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The picture on the left shows the pool pillow being inflated by my Craftsman tire inflator. Since this is a rather slow process, I remove other accessories such as the solar reel and prepare them for winter storage. Every few minutes I check the pillow to be sure it doesn't become over inflated. When the pillow is approximately three fourths full, I stop the pump.
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The step unit is one of the first accessories to be removed. It is anchored at the side of the pool by a couple of fiber glass straps that must be unscrewed from the deck. In addition to the straps there are a couple of 50 pound bags of play sand sealed into oversize baggies that must be removed from their rack and lifted to the deck. These bags prevent the steps from floating while in use. The step unit is not too heavy, but I have someone guide and balance it as I lift it to the deck. After removing the step unit, I vacuum the spot where it was located, the sides of the pool and places that the robot missed.
The next step in the process is the reason that I saved the original pool ladder. Since I can no longer jump out of a pool like I did when I was twenty something, I use the ladder to exit the pool.
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The pillow is anchored at the center of the pool to prevent structural damage to the pool when the water freezes.
The photo at the right shows the spring loaded clip and wire clamp that was used to anchor the pillow to the rope.
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If one leaves the pool open until the last possible day like I do, you have to hurry at this point in the procedure or the leaves blow into the pool faster than you can skim them out. Notice the leaf floating in the foreground of the photo at the left.
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The final step in the procedure before the pool cover is installed is to close the skimmer port with the Aquadoor and the pool inlet with an expandable plug. The Aquadoor just snaps in place over the skimmer port but I must remove an underwater light from the inlet port before I insert the plug.
Once the plugs are in place I disconnect the tubes from the skimmer and inlet port and inspect for leaks.
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With the leak check completed, the pool cover is installed. There is a cable that is threaded through the eyelets on the perimeter of the pool cover and is attached to a turnbuckle to make it secure against winter wind gusts. At four points on the sides of the pool the cover is anchored using bungee cords attached to augers and the arrangement in the photo at the left is also attached to an auger at the end on the pool.
The rope in the photo is the same one attached to the pool pillow in the above photo. The opposite end of the rope is attached to a fixed point on the deck. Also in the photo at the left are two spring loaded clips, a pulley and spring that was formerly used in the construction of a dog run for a large dog. This arrangement is designed to keep the pool pillow centered in the pool during high winds. The way that it works is that when the wind lifts the cover, it puts tension on the rope and therefore causes the pillow to stay centered. The spring and the bungee cords provide some give to the arrangement so that the wind does not rip the pool cover.
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With the pool cover in place, all that remains to be done is to disconnect the pump from its power source, the ground bonding wires from the pump and all of the tubes. Next all water must be drained from the pump, filter, solar collector and tubes.
The filter is drained by placing the handle of the valve head in the "Winterize" position and removing the drain plug in the bottom of the filter. When it is almost drained, I lift it from the molded platform that is shares with the pump and turn the pump up on end to drain all water from the pump housing and the strainer basket. When the pump and the strainer basket are dry, I connect one of the tubes from port 1 of the inlet valve to the discharge port of the pump. This arrangement creates a closed system so that dirt or other foreign material cannot enter the pump during storage.
The solar collector is drained as one would drain a garden hose. After it is drained as well as possible, I connect the Shop Vac to insure that all pockets of water have been removed so that it won't be damaged.
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The photo on the left shows the pump and filter area after the pump, filter and tubes have been removed and stored away. The large tube on the right side of the skimmer panel is from the center drain. It must be securely tied up to prevent it from draining the pool. I use a piece of cable that is looped through the support column and clamped with a wire clamp. The wire is clamped to the tube using a hose clamp.
The valve manifold mounted on the deck support is used during the summer to bypass the solar collector when the pump runs at night. If one forgets to change the valves the solar collector will cool the water at night as well as it heats it during the day.
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