Closing time, one last call for calcium

The Final Call: Why Your Pool's Winter Survival Depends on This One Critical Step

As the swimming season winds down and temperatures begin their inevitable descent, pool owners across the country face the annual ritual of winterization. But here's the thing – most people are doing it wrong. After six episodes dedicated to this topic on the Rule Your Pool Podcast, host Aaron Knight is still fielding countless questions about proper pool closing techniques. This tells us one thing: the fundamentals are still being misunderstood.

In episode 156, aptly titled "Closing Time, One Last Call for Calcium," Knight breaks down winterization into its most essential components, focusing on the science behind why certain methods work while others leave you with expensive repairs come spring.

A quarterback does not throw the ball to where the wide receiver is. They throw the ball to where the wide receiver is going. That's what we should be doing. We should be predicting the winter.

— Aaron Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The Three Pillars of Proper Pool Winterization

According to Knight's extensive experience, all winterization variables boil down to three fundamental aspects: mechanical preparation, water quality, and water balance. Understanding these three pillars – and their relative importance – can save you thousands in spring repairs and weeks of remediation work.

The mechanical aspect involves the physical preparation of your pool and equipment. This includes blowing out plumbing lines, properly shutting down equipment, and installing covers. However, Knight makes it clear that while mechanical preparation is important, it's not where pool professionals should focus their primary expertise.

We are not qualified to give you any of that advice on this podcast, so you're not going to get it here. But you should know where to go. Talk to your supervisor and if you don't have a supervisor, talk to other people that have mechanical experience.

— Aaron Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The real focus, according to the Orenda method, should be on water chemistry – specifically water balance. This is where most pool closings go wrong, and it's where the biggest opportunities for improvement lie.

Why Temperature Changes Everything: The LSI Factor

The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) becomes critically important during winterization because temperature is arguably its most significant variable. As water temperature drops, it affects the water's ability to hold calcium in solution. This is where many pool owners and even professionals make their biggest mistake.

Knight emphasizes that water temperature cannot be ignored during winterization – it's the main thing that's different about winter pool maintenance. In areas where freezing is guaranteed, like the Northeast and Midwest, pool owners actually have an advantage because they can predict with certainty that temperatures will drop significantly.

But even in more temperate regions like Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, pools can and do freeze unexpectedly. Knight shares his personal experience in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his pool froze despite not expecting it to, but because he had prepared by loading the pool with calcium, he avoided any damage.

The Calcium Loading Strategy: Your Pool's Winter Insurance Policy

This brings us to the heart of Knight's winterization philosophy: calcium loading. As water temperature drops, the LSI shifts, making water more aggressive toward pool surfaces. The solution isn't to drain the pool or hope for the best – it's to proactively add calcium to maintain proper water balance throughout the winter months.

When I boil down all of the variables that go into properly closing a pool in the winter, there are just three fundamental aspects to winterization.

— Aaron Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The process involves calculating the expected temperature drop and adjusting calcium hardness accordingly. This prevents the water from becoming corrosive and damaging pool surfaces, equipment, and plumbing. It's a proactive approach that addresses the root cause of winter pool damage rather than just treating symptoms.

Knight recommends using a calcium hardness increaser like Orenda's Cal Rise, but emphasizes that the key is understanding the why behind the process. Once you understand that dropping temperatures affect water balance, you can figure out the appropriate amount of calcium to add based on your specific situation.

Debunking Common Winterization Myths

One of the most valuable aspects of this episode is Knight's systematic debunking of common winterization practices that often do more harm than good. He takes particular aim at traditional "closing kits" that focus on everything except water balance.

If a closing kit does all this stuff to keep your water clean and clear, how come so many pools open up a disaster?

— Aaron Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

These kits typically include algaecides, shock treatments, and various other chemicals that Knight argues actually create more problems than they solve. Algaecides, in particular, can conflict with chlorine and create byproducts that make spring opening more difficult. Since pool temperatures drop below the point where algae can effectively reproduce, these products are largely unnecessary.

Knight also addresses the shock-or-not-to-shock debate, explaining that while there may be situations where shocking makes sense (particularly when you don't know the pool's maintenance history), any chlorine added will dissipate within days to weeks and won't provide season-long protection.

Another controversial topic is the use of antifreeze products in pool plumbing. While these products do work, Knight warns that they create significant complications during spring opening, often resulting in foaming issues and additional cleanup work.

The Cover Consideration: Why Type Matters More Than You Think

An often-overlooked aspect of winterization is how your choice of pool cover affects water balance throughout the winter. Knight references earlier episodes where they established that the type of cover matters more than the type of pool surface when it comes to winter water balance.

Different covers allow varying amounts of light penetration, affect evaporation rates, and influence how temperature changes impact the water. Solid covers provide different protection than mesh covers, and understanding these differences is crucial for proper calcium loading calculations.

The key is to consider what will happen to your specific pool, with your specific cover, in your specific climate over the next several months. This individualized approach is far more effective than following generic closing kit instructions.

Spring-Forward Thinking: Winterize with Opening Day in Mind

Perhaps the most important shift in thinking that Knight advocates is winterizing with spring in mind. Instead of just trying to survive the winter, the goal should be to set yourself up for an easy, successful pool opening.

Closing time, every spring opening starts with the last season.

— Aaron Knight, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This means avoiding products that will create problems in the spring, maintaining proper water balance throughout the winter, and understanding that every decision made during closing will have consequences when it's time to reopen.

Pools that are properly balanced with adequate calcium hardness don't just survive winter better – they open cleaner, clearer, and with less surface damage. The water quality is better, the equipment lasts longer, and the overall cost of ownership decreases.

For pool service professionals, this approach also means happier customers and fewer emergency calls. When pools open successfully year after year, customer retention improves and referrals increase.

Practical Implementation: Making the Science Simple

While the science behind LSI and calcium loading might seem complex, Knight emphasizes that the practical implementation is relatively straightforward. The key steps include:

• Test your water's current calcium hardness level
• Calculate the expected temperature drop for your area
• Determine how much calcium hardness to add to maintain proper LSI
• Add calcium gradually while maintaining circulation
• Verify final levels before completing mechanical closing procedures

For pool professionals servicing multiple pools, developing a systematic approach based on local climate patterns can streamline the process while ensuring consistent results. Knight suggests that once you understand the principles, you can develop location-specific protocols that account for typical temperature ranges and seasonal patterns.

The investment in proper winterization – both in terms of time and materials – pays dividends in reduced spring cleanup, fewer equipment repairs, and better long-term pool surface condition. It's truly a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

As we head into another winter season, the message is clear: don't just close your pool – prepare it for success. Understanding the why behind proper winterization techniques empowers pool owners and professionals to move beyond generic solutions and develop targeted strategies that work for their specific situations. After all, every successful spring opening really does start with the decisions made during the previous fall's closing.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Song Parody
• 03:30 Previous Episodes Recap
• 05:45 Three Fundamental Aspects of Winterization
• 07:15 Mechanical Winterization Basics
• 12:00 Water Balance Focus
• 15:30 Closing Kits and Chemical Concerns
• 20:00 Calcium Loading Strategy
• 25:30 Spring Opening Preparation