Domakihub How to Close and Winterize a Pool the Right Way
A simple end-of-season routine that protects your pool through the Greek off-season.
Reviewed by Domakihub pool pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Closing your pool properly at the end of the season keeps the water clean, protects your equipment, and saves you a long, expensive cleanup next spring. The video above walks you through the full process on an inground pool, and this guide lays out the steps in order so you can follow along. It is written with Greek homes, holiday rentals, and hotels in mind, where winters are milder but salt air, autumn debris, and unused months still take a toll.
Why winterizing matters even in a mild Greek winter
Greece rarely sees the hard, sustained freezes that pool owners in colder climates fear, so full draining and antifreeze are usually unnecessary inland and along the coast. The real enemies here are stagnant water, algae, autumn leaves, and equipment that sits unused for months. A pool left open and unbalanced over winter turns green fast and can stain or scale the surface.
For holiday rentals and hotels, a clean winterized pool also means a fast, cheap reopening before the season starts. A few hours of care in November saves days of scrubbing, shocking, and chemical costs in spring, and avoids guests arriving to a pool that is not swim-ready.
What you will need before you start
Gather your winterizing chemicals (a strong shock and a winter algaecide), a skimmer net, a pool brush, and your test kit. If you live somewhere that can briefly drop near freezing, such as the mountains or northern Greece, add expansion plugs, a Gizmo for the skimmer, and pool antifreeze for the plumbing. A safety or mesh winter cover that fits your pool is essential to keep debris out.
Pick a calm, dry day when the water is below roughly 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. Closing while the water is still warm encourages algae to keep growing under the cover, so wait until temperatures genuinely drop in late autumn.
Closing and winterizing your pool, step by step
- 1
Deep clean and balance the water
Skim the surface, brush the walls and floor, and vacuum out all debris so nothing rots under the cover. Test and balance the water: aim for pH around 7.4 to 7.6, alkalinity 80 to 120 ppm, and calcium hardness in the recommended range. Balanced water stops scale, staining, and corrosion over the closed months.
- 2
Shock and add winter algaecide
Run the pump and add a strong chlorine shock to kill any lingering bacteria and algae, ideally the evening before you close. Once the chlorine level has come back down to a normal range, add a long-life winter algaecide. This combination keeps the water clear for months with no daily attention.
- 3
Lower the water and clean the equipment
Drop the water level below the skimmer and returns if you expect any freezing risk; in frost-free coastal areas you can leave it just below the skimmer. Remove, clean, and store the skimmer baskets, ladders, and any return fittings. Backwash or clean the filter, then empty it so nothing sits in dirty water all winter.
- 4
Drain and protect the plumbing and pump
Switch off power to the equipment at the breaker. Drain the pump, filter, heater, and any chlorinator using their drain plugs, and store the plugs in the pump basket so you find them in spring. If freezing is possible, blow out the lines and add pool antifreeze, then seal the lines with expansion plugs and a skimmer Gizmo.
- 5
Cover the pool securely
Fit a clean winter or safety cover so it sits tight with no gaps for leaves or animals. Use water bags, cover clips, or anchors so wind cannot lift it, which matters on exposed island and coastal sites. Check the cover every few weeks, clear off pooled water and debris, and your pool will open clean and ready next season.
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FAQ
- Do I really need to winterize a pool in Greece if it almost never freezes?
- Yes, though usually a lighter version. In most of coastal and southern Greece you skip the antifreeze and deep draining, but you still need to balance the water, shock, add winter algaecide, and cover the pool. That stops algae, staining, and debris over the unused months. Only in colder inland or northern regions do you need full freeze protection like blowing out the lines and adding pool antifreeze.
- Can I leave my pool running all winter instead of closing it?
- You can keep a pool open over a mild Greek winter if you run the pump a few hours a day, keep chemistry balanced, and skim regularly. This works well for hotels that stay partly active. But for homes and seasonal rentals that sit empty, fully closing and covering is cheaper, uses no electricity, and means far less maintenance until spring.
- When is the best time to close a pool for the season?
- Close once the water temperature drops below about 18 to 20 degrees Celsius and you have stopped swimming for the year, typically late autumn in Greece. Closing too early while the water is still warm lets algae grow under the cover. Waiting until temperatures genuinely fall keeps the water clear with minimal effort over winter.