleman vista 2 or intex pool such as my 22'x52 " Vista 2 with 12 to 15 thousand gallons of water, just keep it up year roud..I live in the Snowbelt of Ohio 200 inches plus of snow on average . simply add water to the very top of the pool as to keep the winter cover from dropping into the pool (there is no inwall skimmer) to worry about so top the pool off. remove your pump hoses etc store inside throw your AquaPill or winterizing chemicals of choice in the water, install an ice pillow put your winter cover on & your done. I also recommend a small pump to remove any standing water that might get on the winter cover and that's it you're finished until spring just be sure to get a good winter cover with a cable system

[JAMikdiena]

Protip: Use your intex filter pump to drain it a lot faster! Connect the pump inflow hose to the pool drain (use some ducting tape or fittings to eliminate air inflow at the connection point) and the outflow hose point to the garden. Boom, pool is empty within 2 hours.

[JayReneeFree]

After taking air out of intex donut, is there anything to put on it to keep it from cracking during winter storage?

[TheMrsK.Carter]

My intex frame pool is very large. Can I just get a pool dome and winterized it? 32'x16' is just way to big to deal with.

[marilynlonsbury]

I usually drain and clean my ultra frame pool 16x48 then remove the poles...drop the upper frame assembly down and cover with a very large tarp to keep it clean and also from fading and rot on the rails. I don't have any help so this is the way that I have to do this. In the spring I use a sump pump to get most of the water off then I bring in the Shop-Vac and put the sump pump right into the shop vac over and over again until all the water is off the tarp and out of the pool. It's very time consuming but it's the only way that I can do this. The snow does not affect the pool in any way by this method but as a senior I do realize that I will eventually need a pool boy. I hope this method helps.

[russellstivers]

We live in South East Georgia, temperatures do drop below 41° but not all the time and tend to warm up above that during the daytime. Average temps are between 40° and 60°. Do we need to drain our pool?

[jenniferstinert]

There are lots of videos about closing pools, but not many talk about actually having to completely take apart and move your above ground pool. Even the instruction manuals have limited information. For those of us who live in Canada and northern US states where there is a lot of snow and freezing temperatures, we really do not have any other options. Here are my tricks for getting ready for winter when you have an Intex Easyset type of pool or a smaller framed above ground pool.

We actually have a huge Intex Easyset that is an 18’x10’ oval and a small 8’ round Blue Wave Easyset type as well. It was like Goldilocks… the first was too big and the second was too small. This year I invested in a framed 13’x6’ pool, which is just right! I let my chlorine levels drop naturally with the sun before draining it. I try to get the water as close to rain /tap water, because I don’t want to put chemicals into the city’s water system. We have an outside drain where the sump pump in the basement drains water into. I put the hose into this drain, so the yard and street don’t get flooded with water. My best advice is to invest in a submersible water pump that attaches to a garden hose. Using only a garden hose and gravity to drain the pool takes way too long. It can also come in handy when opening your pool, or if a large leak appears. We noticed that one of the frame’s supports had popped out, when we were filling the new pool. The pump was a fast way to move water out to fix it. Instead of wasting all the water, we filled every large bucket and container we could find. I even used old kiddy pools to store the water. Once we got the support fixed, I used the pump to put the water back into the pool. As it was the very first time setting up this pool, I should have double checked before filling; so it was a learning experience. I also use the pump to force water through the filter pump and hoses at the end of the summer to clean them. I start with clean water with a small amount of bleach, then I rinse everything in plain water before letting them dry out completely. I throw away all the filters, and start with a brand new ones next spring/summer. To save space, I vacuum seal the sponge/foam filters, so they take up less room in the storage container. My water pump was only $69 Canadian on Amazon, and I’ve used it for the last 3 years, so it’s been worth every penny. The best part is that the pump creates a siphoning action, so you don’t have to constantly watch it. When there was a little over a foot of water in the pool, I turned it off in the evening and it continued to drain the pool all night. I also use a wet dry shop vacuum to make sure the liner is complete dry and clean. It helps get all those tiny pieces of sand/dirt that get into seams as well as removing any remaining water/moisture. Once the pool has been carefully moved to a clean dry part of the yard, we clean anything on the outside and get it ready to fold up. That’s when I use the shop vac for the ground cover. I place a nylon sock over the suction hose end to prevent large pieces of grass and leaves from getting sucked in. It keeps the inside of the vacuum from getting really gross and slimy, which saves extra work afterwards. Throughout the year, I save all the little moisture packs that come with different items, so I can put them inside the container with my blow up toys, liner, pool pump, etc. Pool chemicals are stored separately of course! This safeguards from any moisture that’s into the storage container or liner from growing mold. I invested in a very large lidded storage container with wheels. Wheels are a must because vinyl liners are heavy! This way I can keep everything together and move it inside my garage for winter. It also keeps insects and rodents away from your supplies. Yes I do store my liner in below 0°Celsius weather because I don’t have enough room inside the house. The coldest it gets in my garage is -15°C or 5°F. AS LONG AS no one disturbs, moves or touches the vinyl liner while it’s cold, it’s fine. To get ready to set the pool up the next season, I take the big container out of the garage and I DON’T open it. I allow everything inside to acclimatize and warm up slowly. Once the vinyl has warmed up on its own, I take it out and carefully unfold it and get it ready to setup and fill. One year we did have an issue with the huge Intex pool sticking to itself, so we started to sprinkle on a very tiny amount of Baby Powder before folding it up for winter, which worked wonderfully. Just make sure to vacuum it up before you start filling the pool. I hope that this helps make it easier for others who are in the same situation. Good Luck.

[TNKeys]

Any thoughts on getting the moisture out of the plastic hoses? Seems like no matter how many days I leave them draped over my guest shower in my house or draped over my gas grill in the sunshine they never dry out fully.

[martinko]

thank you so much for your advice.little tip video would be much more informative if there are some pictures showing process.thanks

[InTheKitchenWithSandy]

How about the Coleman, 22 x 52, should I drain it completely?

[lisaschultz]

Intex 15x48 any benefits to use 2 pool pillows or stick with . Thanks

[User-fpgn]

i feel hepa filters like in shop vacs are cleanable so they should last at least two years each.